(1) Effective teachers and principals are the 
backbone of our schools and the key to successful 
students. 
(2) Teachers and principals deserve our full 
support as they take on one of the most important 
and most challenging responsibilities—educating our 
children. 
(3) High-quality evaluations that provide mean-
ingful feedback is a crucial element to giving edu-
cators the support they need to be successful. 
(4) Teachers and principals also deserve access 
to professional development opportunities so they 
can continue to learn and grow as educators. 
(5) Research shows that high-quality and effec-
tive teaching is the single most important school- 
based factor impacting student learning. Effective 
teachers are also crucial to turning around strug-
gling schools. 
(6) Although research also suggests that quality 
teacher evaluations are an important tool in improv-
ing teacher performance, for many teachers, the cur-
rent evaluation systems do not provide useful feed-
back that would help them improve and grow as in-
structors. 
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(7) In formal studies, including research high-
lighted in ‘‘The Widget Effect’’, nearly 75 percent of 
teachers reported that they have not received specific 
suggestions on how to improve classroom practices 
in annual evaluations. 
(8) Across all local educational agencies, only 
43 percent of teachers, including novice teachers 
who may benefit the most from suggestions, report 
that current evaluations systems help them. 
(9) Research also shows that school leadership 
quality is second only to teacher quality among 
school-related factors that impact student learning. 
(10) Strong school leadership is a key deter-
minant of whether schools can attract and retain ef-
fective teachers. 
(11) Principals set the direction and the vision 
for a school, and through inspirational leadership, 
can create a positive learning environment. 
(12) Constructive feedback specifying areas for 
improvement could be useful to both teachers and 
principals who are dedicated to growing profes-
sionally. 
(13) The most effective way to turn around a 
struggling school is through talented teachers and 
an inspirational principal. 
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(14) Effective teachers and principals also de-
serve to be recognized for excellence and receive 
commendations in areas of strong performance and 
improvement. 
(15) Evaluations should give teachers and prin-
cipals the opportunity to foster mutually beneficial 
professional relationships. 
(16) Positive working relationships between 
principals and teachers are an important element of 
an effective school. 
(17) Teachers and principals should provide 
input and contribute directly to designing, imple-
menting, and improving evaluation systems in their 
school districts. 
(18) High-quality teacher and principal evalua-
tions have the potential to be a powerful tool and 
should play a significant role in improving the public 
education system. 
(19) Students and parents deserve effective 
teachers and inspirational principals who are per-
forming to the best of their ability and who are con-
stantly developing professionally. 
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SEC. 3. ROBUST TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL EVALUATIONS. 
Section 1111(b) of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(11) ROBUST TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL EVAL-
UATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each State plan shall 
carry out the following: 
‘‘(i) Establish definitions of teacher 
and principal effectiveness and perform-
ance ratings. 
‘‘(ii) Demonstrate that the State has 
developed, in partnership and in collabora-
tion with teachers and principals, a model 
teacher and principal evaluation program 
under which— 
‘‘(I) individuals in charge of ad-
ministering teacher and principal eval-
uations within each local educational 
agency in the State are provided rig-
orous training on how to conduct the 
teacher and principal evaluations, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(aa) how to provide specific 
feedback about improving teach-
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ing and principal practice based 
on evaluation results; and 
‘‘(bb) how to evaluate teach-
ers and principals using the per-
formance categories established 
under subparagraphs (B)(iv) and 
(C)(vii); 
‘‘(II) a teacher or principal who 
is evaluated is provided, based on the 
evaluation results, professional devel-
opment opportunities that meet the 
specific needs identified for the teach-
er or principal; 
‘‘(III) measures are taken to en-
sure that the results of personally 
identifiable teacher and principal eval-
uations are not publicly disclosed; 
‘‘(IV) regular monitoring and as-
sessment of the quality, reliability, va-
lidity, fairness, consistency, and objec-
tivity of the evaluation program and 
the evaluators’ judgments takes place 
within and across local educational 
agencies in the State; 
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‘‘(V) each teacher’s performance 
is evaluated in accordance with sub-
paragraph (B); 
‘‘(VI) each principal’s perform-
ance is evaluated in accordance with 
subparagraph (C); 
‘‘(VII) on the basis of the evalua-
tion, each teacher or principal, re-
ceives— 
‘‘(aa) a performance rating 
based on multiple measures; 
‘‘(bb) 
ongoing 
formative 
feedback 
and 
specific 
rec-
ommendations on areas for pro-
fessional improvement, which in-
cludes an identification of areas 
in which the teacher or principal 
can strengthen practices to im-
prove student learning; 
‘‘(cc) commendations for ex-
cellence in areas of strong per-
formance and in areas of im-
provement; and 
‘‘(dd) in the case of a teach-
er or principal who is identified 
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as being in one of the lowest 2 
performance 
categories 
estab-
lished 
under 
subparagraph 
(B)(iv) or (C)(vii), a comprehen-
sive remediation plan within set 
time parameters; 
‘‘(VIII) evaluation results are 
used to inform all key personnel and 
staffing decisions; 
‘‘(IX) any teacher or principal 
who receives an unsatisfactory evalua-
tion and does not successfully improve 
his or her performance on an evalua-
tion after completing the comprehen-
sive remediation plan as required 
under subclause (VII)(dd) is prohib-
ited from working in any elementary 
school or secondary school served 
under this part; and 
‘‘(X) a system is implemented 
under which every teacher and prin-
cipal is evaluated every year beginning 
not later than 2 years after the effec-
tive date of this paragraph. 
