HB 2957 Summary

• Establishes the 2017-2018 school year as the full implementation date for the Oklahoma Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Evaluation System (TLE), replacing previous phased implementation timelines.

• Requires school districts to develop and implement individualized programs of professional development for teachers and administrators aligned with qualitative evaluation components, including evidence-based learning practices such as workshops, peer observations, and action research projects.

• Modifies career teacher dismissal standards to allow superintendents to recommend continued employment for teachers receiving "ineffective" ratings, and changes dismissal triggers from mandatory to discretionary for teachers with multiple "needs improvement" or "ineffective" ratings over consecutive years.

• Allows certain designees (assistant principals, supervisors, content experts, department chairs, peer committees) to conduct personnel evaluations in addition to principals, and extends evaluation cycles for career teachers with superior/highly effective ratings from every 2 years to every 3 years.

• Removes outdated provisions regarding remediation plans, instructional coaching, first-year/second-year teacher evaluations, and quantitative component requirements, while allowing large districts to continue using quantitative measures at their own expense.