STELLAR Act

Bill: 113-s-1112
Sponsor: Sen. Landrieu, Mary L. [D-LA]
Introduced: 2013-06-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Government information and archives
Performance measurement
School administration
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2013-06-07
text: 
Securing Teacher Effectiveness, Leadership, Learning, And Results Act of 2013 or STELLAR Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require each state receiving school improvement funds to: (1) define teacher and principal effectiveness and establish performance ratings; (2) demonstrate that it has developed, in collaboration with teachers and principals, a model teacher and principal evaluation program; (3) demonstrate that each of its local educational agencies (LEAs) has adopted a teacher and principal evaluation program; (4) demonstrate that each LEA is collaborating with teachers and principals in developing and making annual improvements to such program; (5) review, report on, and assist LEAs in improving such evaluation programs; and (6) establish procedures to ensure that ineffective teachers and principals facing unemployment are treated fairly.
 
Requires teacher evaluations to: (1) emphasize student academic growth, (2) include observations of the teacher's classroom performance, (3) rate teachers using at least four performance categories, and (4) provide results that are comparable for all teachers in grade levels and subject areas across the state and within the teacher's LEA.
 
Requires principal evaluations to: (1) emphasize student academic growth; (2) factor in their school's graduation rates; (3) assess the principal's success in recruiting, developing, evaluating, and retaining effective teachers; (4) assess the principal's leadership abilities through observations and other relevant data; (5) rate principals using at least four performance categories; and (6) provide results that are comparable across all principals within the LEA.
 
Requires states to take steps to ensure that poor and minority children are not taught at higher rates than other children by teachers rated as less than effective.
 
Requires states and LEAs to report the number and percentage of teachers and principals in each performance rating at: (1) the state, LEA, and school level; and (2) their LEAs and schools that have the highest and lowest poverty rates or the highest and lowest percentages of minority students. Requires states to report student attendance rates, disaggregated by each school and each teacher and principal at each school within specified jurisdictions.
 
Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) recognize each LEA that has innovative, high-quality, and effective teacher or principal evaluation programs that lead to professional development and improved student performance; and (2) establish a clearinghouse to share the best practices of such programs with educators.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-06-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2013-06-07
text: Introduced in Senate