Board of Managers to vote on new teacher evaluation system following HISD lawsuit
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston ISD leaders will decide how the district should grade its teachers at a school board meeting on Thursday night.
The district appears to be backtracking. According to our partners at the Houston Chronicle, Superintendent Mike Miles is planning to go back to the state-approved system. It's a version of the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System, known as T-TESS
The issue will go up to a vote after a new evaluation system received a lot of pushback from the local teacher's union, prompting a lawsuit.
The Houston Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit that says the new system violates Texas Education Code requirements by not getting input from teachers and other stakeholders when developing the new system.
A judge ended up siding with the union and issued a temporary restraining order -- putting a pause on everything until the next court hearing on Sept. 11.
READ MORE: Houston Federation of Teachers wins an injunction in lawsuit against HISD superintendent, board
Under the now-blocked evaluation system, 40% of a teachers' evaluation was based on teacher performance and 35% was based on student performance, as well as 15% on school-specific goals and 10% student surveys. Teachers would then be distributed so that 40% receive the three lowest ratings, 40% receive the median rating, and 20% receive the three highest ratings.
The union says they're not resisting change -- they want their voices heard in the process.
"We are also asking for transparency. The system he has and wants to implement, it is so subjective that it would depend on how your appraiser is feeling that very day," Jackie Anderson, President of the Houston Federation of Teachers, said.
Regardless of what the judge decides on Sept. 11, Miles said the district will use the T-TESS -- if it's approved by the board -- for the rest of the academic year.
The T-TESS bases 65% of a teacher's evaluation on their performance in four domains - planning, instruction, learning environment, and professional practices and responsibilities - as well as 35% on student performance.
To evaluate student performance, HISD's version of the T-TESS sorts teachers into six groups largely dependent upon which subjects and grades they teach. Teachers in each category will each be evaluated by student performance on different assessments, such as the STARR test.
ABC13 reached out to HISD for comment on the ongoing legal proceedings. Representatives said they cannot comment.
Thursday night's Board of Managers meeting begins at 5 p.m.
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