Teachers at Worst 10% of Ohio Schools Will Be Retested

One of the many controversial provisions in the recently passed state budget bill requires all teachers in the worst performing 10 percent of schools to retake their certification tests.

Never mind that even the developers of that test cautioned that it’s not designed to evaluate educators already in the field. Many teachers feared the list would merely punish teachers who choose to work in troubled districts.

Now it appears those worries have hit home: Though the Ohio Department of Education did not furnish an official list of the dubious 10 percent, a rundown of the losers surfaced last week. The 349 schools slated to have teachers retested fall mostly in poor urban districts. Adding variety to the list are a few poor rural schools, schools targeted at kids with various learning problems, and schools at juvenile correction facilities.

This article appears in Sep 7-13, 2011.