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‘‘(iii) Demonstrate that each local 
educational agency in the State has adopt-
ed a local educational agency-wide teacher 
and principal evaluation program that— 
‘‘(I) was developed in partnership 
and in collaboration with teachers and 
principals; 
‘‘(II) meets the standards for va-
lidity and reliability developed by the 
State; and 
‘‘(III) meets the minimum re-
quirements set forth in paragraph (ii). 
‘‘(iv) Demonstrate that each local 
educational agency in the State is actively 
seeking input from and collaborating with 
teachers and principals to make improve-
ments to the evaluation program on an an-
nual basis. 
‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS FOR TEACHER EVAL-
UATIONS.—The evaluation of a teacher’s per-
formance shall comply with the following min-
imum requirements: 
‘‘(i) A predominant factor in the eval-
uation is student academic growth with re-
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spect to the State’s academic standards, as 
measured by— 
‘‘(I) student learning gains on 
the State’s academic assessments es-
tablished under paragraph (3) or an-
other assessment of student academic 
achievement, as long as the assess-
ment is the same for all students in 
the local educational agency in which 
the teacher is employed; and 
‘‘(II) if available, value-added 
measures that track individual stu-
dent academic growth while under the 
instruction of the teacher. 
‘‘(ii) A portion of the evaluation is 
based on observations of the teacher’s per-
formance in the classroom by more than 1 
trained and objective observer— 
‘‘(I) that take place on several 
occasions during the school year the 
teacher is being evaluated; and 
‘‘(II) under which— 
‘‘(aa) a teacher is evaluated 
against a rigorous rubric that de-
fines multiple performance cat-
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egories in alignment with the 
State’s professional standards for 
teachers; and 
‘‘(bb) 
observation 
ratings 
meaningfully differentiate among 
teachers’ performance and bear a 
relationship to evidence of stu-
dent academic growth with re-
spect to the State’s academic 
standards. 
‘‘(iv) The evaluation provides ratings 
that 
meaningfully 
differentiate 
among 
teacher performance using at least 4 per-
formance categories. 
‘‘(v) The evaluation provides results 
that are comparable across all teachers 
within the local educational agency in 
which the teacher is employed. 
‘‘(C) 
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
PRINCIPAL 
EVALUATIONS.—The evaluation of the perform-
ance of a principal of a school shall comply with 
the following minimum requirements: 
‘‘(i) A predominant factor in the eval-
uation is student academic growth with re-
spect to the State’s academic standards of 
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the school’s students, including students in 
each of the subgroups described in para-
graph (2)(C)(v)(II). 
‘‘(ii) For a principal of a secondary 
school, a portion of the evaluation is based 
on the school’s graduation rates. 
‘‘(iii) A portion of the evaluation is 
based on the recruitment, development, 
evaluation, and retention of effective teach-
ers. 
‘‘(iv) A portion of the evaluation is 
based on the leadership abilities of the 
principal, as measured by observations of 
the principal and other relevant data evalu-
ated against a rigorous rubric that defines 
multiple performance categories in align-
ment with the State’s professional stand-
ards for principals. 
‘‘(v) The observations described in 
clause (iv) provide observation ratings 
that— 
‘‘(I) meaningfully differentiate 
among principals’ performance; and 
‘‘(II) bear a strong relationship 
to evidence of student academic 
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growth with respect to the State’s 
academic standards. 
