AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Texas will need an extra year to unveil a new teacher evaluation system that’s required as the state seeks relief from some curriculum standards mandated by No Child Left Behind.
State Education Commissioner Michael Williams wrote the U.S. Education Department on Wednesday saying a pilot evaluation program would be delayed 12 months.
Last year, Texas sought a federal waiver from the 2001 No Child Left Behind law _ even though then-President George W. Bush modeled it after academic standards he’d overseen as Texas governor.
That waiver required implementing a new teacher evaluation system. Texas hasn’t updated its evaluation regimen in 17 years, though, and now says it will need more time.
The Association of Texas Professional Educators applauded the move, saying new teacher evaluations shouldn’t be implemented hastily.
