Teacher Evaluations

In Michigan, teacher evaluations have been in the news since January 4, 2010 when Governor Granholm signed legislation that required school districts to have a "rigorous, transparent, and fair performance evaluation system."  The system required the following (among other things):
A.  Evaluates the teacher's or school administrator's job performance at least annually while providing timely and constructive feedback.
B.  Establishes clear approaches to measuring student growth and provides teachers and school administrators with relevant data on student growth.
C. Evaluates a teacher's or school administrator's job performance, using multiple rating categories that take into account data on student growth as a significant factor.

The state school code then changed to state that job performance and job accomplishments shall be a significant factor in determining compensation and additional compensation.

All of that sounds good in theory.  But according to an article in the New York Times rating teachers using test data is fraught with difficulties.

I do not believe that any teacher or administrator objects to being held accountable.  We recognize that our job is to educate the students who attend our schools.  We welcome the opportunity to educate the students who come to our schools.

But, as seen the the New York Times article, creating the system is difficult.