Amendment 3
An easy ‘no’ vote
Amendment 3 would impose an external evaluation system for school districts and teachers based in part on student performance as shown on standardized tests. Teacher contracts would be limited to three years, and teachers and their organizations could not bargain collectively regarding teacher evaluations.
This proposal was launched and funded by conservative activist Rex Sinquefield, who has since abandoned the campaign for lack of apparent public support. However, the issue remains on the ballot and opponents continue to wage an energetic campaign against passage.
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the proposal establishes teacher evaluation in part based on student performance as shown by standardized tests. Evaluating entire school districts using student test scores is chancy enough. Drilling down to individual teacher evaluation is even more questionable. Not only does this short-circuit evaluation of teachers by school principals and other district officials; it revisits difficult questions about what such student tests reveal.
Shall teachers in high-performing districts get automatic advantage when, in fact, a teacher whose students score worse might be doing a better job?
The idea of more critical teacher evaluation has merit, but Amendment 3 is no way to do it. We should vote “no.”
HJW III
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