Senate Bill 774 Summary

• Prohibits school districts and intermediate school districts from using length of service or tenure status as the primary factor in personnel decisions involving staffing reductions, recalls, or hiring; allows tenure as a tiebreaker only when all other factors are equal.

• Requires performance evaluations for teachers to be based primarily on individual performance, with student growth as the predominant factor, along with pedagogical skills, classroom management, and attendance records.

• Modifies teacher evaluation rating system to remove "highly effective" category, using only three ratings: effective, minimally effective, and ineffective; requires 40% of evaluations based on student growth data beginning in 2018-2019 school year.

• Establishes mandatory reading intervention programs for grades K-3 students with reading deficiencies, including screening assessments, individual reading improvement plans, intensive intervention services, and early literacy coaches.

• Implements grade 3 reading retention policy beginning 2019-2020 school year requiring students to demonstrate proficiency through state assessment, alternative standardized assessment, or portfolio before advancing to grade 4; allows good cause exemptions under specified circumstances.

• Modifies teacher certification requirements to require 3 years of successful teaching experience and effective performance ratings; changes advanced professional education certificate requirements to mandate "highly effective" ratings for 3 of 5 most recent school years.