Board of Ed: New Policies for Teacher Evaluations

Katherine Poythress/Civil Beat

The Hawaii State Board of Education approved new performance management policies for teachers on Tuesday that might be the most tangible progress the state has made in its Race to the Top since December.

That's when the U.S. Department of Education criticized Hawaii for failing to make sufficient headway on promises the state made in its federal grant application in 2010. Teacher evaluations and performance-based pay were two key reforms the feds said appeared to have stalled, after labor negotiations between the state and Hawaii State Teachers Association broke down last year.

But Gov. Neil Abercrombie, the Hawaii Legislature and the Board of Education have been working to implement the reforms anyway, with or without the union.

The board at its regular meeting Tuesday passed policies that would require longer probationary periods for teachers before they receive tenure, and would tie pay for teachers and principals to annual evaluations of their performance.

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