Student Performance to Weigh More in Teacher Evaluations

State mandates academic progress account for 40 percent of county's evaluation system

Starting this fall, Fairfax County teachers will be evaluated under a new system that weighs student academic progress as 40 percent of their overall ratings. The shift comes as part of new Virginia Department standards and evaluation criteria for teacher performance localities must approve by July 1 of this year. For several months, the 40 percent was only a recommendation, said Fairfax Education Association President Michael Hairston, who sat on the state workgroup that addressed the issue. But a June 1 press release about the state’s second attempt at a waiver from federal No Child Left Behind requirements indicated to Fairfax officials that amount was mandatory.   “There’s a lot of angst. There’s a lot of concern from teachers,” …

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