Teacher Licensure and Teacher Evaluation are Separate and Distinct Processes
The licensing of a teacher is a separate and distinct process from the
evaluation of a teacher's performance.
The Professional Standards Council voted Thursday (May 13, 1999) to send
that message loud and clear in an attempt to overcome a growing misunderstanding.
The confusion revolves around proposed changes in the teacher licensure
process in Wisconsin, and appears to be affecting support for the changes.
The Professional Standards Council -- which makes recommendations regarding
the licensing and professional development of teachers -- was so concerned
about the confusion that it passed a motion designed to clarify the issue.
Essentially, it said:
- The state regulates the granting and renewal of teacher licenses.
- Local school districts have authority to hire, evaluate and, when
necessary, fire teachers.
Proposed changes to the teacher licensing process do not involve the
evaluation of a teacher's classroom performance, council members stated.
That remains the responsibility of the school district.
Dick Le Clair, a science teacher at Wausau West High School, said the
situation is similar to that of other professions, such as doctors and
lawyers. The state licenses a lawyer, and it is then up to the lawyer
to find a job. If the job doesn't work out, and the lawyer is fired by
her employer, she retains her license and finds other employment. The
fact that one law firm fired her does not affect her license status.
Likewise, he said, a school district's evaluation of a teacher does not
affect the teacher's professional license.
"Job retention," Le Clair said, "is an entirely different
issue than license renewal."
Kevin Steinhilber, principal of Badger Elementary School in Appleton,
said a license certifies that a person has met the general requirements
needed to become a teacher. But a person may not be the right fit in a
specific job in a specific district and may lose that job. That person
may then find another job in which she shines, he said.
The confusion involves one aspect of the proposed changes in teacher
licensing. Under the proposed new system, license renewal and advancement
to another stage of licensure will focus on self-directed, planned professional
development that is guided by the ten Wisconsin Teacher Standards.
As part of the process, a teacher's portfolio and plan will be reviewed
and analyzed by a team of three professionals, including teacher colleagues.
In a two-hour discussion, some council members said they believe use
of the term "evaluate" in this context is sometimes being confused
with a school district's performance evaluation of a teacher. They are
very different, council members said.
This review panel only evaluates a teacher's submitted portfolio and
professional development plan and only for the purpose of determining
whether it meets the requirements for license renewal or for advancing
from one stage of licensure to another, such as Initial Educator to Professional
Educator or from Professional Educator to Master Educator. This "evaluation"
is not based on classroom performance and is not used in any way to determine
whether a teacher should keep his or her job. That type of evaluation
can only be done at the school district level.
Council Chair Bill Hartje, a teacher at Evansville High School, said
the proposed revisions to the state-level licensure process are designed
to encourage and assist teachers in growing professionally. "Then,
at some point someone needs to do the (performance) evaluation at the
local level."
One council member, parent representative Geraldo Paz of Madison, opposed
the motion. Paz expressed frustration over what he said is the unwillingness
of some teachers to work with parents as equal partners in their children's
education. Lawrence Kahlscheuer, a school board representative from Washington
Island, abstained, saying he felt uncomfortable with the motion, which
he described as cumbersome.
The motion approved by the council reads:
"In order to define our work, we concur with current state law that:
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction grants the license of a
teacher. The school district determines the adequacy and performance of
the license holder and hires and fires as necessary. Judgement of inadequate
performance of a teacher by a school district does not mean revocation
of the teaching license. (The school district and the Department of Public
Instruction are separate governmental agencies with different functions
as described by law.)"
Posted May 14, 1999