AB 5 and a Proposed New Teacher Evaluation System for California

CTA is supporting a recently amended bill to change the teacher evaluation system in California.
 
Assembly Bill 5 by Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes of Los Angeles requires the implementation of a comprehensive teacher evaluation system in all school districts by July 1, 2014 that is based on best practices and multiple measures to strengthen the knowledge and skills of teachers to improve student learning. It moves beyond the approach of just using test scores to define educational success.
 
As you know, the State Council of Education unanimously approved a new CTA Teacher Evaluation Framework at our June meeting. AB 5 is consistent with that Framework and CTA policy, and provides us an opportunity to be proactive in the teacher evaluation debate and in leading our profession.
 
Final amendments to this bill moved very quickly this week. CTA worked with Assemblyman Fuentes, and after discussing the bill with members of the Teacher Evaluation and Academic Freedom Committee moved to a support position. The bill was voted out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday and now moves to the full legislature. AB 5 is rigorous, but it’s fair and focuses on improved teaching and learning.
 
 AB 5 requires that the evaluation process be collectively bargained at the local level to consider educator and student needs in that community, requires multiple measures of teacher effectiveness, mandates the use of the California Standards for the Teaching Profession to ensure consistent standards and practices, provides training and calibration for administrators/evaluators in conducting fair and standards-based evaluations, and provides for parent and community input.
 
In order to ensure that there are adequate resources to support this new evaluation system, CTA also supported amendments to the Quality Education Investment Act. AB 5 uses some unspent QEIA funds to provide resources to implement the evaluation system in QEIA schools. In addition, it provides flexibility to QEIA schools around class size requirements and provides additional resources to help QEIA schools implement the new Common Core State Standards. Future funding to expand the evaluation program will come from the K-12 Block Grant on mandated costs.
 
An AB 5 Fact Sheet and Talking Points are attached. We will need members to make calls to lawmakers as this bill moves through the Assembly and Senate. Legislative Alerts and requests will follow. This is our opportunity to set the agenda and be proactive for our members. Please also read CTA’s Guiding Principles on Teacher Evaluation and the CTA Teacher Evaluation Framework.
 
If you have any questions, please contact CTA Vice President Eric Heins at eheins@cta.org or Tricia Papapietro in our Governmental Relations Department at 916.325.1500.