By: Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
Illinois’ K-12 teacher evaluation system has long been useless. A look at the data shows that the connection between teacher evaluations and student test scores has been bastardized for years. Take 2024. Even though just 39% of students statewide could read at grade level, 97% of all teachers were rated “excellent or proficient.”
The teacher ratings were even higher in 2020 and 2021, when 99% of all Illinois teachers received that rating. Student reading scores were even lower then.
Now things are about to get worse. From Chalkbeat: “Illinois Democratic Sens. Kimberly Lightford…and Meg Loughran Cappel…are proposing a change to state law that would no longer require school districts to use students’ test scores in teacher evaluations.”
That’s exactly the opposite of what should be happening. Reforms to the law should ensure that test scores have a real impact on teacher ratings – finally bringing about accountability. Because right now, there’s none.
The below table shows what things look like for 20 of the worst-performing Illinois school districts, based on the percent of kids able to read at grade level. In all of them, fewer than 20% of students are reading proficient, yet 100% of teachers were rated as “excellent or proficient” in 2024.
That’s how it is in Calumet City SD 155, where only 13% of students are at grade level. And ditto at Cicero’s J S Morton High School District, where reading proficiency is at just 14%. There, every one of the district’s 480 teachers were rated “excellent or proficient.”
If we were to expand the above table to include districts at less than 40% reading proficiency, we’d show a list of more than 200 school districts with 100% teacher ratings.
In all, of the 815 Illinois school districts that performed teacher evaluations in 2024, 490 districts reported that 100% of their teachers were rated “excellent or proficient.” That’s 60% of all districts, which encompasses more than 40,000 teachers. How is it that not even a single teacher out of that 40,000 was rated “needs improvement” or “unsatisfactory”?
Forget the idea of parents parsing out which of those school districts have poor or mediocre teachers and which have excellent ones. And forget administrators being able to hold teachers accountable…to promote the best, fire the worst and help those that show potential.
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We’ve always worried that the spotlight we and others shine on Illinois’ dismal education results will drive lawmakers to remove any semblance of real metrics and accountability from schools. Lightford’s bill is a step in that terrible direction.
If those of us who care about accountability don’t fight back, someday soon they’ll try to get rid of student testing altogether.
P.S. Check out the big table in the appendix below. We squeezed in 335 school districts in which fewer than 40% of students can read at grade level, but where 95% to 100% of all teachers in each those districts are rated “excellent or proficient.” It’s hard to believe how farcical it all is.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- Kids Can’t Read
- Nation’s Report Card results are in: Illinoisans spend billions more on education, yet 2024 reading results are still below 2019 levels
- No matter what Pritzker or the Tribune says, Illinois’ NAEP education results are abysmal
- Peoria school chief could be nation’s ‘Superintendent of the Year?’ A city where less than 1 in 10 black children read at grade level?
- Politicians’ five-step guide for making parents think all’s well in Illinois schools
Appendix.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
One has to ask why take away student test scores in teacher evaluations…? It doesnt appear to be hurting any teachers. Their evaluations are wonderful.
As a “Write-In Candidate” for Oak Lawn Community High School District 229, I am running on making sure that teachers are held more accountable for improving academic performance.
I believe we need to focus on
Objective Truths such as what percentage of students are performing at grade level in reading and science.
As a School Board Candidate, we must evaluate teachers on objective criteria, and it might be worthwhile looking into salaries and salary increases tied to objective criteria.
I’m interested in what specific objective criteria you would propose using to evaluate all teachers in improving academic performance, especially in a K12 district.
You will be encouraging teachers to “teach to the test” by using copies of older tests and drilling on those as the course focus. The testing results may improve if that’s how it’s accomplished, but education in the usual wider sense of understanding how things work or have evolved won’t likely improve all that much or maybe at all. That’s worth a thought or two, isn’t it?
Sure, after they are taught to read.
Pretty soon we will be paying teachers bonuses, based on the percentage of students that cannot read.
Lake Woebegone, where all the kids are above average.
Lake Woebegone: Illinois, where the teachers are all excellent or proficient, and most of the kids can’t possibly be taught.
Has anyone ever done a study, has anyone ever really looked at the question of WHY so many children are not able to read or do math at grade level, yet some children can? Which schools in this nation can produce students who meet grade level, and what do they do that no one else does?
That’s exactly where the debate should be. Unfortunately, Illinois leadership is in denial, celebrating its test scores through deception. https://wirepoints.org/no-matter-what-pritzker-or-the-tribune-says-illinois-naep-education-results-are-abysmal-wirepoints/
Mark-I put up a link under Pints and Politics article which may interest you pertaining to Frederick Hess from the American Enterprise Institute who was on Washington Journal (C-Span) this morning. He said while public schools shut down during Covid lock downs private K-12 schools were open leaving parents with little choice on what to do for their kids.
NO, they have not. And the educational establishment never will.
So, in essence the teachers evaluate each other ( or admin does and doesn’t want to the district that pays them tons of money to know how poorly they are performing ) and now seek to eliminate the unbiased data pointing out their failures as educators. Of course, Dems that want a stoned, stupid populace dependent on the system to get through life are on board.
Teachers do not want to be held accountable. Wouldn’t fly in the private sector. Our legislators need to represent students, not teachers unions.
The way to fight back is to leave the state. Those of us that did leave have few regrets. Grow a pair in 2025 and don’t take any more of the Illinois corrupt agenda. Cut Illinois out of your life and join those of us laughing from outside the Illinois borders. It really is amazing how insane Illinois looks from a distance. No redeeming qualities at all. Just pure evil.
So why are you bothering to participate in a site that is concerned only with Illinois? Is there nothing of interest where you live?
Let me guess. You think you can’t leave Illinois and you’re stuck, when the truth is you’re just scared, and you don’t like others pointing that out.