• In-person learning, which is superior to virtual learning and is essential to achieve academic growth, was paused for periods of time that varied across school districts due to the pandemic.
• Outside factors related to the pandemic and student mental health no doubt affected the extent to which students achieved academically.
• For some teachers, evaluations must be based on a blend of past years’ standardized test scores. With students opting out of testing and the disruptions caused by the pandemic, these teachers cannot calculate student growth with accuracy.
• Not only do (Michigan Department of Education) MDE-approved benchmark testing companies recommend that their product not be used to evaluate teachers, but many students took their benchmark testing at home this school year, which makes testing reliability nearly impossible to measure.
• Due to the teacher shortage and some teachers having to quarantine, many students did not experience continuity of instruction with their assigned teacher(s).
• Michigan’s laws require that teacher layoff/recall decisions be “based on” effectiveness. To choose which teachers to lay off or recall based in large measure on student growth during the pandemic is unfair.