Identifying Effective Teachers Policy
Utah's requirements for licensure advancement and renewal are not based on evidence of teacher effectiveness.
In Utah, to advance from a Level 1 license to a Level 2 license, teachers must complete the following: work with a mentor for three years, complete a portfolio review, satisfy district/school evaluations, achieve a score of 160 or higher on the Praxis II in the area of educational preparation and assignment and be NCLB-highly qualified in at least one license area or endorsement. In order to move from a Level 2 to a Level 3 license, teachers must acquire a doctorate in an education-related field or have National Board Certification.
Utah does not include evidence of effectiveness as a factor in the renewal of a professional license. Level 2 teachers must renew their licenses every five years and Level 3 teachers every seven years. Level 2 and 3 teachers must acquire 100 points for educator work experience in a public or accredited private school— 35 points per school year for at least half-time up to three years during the renewal cycle as well as 100 professional development points.
Require evidence of effectiveness as a part of teacher licensing policy.
Utah should require evidence of teacher effectiveness to be a factor in determining whether teachers can renew their licenses or advance to a higher-level license.
Discontinue license renewal requirements with no direct connection to classroom effectiveness.
While targeted requirements may potentially expand teacher knowledge and improve teacher practice, Utah's general, nonspecific professional development point requirements for license renewal merely call for teachers to complete a certain amount of seat time. These requirements do not correlate with teacher effectiveness.
End requirement tying teacher advancement to doctoral degrees.
Utah should remove its mandate that teachers obtain a doctorate degree for any level of license advancement. Research is conclusive and emphatic that master's degrees do not have any significant correlation to classroom performance. Rather, advancement should be based on evidence of teacher effectiveness.
Utah recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.