The governor has signed a measure that will add improvement in student test scores to the list of things principals use to evaluate teachers.
The new law signed Thursday also changes the way principals are evaluated, adding teacher feedback as an element of their reviews.
The measure builds on the four-level rating system established two years ago by the Legislature. But this time, the state will offer evaluation templates for school districts to choose from instead of having local teachers and administrators design the system.
Also changing will be what factors are considered when teacher lay-offs are announced. Washington state will go from relying mostly on seniority to determine the order of teacher layoffs to a system that includes teacher evaluations.
