Education Secretary: South Dakota schools diluting teacher performance goals

State wants to remove mandate requiring districts to use student performance in evaluating educators

The way public schools in South Dakota determine if their teachers are adequately educating kids is being gamed, according to the state Department of Education.

But a proposed change in the teacher evaluation process aimed at fixing that has lawmakers at the state Capitol concerned.

The Board of Education Standards wants to do away with a rule requiring school districts to consider student performance as part of its Teacher Performance Standards. Right now, objectives for individual educators to meet must factor in students' progress and grades, according to BOE policy.

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