The Indiana House of Representatives voted unanimously in support of a measure co-authored by State Rep. Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville) that would decouple teacher performance evaluations from student test scores.

McNamara, the director of Early College High School of Evansville, said House Bill 1002 would remove a state mandate for school districts to use students’ standardized test scores to assess teachers’ overall performance. She said local schools could determine how to use those exam results in educators’ annual evaluations.

“There are more ways to measure success in the classroom than students’ standardized test scores,” McNamara said. “This legislation will help our teachers continue to focus on educating our students without worrying about the results from one high-pressure test.”

She said these standardized exams currently make up significant portions of teachers’ annual evaluations, which determine where an educator falls on the highly effective to ineffective scale and influences teacher pay.

“Hoosier teachers and schools have my support,” McNamara said. “I am in favor of school districts determining the performance of their educators, as they are best positioned to evaluate their work.”

House Bill 1002 now moves to the Indiana Senate for further consideration. Visit iga.in.gov for more information about this legislation.

FOOTNOTE: State Rep. Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville) represents House District 76, which includes portions of Posey and Vanderburgh counties.