,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #gfh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,february #ae1 #bjac 
,mrs4 ,davis of ,california 7for herself
 and ,mr4 ,polis7 introduced the        
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,education and the    
,workforce  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the    
,elementary and ,secondary ,education   
,act of #aife to require the            
establishment of teacher evaluation     
programs4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,securing ,teacher  
,effectiveness1 ,leadership1 ,learning1 
,and ,results ,act of #bjac or the      
,,stellar ,act4  #b4 ,findings ,congress
 finds the following3  7#a7 ,effective  
teachers and principals are the backbone
 of our schools and the key to          
successful students4  7#b7 ,teachers and
 principals deserve our full support as 
they take on one of the most important  
and most challenging                    
responsibilities--educating our         
children4  7#c7 ,high-quality           

evaluations that provide meaningful     
feedback are a crucial element to giving
 educators the support they need to     
successfully achieve at high levels4    
7#d7 ,teachers and principals also      
deserve access to professional          
development opportunities so they can   
continue to learn and grow as educators4
  7#e7 ,research shows that high-quality
 and effective teaching is the single   
most important school-based factor      
impacting student learning4  7#f7 ,in   
formal studies1 including research      
highlighted in ,the ,widget ,effect1    
nearly #ge percent of teachers reported 
that they have not received specific    
suggestions on how to improve classroom 
practices in annual evaluations4  7#g7  
,across all local educational agencies1 
only #dc percent of teachers1 including 
novice teachers who may benefit the most
 from feedback1 report that current     
evaluations systems are helpful4  7#h7  
,research also shows that school        
leadership quality is second only to    

teacher quality among school-related    
factors in its impact on student        
learning4  7#i7 ,strong school          
leadership is a key determinant of      
whether schools can attract and retain  
effective teachers particularly in high 
poverty schools1 as research has found  
teachers' satisfaction to be more       
influenced by the culture of the school 
than by the demographics of the school's
 students4  7#aj7 ,principals set the   
direction and vision for a school1 and  
studies find that strong instructional  
leadership and a focus on building a    
shared mission focused on student       
achievement can create a positive       
teaching and learning environment4      
7#aa7 ,constructive feedback specifying 
areas for improvement could be useful to
 both teachers and principals who are   
dedicated to growing professionally4    
7#ab7 ,the most effective way to turn   
around a struggling school is through   
talented teachers and an inspirational  
principal4  7#ac7 ,effective teachers   

and principals also deserve to be       
recognized for excellence and to receive
 commendations in areas of strong       
performance and improvement4  7#ad7     
,evaluations should give teachers and   
principals the opportunity to foster    
mutually beneficial professional        
relationships4  7#ae7 ,teachers and     
principals should provide input and     
contribute directly to designing1       
implementing1 and improving evaluation  
systems in their school districts4      
7#af7 ,high-quality teacher and         
principal evaluations have the potential
 to be a powerful tool and should play a
 significant role in building a talented
 force of educators4  7#ag7 ,the goal of
 evaluation systems is to improve       
individual1 as well as whole school and 
district1 teaching and leadership       
practices to benefit students4  #c4     
,robust teacher and principal           
evaluations  7a7 ,in general ,section   
#aaaa7;b7 of the ,elementary and        
,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj

 ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa7;b77 is amended by     
adding at the end the following3  7#aa7 
,robust teacher and principal           
evaluations  7,a7 ,in general ,not later
 than #c years after the date of        
enactment of the ,,stellar ,act1 each   
,state plan shall include the following3
  7i7 ,the statewide definitions of     
teacher and principal effectiveness that
 the ,state has established and not less
 than #d levels of performance ratings  
for teachers and for principals1        
including an effective rating and a     
highly effective rating1 based on such  
definitions4  7ii7 ,a demonstration that
 the ,state has developed1 after taking 
input from and collaborating with1      
teachers and principals1 a model teacher
 and principal evaluation program under 
which--  7,i7 individuals in charge of  
administering teacher and principal     
evaluations within each local           
educational agency in the ,state are    
provided rigorous training on how to    
conduct the teacher and principal       

