Reply from the Office of the Secretary of Education
December 16, 2009
Thank you for your letter to Secretary Arne Duncan sharing your thoughts on the methods used to evaluate teachers. Â Your letter was referred to the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education for review and I am pleased to respond.
The Department understands the critical role that high quality teachers play when it comes to ensuring that all students have the skills that they need to be successful.  Teacher quality is one of the most important factors in improving student achievement.  As you know, the Department encourages the use of student achievement data to help educators make informed decisions that can improve our education system – used properly  data can identify and support teachers who are struggling and reward those with a record of success.  Student achievement results are an important factor in evaluating teacher and principal effectiveness, and these data should be one element of rigorous evaluation systems.  I understand the concerns about using a single test score, and I agree that test scores should not be the sole factor in compensation determinations.  However, I believe that discussions regarding teacher quality are more informative when we factor in student achievement.
As you may know, during Secretary Duncan’s time as Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools he worked with teachers to design a compensation system based on classroom observation, whole-school performance, and individual classroom performance measure in part by growth in student learning. Â I look forward to working with education leaders across the country to support effective programs that recognize and reward effective teachers and principals and help support struggling teachers and principals. Â You can be assured that the issues you raised will be part of our discussions.
Thank you for your commitment to improving public education and your service to our nation’s students.
Sincerely,
Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana, Ph.D.
The Assistant Secretary