Schools on right path

Change is scary.
Fortunately, the Jay School Board knows that.
Ever since the state of Indiana set in motion a new, more complex method of evaluating teachers, the board and superintendent Tim Long have gone to great pains to allay fears and reduce anxiety.
They’ve done so by stressing transparency and communication. And they’ve been wise to take a measured approach when it comes to putting the new system in place.
Jay Schools opted for a system known as RISE, as did 77 percent of Indiana’s school districts.
But half of those districts that adopted RISE are implementing the program now.
Since RISE calls for new metrics of measurement — individual student performance and the school’s letter grade from the Indiana Department of Education — and involves multiple classroom observations for evaluation purposes, it would come as no surprise to find teachers in those districts are worried and anxious.
Jay County’s approach has been more cautious.
There will be a full year of training before RISE is implemented. There will be multiple opportunities for teachers to ask questions about the system and reach a greater level of understanding about how it works.
And to its credit, the board has also indicated a willingness to take part in the RISE training so they’ll have a better handle on what the school corporation has gotten itself into.
Will it be perfect? Probably not. Evaluation systems tend to have their own flaws and blind spots.
But by taking a thoughtful, go-slow, answer-the-questions approach, there’s a better chance that RISE will work effectively for everyone concerned. That includes teachers, students, parents, administrators and taxpayers. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]