evaluations1 including--  7aa7 how to   
identify areas for improvement and      
provide specific feedback about         
improving teaching and principal        
practice based on evaluation results2   
7bb7 how to evaluate teachers and       
principals using the performance ratings
 described in clause 7i7 and established
 under subparagraphs 7,b77iii7 and      
7,c77viii72  7cc7 a measure of student  
academic growth with respect to the     
,state's academic standards of the      
school's students1 including students in
 each of the subgroups described in     
paragraph 7#b77;,c77v77,,ii71 and       
training on how to interpret such       
measure2 and  7dd7 how to reliably and  
accurately rate teachers using the      
,state's rigorous rubric that meets the 
requirements of subparagraph            
7,b77ii77,,ii77aa72  7,,ii7 a teacher or
 principal who is evaluated is provided1
 based on the evaluation results1       
professional development opportunities  
that meet the specific needs identified 

for the teacher or principal1 including 
mentorship programs that use highly     
effective teachers or principals as     
leaders or coaches2  7,,iii7 measures   
are taken to ensure that the results of 
personally identifiable teacher and     
principal evaluations are not publicly  
disclosed1 except as required under     
subsection 7h72  7,,iv7 regular         
monitoring and assessment of the        
quality1 reliability1 validity1         
fairness1 consistency1 and objectivity  
of the evaluation program and the       
evaluators' judgments takes place within
 and across local educational agencies  
in the ,state2  7,v7 each teacher's     
performance is annually evaluated in    
accordance with subparagraph 7,b72      
7,,vi7 each principal's performance is  
annually evaluated in accordance with   
subparagraph 7,c72  7,,vii7 on the basis
 of the evaluation1 each teacher or     
principal receives--  7aa7 a performance
 rating1 as described in clause 7i71    
that is based on multiple measures2     

7bb7 in the case of a teacher1 in       
addition to the measures required under 
subparagraph 7,b7-- 7,,aa7 in a grade   
level and subject area with a statewide 
assessment1 a measure of student        
learning gains that is comparable across
 the ,state for all teachers in grade   
levels and subject areas with a         
statewide assessment2 or 7,,bb7 in a    
grade level and subject area without a  
statewide assessment1 a measure of      
student learning comparable across the  
local educational agency for all        
teachers in the same grade without a    
statewide assessment for elementary     
schools and for all teachers in the same
 grade and subject area without a       
statewide assessment in secondary       
schools2  7cc7 ongoing formative        
feedback and specific recommendations on
 areas for professional improvement1    
which includes an identification of     
areas in which the teacher or principal 
can strengthen practices to improve     
student learning2  7dd7 commendations   

for excellence in areas of strong       
performance and in areas of significant 
improvement2 and  7ee7 in the case of a 
teacher or principal who is identified  
as being in #a of the lowest #b         
performance ratings described in clause 
7i71 a comprehensive remediation plan   
within set time parameters not to exceed
 #a year2  7,,viii7 evaluation results  
are clearly communicated to each teacher
 and principal1 and the steps1 goals1   
and requirements of a professional      
development or remediation plan are     
clearly communicated to the teacher or  
principal2  7,,ix7 evaluation results   
are the primary factor used in          
determining layoffs during any reduction
 in force2  7,x7 evaluation results are 
used to ensure that low-income students 
and minority students are not assigned  
at higher rates than other students to  
classes in core academic subjects taught
 by teachers who have received one of   
the two lowest evaluation rates in their
 most recent evaluation2  7,,xi7        

evaluation results are used as the      
principal factor in informing all key   
personnel and staffing decisions1       
including decisions with respect to     
tenure1 promotion1 and retention2       
7,,xii7 any teacher or principal who    
receives the lowest evaluation          
performance rating for #b consecutive   
years is subject to dismissal2  7,,xiii7
 any teacher or principal who receives  
the lowest performance rating and does  
not successfully improve performance on 
an evaluation after completing the      
comprehensive remediation plan as       
required under subclause 7,,vii77ee7 is 
prohibited from working in any          
elementary school or secondary school   
served under this part2  7,,xiv7 any    
teacher or principal who receives the   
second lowest performance rating and    
does not successfully improve           
performance on an evaluation after      
completing such comprehensive           
remediation plan is prohibited from     
working in any elementary school or     

