SB67: Bill Text

LRB-1761/1

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2015 - 2016 LEGISLATURE

2015 Senate BILL 67

March 5, 2015 - Introduced by Senators Farrow, S. Fitzgerald, Gudex, Vukmir and Wanggaard, cosponsored by Representatives Kitchens, Brandtjen, E. Brooks, Jagler, Horlacher, Kleefisch, Murphy and Thiesfeldt. Referred to Committee on Education Reform and Government Operations.

SB67,1,3 An Act to amend 115.385 (1) (intro.) and 115.415 (1); and to create 115.385 (1m) of the statutes; relating to: pupil assessments, evaluation of educator effectiveness, and school accountability reports.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Current law requires the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to annually prepare accountability reports that evaluate the performance and improvement of each school and school district in the state and, beginning in the 2015-16 school year, of each participating private school and independent charter school. DPI must place each school and school district into one of five performance categories based on certain measures including pupil achievement in reading and mathematics.

This bill prohibits DPI from issuing a school accountability report for the 2014-15 school year.

Current law directs DPI to develop a system to evaluate the effectiveness of teachers and principals in public schools, including independent charter schools. Current law requires each school board and the governing body of each independent charter school to evaluate teachers and principals in the school district or charter school beginning in the 2014-15 school year. This bill delays until the 2015-16 school year the requirement to evaluate the effectiveness of teachers and principals.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB67,1 Section 1. 115.385 (1) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB67,2,4 115.385 (1) (intro.) Annually Subject to sub. (1m), annually by September, the department shall publish a school and school district accountability report that includes all of the following components:

SB67,2 Section 2. 115.385 (1m) of the statutes is created to read:

SB67,2,7 115.385 (1m) The department may not publish an accountability report for the 2014-15 school year.

SB67,3 Section 3. 115.415 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB67,2,15 115.415 (1) The department shall develop an educator effectiveness evaluation system and an equivalency process aligned with the department's evaluation system for the evaluation of teachers and principals of public schools, including teachers and principals of a charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r), as provided in this section. Each school board and the governing body of each charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r) shall evaluate teachers and principals in the school district or charter school beginning in the 2014-15 2015-16 school year.

SB67,4 Section 4. Nonstatutory provisions.

SB67,3,2 (1) Notwithstanding section 115.385 (1m) of the statutes, as created by this act, the department of public instruction may include measures of pupil performance on statewide assessment examinations administered under section 118.30 of the statutes in the 2014-15 school year in the longitudinal data system maintained under section 115.297 of the statutes.

SB67,3,3 (End)