Identifying Effective Teachers Policy
Vermont's requirements for licensure advancement and renewal are not based on evidence of teacher effectiveness.
In Vermont, to advance from a Level I license to a Level II Professional Educator's license, teachers must be recommended by the local or regional standards board; have successfully practiced in an endorsement area for three years; provide evidence of three relicensing credits, with at least one addressing the specific knowledge and performance standards of the advancing endorsement; and provide verification from an administrator who has supervised their work that they have demonstrated the competencies required by the endorsement at a professional level. Teachers must also submit an approved Individual Professional Development Plan, developed through analysis of professional practice and student learning data and articulating their professional development goals for the ensuing licensure period.
Vermont does not include evidence of effectiveness as a factor in the renewal of a professional license. To renew a level II professional license, Vermont teachers are required to submit an Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP) and document nine professional development credits over the seven-year validity period. Beginning in 2012, teachers must submit a Professional Portfolio for renewal based on their previous IPDP.
Require evidence of effectiveness as a part of teacher licensing policy.
Vermont 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, Vermont's general, nonspecific professional development credit requirements for license renewal merely call for teachers to complete a certain amount of seat time. These requirements do not correlate with teacher effectiveness.
Vermont recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.