secondary school--  7aa7 in a           
,state-defined turnaround status2 or    
7bb7 in the lowest #e percent of schools
 based on its performance against       
,state-defined student achievement      
goals4  7iii7 ,a demonstration that each
 local educational agency in the ,state 
has adopted a local educational         
agency-wide teacher and principal       
evaluation program that--  7,i7 was     
developed after seeking input from and  
collaborating with teachers and         
principals2  7,,ii7 meets the standards 
for validity and reliability developed  
by the ,state2 and  7,,iii7 meets the   
minimum requirements set forth in clause
 7ii74  7iv7 ,a demonstration that each 
local educational agency in the ,state  
is seeking input from and collaborating 
with teachers and principals to make    
improvements to the evaluation program  
on an annual basis4  7v7 ,an assurance  
that the ,state will1 on a regular      
basis--  7,i7 review the teacher and    
principal evaluation systems used by the

 local educational agencies in the      
,state1 including--  7aa7 comparing the 
teacher and principal evaluation        
results1 for each agency and each       
agency's schools1 against the student   
academic achievement and student growth 
in the agency and each agency's schools2
  7bb7 assessing the extent to which    
each local educational agency's existing
 system demonstrates meaningful         
differentiation among teacher           
performance levels and among principal  
performance levels2  7cc7 comparing     
implementation and results across the   
evaluation systems of local educational 
agencies in the ,state to ensure--      
7,,aa7 comparability across the ,state  
in implementation of such systems2 and  
7,,bb7 that such systems meet the       
,state's criteria or definitions for    
each of the terms described in clause   
7i72 and  7dd7 assessing the extent to  
which each local educational agency is  
using its evaluation system to inform   
major human resource systems2 and       

7,,ii7 provide technical assistance to  
improve an agency's teacher and         
principal evaluation system so that the 
system provides meaningful              
differentiation and is aligned with     
student academic achievement and student
 growth results in the agency and in    
each of the agency's schools4  7vi7 ,an 
assurance that beginning #a year after  
the date of enactment of the ,,stellar  
,act1 the ,state educational agency will
 submit to the ,secretary an annual     
report on implementation of the ,state's
 evaluation programs4  7vii7 ,an        
assurance that the ,state will publish a
 report each year showing the average   
estimate of teacher impact on student   
growth for each of the performance      
categories4  7viii7 ,an assurance that  
the ,state is seeking input from        
teachers and principals on the          
effectiveness of methods measuring      
student growth and how to improve such  
methods4  7ix7 ,an assurance that       
processes and procedures are established

 to ensure fairness for nonprobationary 
teachers and principals facing loss of  
employment due to an ineffective rating 
in an evaluation program4  7,b7         
,requirements for teacher evaluations   
,the evaluation of a teacher's          
performance shall comply with the       
following minimum requirements3  7i7    
,student academic growth ,a significant 
factor of the evaluation is based on    
student academic growth with respect to 
the ,state's academic standards1 as     
measured by--  7,i7 in predominant part1
 student learning gains on the ,state's 
academic assessments established under  
paragraph 7#c7 or1 for grades and       
subjects not covered by the ,state's    
academic assessments1 another valid and 
reliable assessment of student academic 
achievement as long as the assessment is
 used consistently by the local         
educational agency in which the teacher 
is employed for the grade or subject    
area for which the assessment is        
administered2  7,,ii7 at least one other

 valid and reliable measure of student  
academic achievement that is used       
consistently across the local           
educational agency in which the teacher 
is employed for the grade or subject    
area being measured2 and  7,,iii7 if    
available1 value-added measures that    
track individual student academic growth
 while under the instruction of the     
teacher4  7ii7 ,observations of teacher 
performance ,a portion of the evaluation
 is based on observations of the        
teacher's performance in the classroom  
by more than #a trained and objective   
observer--  7,i7 that take place on     
several occasions during the school year
 in which the teacher is being          
evaluated2 and  7,,ii7 under which--    
7aa7 a teacher is evaluated against a   
rigorous rubric that defines multiple   
performance categories in alignment with
 the ,state's professional standards for
 teachers and definition of teacher and 
principal effectiveness as specified in 
clause 7i72 and  7bb7 observation       