‘‘(vi) The leadership abilities referred 
to in clause (iv) include the ability of the 
principal to— 
‘‘(I) create a shared and coherent 
schoolwide direction and policy for 
achieving high levels of student aca-
demic growth; 
‘‘(II) identify and implement the 
activities and rigorous curriculum nec-
essary for achieving such levels of stu-
dent academic growth; 
‘‘(III) create opportunities for 
the community and families of stu-
dents to engage positively with school 
administrators and staff; 
‘‘(IV) support positive learning 
environments for students; 
‘‘(V) cultivate a positive and col-
laborative 
work 
environment 
for 
school faculty and staff; 
‘‘(VI) collect, analyze, and utilize 
data and other tangible evidence of 
student learning and evidence of class-
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room practice to guide decisions and 
actions for continuous improvement 
and to ensure performance account-
ability; 
‘‘(VII) effectively oversee and 
manage a teacher evaluation program 
that provides individualized feedback; 
and 
‘‘(VIII) have strong organiza-
tional management of a school, includ-
ing sound budget and personnel prac-
tices. 
‘‘(vii) The evaluation provides ratings 
that 
meaningfully 
differentiate 
among 
principal performance using at least 4 per-
formance categories. 
‘‘(viii) The evaluation provides results 
that are comparable across all principals 
within the local educational agency in 
which the principal is employed.’’. 
SEC. 4. PUBLIC REPORTING. 
Section 1111(h) of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(h)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(C)— 
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(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of clause 
(vii); 
(B) by striking the period at the end of 
clause (viii) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(ix) the number and percentage of 
teachers and principals in each perform-
ance category established under subsection 
(b)(11)(B)(iv) 
or 
subsection 
(b)(11)(C)(vii), as applicable for— 
‘‘(I) the State overall; 
‘‘(II) the highest poverty and 
lowest poverty local educational agen-
cies; and 
‘‘(III) the highest minority and 
lowest 
minority 
local 
educational 
agencies.’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2)(B)(i)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
clause (I); and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(III) the number and percent-
age of teachers and principals in each 
performance 
category 
established 
under subsection (b)(11)(B)(iv) or 
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subsection (b)(11)(C)(vii), as applica-
ble for— 
‘‘(aa) the local educational 
agency overall; 
‘‘(bb) the highest poverty 
and lowest poverty schools; and 
‘‘(cc) the highest minority 
and 
lowest 
minority 
schools; 
and’’; 
(3) in paragraph (4)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
paragraph (F); 
(B) by striking the period at the end of 
subparagraph (G) and inserting ‘‘and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(H) the information required to be re-
ported 
under 
paragraphs 
(1)(C)(ix) 
and 
(2)(B)(i)(III).’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sub-
section: 
‘‘(A) 
HIGHEST
MINORITY.—The 
term 
‘highest minority’ when used in relation to a 
school or local educational agency means a 
school or local educational agency that is in the 
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highest quartile of schools or local educational 
agencies statewide in terms of the percentage of 
minority pupils served. 
‘‘(B) HIGHEST POVERTY.—The term ‘high-
est poverty’ when used in relation to a school 
or local educational agency means a school or 
local educational agency that is in the highest 
quartile of schools or local educational agencies 
statewide in terms of the percentage of pupils 
who are certified as eligible for free or reduced 
price lunch under the school lunch program es-
tablished under the Richard B. Russell National 
School Lunch Act. 
‘‘(C) LOWEST MINORITY.—The term ‘low-
est minority’ when used in relation to a school 
or local educational agency means a school or 
local educational agency that is in the lowest 
quartile of schools or local educational agencies 
statewide in terms of the percentage of minority 
pupils served. 
‘‘(D) LOWEST POVERTY.—The term ‘low-
est poverty’ when used in relation to a school 
or local educational agency means a school or 
local educational agency that is in the lowest 
quartile of schools or local educational agencies 
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statewide in terms of the percentage of pupils 
who are certified as eligible for free or reduced 
price lunch under the school lunch program es-
tablished under the Richard B. Russell National 
School Lunch Act.’’. 
SEC. 5. RECOGNITION OF LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES. 
The Secretary of Education shall, based on the infor-
mation received from each local educational agency report 
card under section 1111(h)(2)(B)(i)(III)— 
(1) recognize and provide commendations to 
each local educational agency that implements or 
has implemented innovative, high-quality, and effec-
tive teacher or principal evaluation programs that 
lead to professional development and improved stu-
dent performance; and 
(2) establish a clearinghouse in the Department 
of Education to share the best practices of such pro-
grams with educators. 
SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this 
Act, shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the 
rights, remedies, and procedures afforded school or local 
educational agency employees under Federal, State, or 
local laws (including applicable regulations or court or-
ders) or under the terms of collective bargaining agree-
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ments, memoranda of understanding, or other agreements 
between such employees and their employers existing as 
of the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, 
shall take effect not later than 4 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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