The Georgia Department of Education has chosen the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System to be one of 12 counties to pilot a new teacher evaluation program beginning next school year. The list of twelve includes urban, rural and charter school districts. The state will fund a supplement to teachers and team leaders participating in the pilot.
The goal is to replace the current Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES) and Leader Keys Effectiveness System (LKES). The current teacher evaluation system, evaluates teachers based on a combination of student growth, the teacher's ability to meet certain performance standards and progress toward professional development goals. Georgia teachers are required to undergo at least two, and in some cases up to six, classroom observations of their teaching each year. “Our aim is to create a teacher evaluation system that values and elevates educators, instead of devaluing them – recognizing their central and irreplaceable role in student success," State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “I wish to thank these districts for coming alongside us to pilot a new system that is designed for teacher growth, from beginning teacher to teacher leader – to the benefit of students."
The pilot will feature a comprehensive educator evaluation system that promotes teacher collaboration and shared ownership for professional growth, recognition for effective practices, and clear pathways for career advancement.The Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) supports the pilot program. “We look forward to working with the Georgia Department of Education and the districts to move Georgia toward a teacher evaluation system that promotes educators as the professionals they are and provides a mechanism for educators to increase their skills and proficiencies in the classroom," GAE President Lisa Morgan said.
Other school districts selected for the new pilot program, called the Georgia Leadership and Educator Acceleration and Development System, include Atlanta Public Schools; the school districts of Brooks, Clay, Dooly, Dougherty, Gordon, Jefferson, Lowndes, and Muscogee counties, the Griffin-Spalding system and Liberty Tech Charter School.