ratings meaningfully differentiate among
 teachers' performance and bear a       
relationship to evidence of student     
academic growth with respect to the     
,state's academic standards4  7iii7     
,meaningful differentiation ,the        
evaluation provides performance ratings 
that meaningfully differentiate among   
teacher performance using the           
performance ratings and levels described
 in subparagraph 7,a77i74  7iv7         
,comparability of student gains ,the    
evaluation provides a measure of student
 learning gains that is comparable      
across the ,state for all teachers in   
grade levels and subject areas with a   
statewide assessment4  7v7              
,comparability of results ,the          
evaluation provides results that are    
comparable1 at a minimum1 across all    
teachers within a grade level or1 for   
secondary schools1 for all teachers     
within a grade level and subject area in
 the local educational agency in which  
the teacher is employed4  7,c7          

,requirements for principal evaluations 
,the evaluation of the performance of a 
principal of a school shall comply with 
the following minimum requirements3  7i7
 ,student academic growth ,a significant
 factor of the evaluation is based on   
student academic growth attainment with 
respect to the ,state's academic        
standards of the school's students1     
including students in each of the       
subgroups described in paragraph        
7#b77;,c77v77,,ii74  7ii7 ,graduation   
rates ,for a principal of a secondary   
school1 a portion of the evaluation is  
based on improvements in the school's   
graduation rate as defined in section   
#bjj4ai7;b7 of title #cd1 ,code of      
,federal ,regulations as in effect on   
the date of enactment of this paragraph1
 when applicable1 or in the case of a   
secondary school with a graduation rate 
of more than #ij percent1 the success of
 the principal in maintaining such      
graduation rate4  7iii7 ,support of     
effective teachers ,a portion of the    

evaluation is based on the recruitment1 
development1 evaluation1 and retention  
of effective teachers4  7iv7 ,leadership
 abilities ,a portion of the evaluation 
is based on the leadership abilities of 
the principal1 as measured by           
observations of the principal and other 
relevant data evaluated against a       
rigorous rubric that defines multiple   
performance categories in alignment with
 the ,state's professional standards for
 principals4  7v7 ,content of           
observation ratings ,the observations   
described in clause 7iv7 provide        
observation ratings that--  7,i7        
meaningfully differentiate among        
principals' performance2 and  7,,ii7    
bear a strong relationship to evidence  
of student academic growth with respect 
to the ,state's academic standards4     
7vi7 ,meaningful differentiation ,the   
evaluation provides performance ratings 
that meaningfully differentiate among   
principal performance using the         
performance ratings and levels described

 in subparagraph 7,a77i74  7vii7        
,comparability of results ,the          
evaluation provides results that are    
comparable across all principals within 
the local educational agency in which   
the principal is employed4  4  7b7      
,additional ,state plan requirements    
,section #aaaa7;b77#h77;,c7 of the      
,elementary and ,secondary ,education   
,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4            
#fcaa7;b77#h77;,c77 is amended by       
inserting or teachers who received a    
performance rating under the evaluation 
system described in paragraph 7#aa7 that
 is in the bottom #b performance levels 
after teachers4  #d4 ,public reporting  
,section #aaaa7;h7 of the ,elementary   
and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 
7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa7;h77 is amended--  
7#a7 in paragraph 7#a77;,c7--  7,a7 in  
clause 7vii71 by striking and after the 
semicolon2  7,b7 in clause 7viii71 by   
striking the period at the end and      
inserting 2 and2 and  7,c7 by adding at 
the end the following3  7ix7 for each   

