Teacher and Principal Evaluation Policy
The data and analysis on this page is from 2019. View and download the most recent policy data and analysis on Measures of Student Growth in Wisconsin from the State of the States 2022: Teacher and Principal Evaluation Policies report.
Impact of student growth: Wisconsin requires that 50 percent of a teacher's overall evaluation rating be based on student outcomes. This portion is comprised of one student learning outcome (SLO) goal per year. Schoolwide value-added measures, state test scores, graduation rates, and other measures are analyzed as data points for trends when setting the SLO goal. The SLOs are self-scored by the teacher being evaluated.
Wisconsin does not provide an overall teacher evaluation rating.
State's role in evaluation system: Wisconsin has developed the Educator Effectiveness System. Districts may use alternative models if equivalent, but such alternative models must be approved by the state.
Require instructional effectiveness to be a determinative criterion of any teacher evaluation.
Although Wisconsin requires that objective evidence of student growth be included in a teacher's evaluation rating, because Wisconsin teachers do not earn an overall evaluation rating, student growth does not play a profound role in a teacher's overall evaluation rating. Wisconsin should ensure that a teacher receives an overall evaluation rating and that a teacher is not able to earn an overall rating of effective if he or she is rated less-than-effective at increasing student growth.
Wisconsin asserted that it meets the first of the two bullet points for this goal, so its grade should be higher than "meets only a small part of this goal."
Although Wisconsin requires the inclusion of student growth in its teacher evaluation scores, the state does not require teachers to be rated at least effective for student growth in order to be rated effective overall.
7A: Measures of Student Growth
Many factors should be considered in formally evaluating a teacher; however, nothing is more important than effectiveness in the classroom. Value-added models are an important tool for measuring student achievement and school effectiveness.[1] These models have the ability to measure individual students' learning gains, controlling for students' previous knowledge and background characteristics. While some research suggests value-added models are subject to bias and statistical limitations,[2] rich data and strong controls can eliminate error and bias.[3] In the area of teacher quality, examining student growth offers a fairer and potentially more meaningful way to evaluate a teacher's effectiveness than other methods schools use.
Unfortunately, districts have used many evaluation instruments, including some mandated by states, which are structured so that teachers can earn a satisfactory rating without any evidence that they are sufficiently advancing student learning in the classroom.[4] Teacher evaluation instruments should include factors that combine both human judgment and objective measures of student learning.[5]