Survey of state's teachers suggests need to change evaluations

A statewide survey on teacher and principal evaluations, done for the first time this year, shows what many educators and policymakers have been saying for years: Very few teachers and principals in Washington state receive an unsatisfactory rating each year.

For 2009-10, the survey shows that 459 of the state's 59,481 teachers were rated unsatisfactory, and 41 of the 2,619 principals.

In many districts, no teacher or principal received an unsatisfactory rating that school year, including Auburn and Mercer Island in King County, and Monroe and Lake Stevens in Snohomish County.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn says the survey underscores the need to change the way teachers and principals are evaluated in this state, an effort that's already under way.

Last year, state lawmakers passed a law requiring all school districts to overhaul teacher and principal evaluation systems by the 2013-14 school year. That law calls for districts to rate teachers on one of four levels, not just two, as most do now.

Eight school districts and one consortium of districts are now piloting variations of the new system, including the Snohomish School District.

Other school districts have made similar changes on their own, including Seattle.

"Evaluations are a national issue," Dorn said in a prepared release.

"In Washington, we've had the same evaluation system for more than 25 years. Judged by today's standards, the system is neither fair nor meaningful."

Dorn also said his office recently helped organize 10 forums in which teachers, principals and other community members expressed a number of concerns about the way most teacher and principal evaluations work now, including the fact that teachers usually know in advance when a principal will be observing their class.

This is the first year of the statewide survey, which is required by the federal government. Of the state's 295 school districts, 289 completed it.

The survey also asked districts about what kind of rating system they use, how many times teachers and principals are evaluated, and how the results are used.

Linda Shaw: 206-464-2359 or lshaw@seattletimes.com