performance rating established under    
clause 7i71 the number and percentage of
 teachers1 and the number and percentage
 of principals1 who received such       
performance rating1 for--  7,i7 the     
,state overall2  7,,ii7 the highest     
poverty and lowest poverty local        
educational agencies2 and  7,,iii7 the  
highest minority and lowest minority    
local educational agencies4  2  7#b7 in 
paragraph 7#b77;,b7--  7,a7 in clause   
7i7--  7i7 in subclause 7,i71 by        
striking and after the semicolon2 and   
7ii7 by adding at the end the following3
  7,,iii7 for each performance rating   
established under clause 7i71 the number
 and percentage of teachers1 and the    
number and percentage of principals1 who
 received such performance rating1 for--
  7aa7 the local educational agency     
overall2  7bb7 the highest poverty and  
lowest poverty schools2 and  7cc7 the   
highest minority and lowest minority    
schools2 and  2 and  7,b7 in clause     
7ii7--  7i7 in subclause 7,i71 by       

striking and after the semicolon2  7ii7 
in subclause 7,,ii71 by striking the    
period at the end and inserting 2 and2  
and  7iii7 by adding at the end the     
following3  7,,iii7 for each performance
 rating established under clause 7i71   
the number and percentage of teachers at
 the school that received such          
performance rating4  2  7#c7 in         
paragraph 7#d7--  7,a7 in subparagraph  
7,f71 by striking and after the         
semicolon2  7,b7 in subparagraph 7,g71  
by striking the period at the end and   
inserting a semicolon2 and  7,c7 by     
adding at the end the following3  7,h7  
the information required to be reported 
under paragraphs 7#a77;,c77ix7 and      
7#b77;,b77i77,,iii72 and  7,i7 the      
overall student attendance rates1       
including truancy1 graduation1 and      
dropout rates1 disaggregated by each    
school and each individual teacher and  
individual principal at each school     
under the jurisdiction of--  7i7 the    
,state educational agency2  7ii7 the    

highest poverty and lowest poverty local
 educational agencies2  7iii7 the       
highest minority and lowest minority    
local educational agencies2 and  7iv7   
each local education agency1 including  
the highest and lowest poverty schools  
and the highest minority and lowest     
minority schools under the jurisdiction 
of the agency4  2 and  7#d7 by adding at
 the end the following3  7#g7           
,definitions ,for purposes of this      
subsection3  7,a7 ,highest minority ,the
 term highest minority when used in     
relation to a school or local           
educational agency means a school or    
local educational agency that is in the 
highest quartile of schools or local    
educational agencies statewide in terms 
of the percentage of minority students  
served4  7,b7 ,highest poverty ,the term
 highest poverty when used in relation  
to a school or local educational agency 
means a school or local educational     
agency that is in the highest quartile  
of schools or local educational agencies

 statewide in terms of the percentage of
 students who are certified as eligible 
for free or reduced price lunch under   
the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national     
,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agea
 et seq474  7,c7 ,lowest minority ,the  
term lowest minority when used in       
relation to a school or local           
educational agency means a school or    
local educational agency that is in the 
lowest quartile of schools or local     
educational agencies statewide in terms 
of the percentage of minority students  
served4  7,d7 ,lowest poverty ,the term 
lowest poverty when used in relation to 
a school or local educational agency    
means a school or local educational     
agency that is in the lowest quartile of
 schools or local educational agencies  
statewide in terms of the percentage of 
students who are certified as eligible  
for free or reduced price lunch under   
the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national     
,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agea
 et seq474  7,e7 ,student academic      

growth ,the term student academic growth
 means the change in a student's        
achievement between #b or more points in
 time1 as measured through an approach  
that is statistically rigorous and      
appropriate for the knowledge and skills
 being measured4  4  #e4 ,recognition of
 local educational agencies ,the        
,secretary of ,education shall1 based on
 the information received from each     
local educational agency report card    
under section                           
#aaaa7;h77#b77;,b77i77,,iii7 of the     
,elementary and ,secondary ,education   
,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4            
#fcaa7;h77#b77;,b77i77,,iii77--  7#a7   
recognize and provide commendations to  
each local educational agency that      
implements or has implemented           
innovative1 high-quality1 and effective 
teacher or principal evaluation programs
 that lead to professional development  
and improved student performance2 and   
7#b7 establish a clearinghouse in the   
,department of ,education to share the  

best practices of such programs with    
educators4