Blueprint for Change in Ohio: State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2010
Author: National Council on Teacher Quality
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Teaching (Occupation),Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Policy,Teacher Evaluation,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Improvement,Tenure,Teacher Dismissal,State Government,State Regulation,Academic Achievement,Educational Improvement,Teacher Certification,Alternative Teacher Certification,Needs Assessment,Yearbooks,Retirement Benefits,Educational Change,Teacher Education,Special Education Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Educational Objectives,Comparative Analysis,Public Schools

The 2009 &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook&quot; provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized &quot;Blueprint for Change,&quot; building off last year's &quot;Yearbook&quot; goals and recommendations. State teacher policy addresses a great many areas, including teacher preparation, certification, evaluation and compensation. With so many moving parts, it may be difficult for states to find a starting point on the road to reform. To this end, this paper provides a state-specific roadmap, organized in three main sections. Section 1 identifies policy concerns that need critical attention, the areas of highest priority for state policymakers. Section 2 outlines &quot;low-hanging fruit,&quot; policy changes that can be implemented in relatively short order. Section 3 offers a short discussion of some longer-term systemic issues that states need to make sure stay on the radar. In the 2009 &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook&quot;, Ohio had the following grades: (1) Delivering Well Prepared Teachers (D); (2) Expanding the Teaching Pool (D); (3) Identifying Effective Teachers (C-); (4) Retaining Effective Teachers (C); and (5) Exiting Ineffective Teachers (D). Ohio has an overall grade of D+ for 2009. In the last year, many states made significant changes to their teacher policies, spurred in many cases by the Race to the Top competition. Based on a review of state legislation, rules and regulations, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has identified no recent policy changes in Ohio. In response to NCTQ's policy update, Ohio commented on the status of many initiatives related to HB 1, passed in 2009. In addition, Ohio pointed out that HB 1 directs the Educator Standards Board to develop model teacher and principal evaluations, adopt lead teacher criteria, develop a measure of an individual student's academic improvement over one year, make recommendations for incorporating the measure into evaluations and licensure eligibility for principals and teachers, and make recommendations for creating school districts and building leadership academies. The state also noted that HB 1 requires that the Department of Education, by December 31, 2010, develop a model peer assistance and review program and make recommendations to expand the use of peer assistance and review programs in school districts. Lastly, the state reiterated that legislative reforms from HB 1, as previously discussed in the 2009 Yearbook, are going into effect in 2011, including: (1) establishment of new multi-tiered educator licenses; (2) expansion of the &quot;alternative resident educator license&quot; to a four-year license for teaching in grades 4-12; (3) establishment of the Ohio Teacher Residency Program for entry-level classroom teachers; (4) transfer of responsibility for teacher preparation program approval from the State Board of Education to the Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, directing the Chancellor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish metrics and preparation programs for educators and other school personnel and institutions of higher education while providing for the inspection of those institutions; 5) sharing of aggregate student data generated in connection with the value-added progress dimension by the Department of Education with the Chancellor; 6) increasing the probationary period for teachers seeking &quot;continuing contract&quot; status so that a teacher holding a professional, senior professional or lead professional educator license is eligible for tenure after seven years of holding an educator license and has completed 30 semester hours of coursework or six semester hours of graduate coursework in the area of licensure since initial receipt of a license; and 7) eliminating &quot;gross inefficiency or immorality&quot; and &quot;willful and persistent violations of reasonable regulations of the board of education&quot; but retaining &quot;good and just cause&quot; as statutory grounds for termination of a school district employment contract with a licensed educator while repealing a provision that limited referees who hear termination cases to hearing no more than two cases per year. Individual sections contain footnotes. (Contains 5 figures.) [For the related reports, see &quot;Blueprint for Change: National Summary. State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2010&quot; (ED515614) and &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2009. Ohio&quot; (ED511929).]