New teacher study gives Texas D+

A new report on how state policies affect new teacher retention gives Texas a D +, noting the state doesn’t require mentoring of new teachers and allows teachers who have not met licensure examination requirements into classrooms on a provisional basis.
The “State Teacher Policy Yearbook What States Can Do To Retain Effective New Teachers” was released Thursday by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
Study authors said states should do more to keep quality teachers from quitting after about three to five years and to get ineffective teachers out of the classrooms.
South Carolina had the highest grade in the study, a B-. Six state received a C. Eight got a C-. Thirty were in the D range and six scored Fs, according to the council.
On the bright side, study authors highlighted a Texas incentive plan that pays teachers a bonus of $3,000 to $10,000 for students’ success, as a positive step. Texas also was one of three states that met the group’s goal of using instructional effectiveness as the primary measuring stick when evaluating teachers. 

- Traci Shurley