Report: Arizona gets a C- for state teacher policy
Dec 8, 2015, 6:49 PM
A new, unflattering report card for education policy in Arizona is not one to brag about.
NCTQ Senior Vice President Sandi Jacobs with the National Council on Teacher Quality said the state received a C-minus in their ninth annual State Teacher Policy Yearbook. When it comes to dismissing what they consider to be ineffective teachers and expanding the teacher pool, Arizona got a D-plus.
“Arizona like many other states has put its attention on what’s going on for teachers in the classroom now and needs to turn some attention to the pipeline and making sure that teachers who come in now are ready,” said Jacobs.
Jacobs said they are not grading teachers but the state laws, rules and regulations that shape the effectiveness of the teaching profession in Arizona. She added that this is a policy review, not a grade for teachers.
“Particularly as we look at college and career readiness, the need for teachers to deeply know their subject matter is so important, and we don’t find that Arizona has a very high bar for these requirements across most aspects of teaching,” Jacobs said.
In a statement, Jacobs expanded on the need for Arizona to do better.
“Nationwide the glass is really starting to look half full on states’ efforts to drive teacher effectiveness through smarter policy,” said Jacobs. “Like most states, however, Arizona has plenty of room for improvement.”
Arizona last received a C-minus grade two years ago. This is in line with the other 49 states and the District of Columbia for the average grade. This is the ninth edition of the State Teacher Policy Yearbook.
KTAR’s Jeremy Foster contributed to this report.
