CASE Report: Low-Performing Teachers Leaving HISD

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Low-Performing Teachers Leaving HISD

Teacher turnover in HISD has been decried as a “ travesty ” in local reporting, but new data shows that the majority of teachers that did not return had the poorest ratings.

Houston Landing’s full story is here.

Why it matters: Student test scores have dramatically increased at the same time ineffective educators have begun leaving the district. This correlation suggests that removing ineffective teachers while elevating and recruiting high-performing teachers is ultimately good for student achievement.

By the numbers: Houston Landing reports that about 83 percent of HISD teachers rated “proficient” or higher on the district’s formal evaluation tool stayed with HISD, while 51 percent of those rated “developing” or “improvement needed” left this summer.

Under prior administrations’ evaluation systems, about 90 percent of teachers were rated “effective” or “highly effective ”, indicating far less rigorous evaluations.

What they’re saying: “Over time, what you’d like to see is your more effective teachers retained and your less effective teachers are the ones who leave,” Miles said Thursday during a school board meeting. “Over time, you’ll see a more and more effective teaching force in HISD.”

Go deeper: Some still can’t admit the turnover has been a good thing for students, despite the overwhelming evidence.

“I think it’s the military mindset, like everybody has to be exactly the same all the time, but that’s not how kids learn and that’s not what good teaching is,” DeBakey High School for Health Professionals physics teacher MinhDan Tran said.

We disagree. One quick Google search of “ HISD scores ” brings the following headlines:

To say that what HISD is doing is “not how kids learn” is to ignore the objective, independently verified data on student achievement. It is undeniable that HISD students are achieving at higher rates now than they were before the intervention - likely due in part to the replacement of ineffective teachers.

Chron: HISD Right to Release A-F Scores

“The chances of any school getting there are better if we have a clear accounting of where they stand today.”

This statement by the Houston Chronicle’s editorial board encapsulates the importance of a strong public school accountability system. Parents, communities, and businesses need a clear, accurate way to assess the quality of public schools and compare districts.

The editorial board applauded HISD for self-reporting its A-F scores, despite being under no legal requirement to do so. By revealing the scores, HISD has demonstrated its commitment to transparency and has made sure that anyone who would like to look into the district’s academic progress has the information to do so.

Houston Chronicle’s piece is here. Miguel Solis’ letter is here.

Why it matters: Texas parents and businesses have the right to transparent information about school performance to make informed decisions about public education. With the continued delay in publicly available accountability ratings, communities are left in the dark about whether students are being adequately prepared for the future.

School districts rely on accountability ratings to differentiate campus needs, inform resource allocations, and target central support. Districts across the state are left without the ability to identify bright spots to learn from and analyze year-over-year performance due to litigation brought by a handful of their peers.

Taxpayers expect the state and our public schools to be good stewards of public funds. Ongoing disruptions to accountability deprive taxpayers of a transparent system for tracking the return on investment for the $80+ billion we spend annually on public education

What they’re saying: “We all stand to learn from one another, both in terms of what works and what doesn’t work. That’s how we determine best practices on closing learning gaps, improving graduation rates — and making the case for strategic investments in public education. Students across our state would be better served if more schools came forward and shared their projected A-F scores.” - Miguel Solis, President of the Commit Partnership.

Teacher Vacancies Dwindle at HISD

In an effort to make sure that every HISD student has a teacher, Houston ISD has hired roughly 850 uncertified teachers. This approach is a break from the past, where HISD would deploy non-teachers into classroom teaching positions until a certified teacher could be hired.

Superintendent Miles has commented that effectiveness, not certification is what’s important for student learning. Test results and accountability scores results seem to back him up.

Houston Chronicle’s story is here.

Why it matters: HISD is not alone in relying on uncertified teachers to fill vacancies. Nearly half of first-time new teacher hires were uncertified in 2022-23, according to a July Texas Tech University report. By utilizing teachers that are effective, although not traditionally certified, HISD is able to make sure that there are minimal teacher vacancies and students can get high quality instruction from day 1.

What they’re saying: “Yes, more likely than not you will be more effective than a teacher without a certification. Yes, that’s true. But that doesn’t mean in effect where non-certified teachers will be ineffective. We came in. We changed that concept.” - Superintendent Miles.

Go deeper: Waivers to hire uncertified teachers cannot be applied to special education, bilingual education, English as a Second Language or pre-kindergarten teaching roles, according to the Texas Education Agency. This means that students with the most sensitive and urgent needs will still have a certified teacher.

The bottom line: It is better for students to have an uncertified teacher that is working toward certification than no teacher at all, which was happening in prior administrations: Houston ISD again to deploy staffers, administrators to fill teacher vacancies - Houston Chronicle, August 2022.

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