Supt. Hofmeister applauds lawmakers for approval of bill strengthening teacher evaluations
Posted by SDEmedia on Thu, 05/21/2015 - 6:04pm
OKLAHOMA CITY (May 21, 2015) — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister praised Oklahoma legislators today for passing a measure aimed at strengthening teacher evaluations.
House members unanimously approved Senate Bill 706, which provides time for efficient implementation of Teacher and Leader Effectiveness (TLE) until the 2017-18 school year and makes a number of modifications recommended by the TLE Commission.
Authored by Sen. John Ford and Rep. Dennis Casey, SB 706 now heads to the governor.
“I sincerely thank the members of the House, including TLE Commissioner Ed Cannaday, for voting to approve the bill,” Hofmeister said. “This vote represents an acknowledgement of the valid concerns voiced by educators and education experts across the state. Our lawmakers listened to their constituents and acted in the best interest of Oklahoma schoolchildren.”
Under the measure, the Oklahoma State Board of Education would adopt reliable, research-based options for TLE to expand professional growth opportunities and, in turn, improve student outcomes.
“This bill grants the Oklahoma State Department of Education valuable time to study all of the components of TLE,” said Hofmeister. “It will allow us to craft a system that includes accurate and proven measurements, and it will ensure our state has a trustworthy accountability system of which we can all be proud.”
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