“While Vergara highlighted the importance of teacher quality in the classroom by challenging harmful teacher employment laws, Doe v. Antioch was filed to enforce the current law on teacher evaluations, the Stull Act,” said Rivera. “This lawsuit does not try to replace or modify the law. The case enforces the Stull Act by challenging collectively bargained evaluation systems that explicitly prohibit the inclusion of standardized test scores in the assessment of teacher performance.”Antioch calls into question whether or not factors, which affect student achievement, should change through collective bargaining agreements.According to the suit, “Petitioners and Plaintiffs … are parents, teachers, and other concerned taxpayers from across California. They seek a writ of mandate to compel the 13 largest offending school districts to meet their obligations …”“As shown in Vergara, an effective teacher is the most important school-based factor affecting student success,” said Rivera. “Teacher effectiveness cannot be divorced from student performance. Doe v. Antioch illustrates the problems that can occur when the standards for teacher evaluations, including the use of student testing data, are subject to collective bargaining. If we want to focus on what is best for students, accountability and the use of student achievement measures in teacher evaluation systems must not be part of broader collective bargaining negotiations. Student success is not negotiable and should never be on the bargaining table.”
Source: California Districts Sued for Dismissing Test Scores from Teacher Evaluations | Heartlander Magazine