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Evaulations Not Tough Enough on Delaware Teachers

Don Rush

DOVER, Del. (AP) - Delaware officials say school leaders aren't being tough enough when they evaluate teachers.

Department of Education figures show that only one percent of Delaware teachers were rated ineffective in the first full year of the state's teacher evaluation system. Overall, 51 percent of teachers were rated "highly effective" and 48 percent were rated "satisfactory."

State officials say leaders need to give honest feedback and weed out low-performing teachers. But principals say they are hesitant to give low ratings in a new system that some don't think is fair.

This is the first year Delaware used the revised system evaluation program. It was developed over three years as part of the federally-funded Race to the Top education improvement initiative.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.