The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a proposal that would mandate the use of student test scores in teacher evaluation and compensation. Tell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the decision whether student test scores should affect teacher compensation is best made by local district officials and teachers who are most knowledgeable about what will work in their schools.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I write to express my opposition to including any federal mandate requiring the use of student test scores to evaluate teachers as part of the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

I have witnessed an increase in testing under NCLB, and I believe that including a new federal mandate for evaluating teacher performance would continue to take us in the wrong direction. Student achievement should be measured by more than test scores, and a mandate that compensation be tied to test scores will mean more teaching to the test and narrowing of the curriculum.

The decision on whether student test scores should be part of a teacher evaluation system should be made at the local level by the district officials and teachers who know best what will work in their schools.

Reauthorization represents an opportunity to remedy problems with the law, such as excessive testing and how student progress is measured, a lack of accountability for supplemental educational service providers, and meeting the needs of our most disadvantaged schools and students.

In the past, you have indicated that there is a strong sense that NCLB is not fair, not flexible and not adequately funded. After five years of working under the law, I strongly agree with your comments and hope that NCLB is significantly improved.

I urge you to give serious consideration to my professional judgment on this very important issue as the House considers NCLB reauthorization.

Thank you for considering my views.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
September 26, 2007