Prohibit Students' Standardized Test Scores from Influencing the Evaluations of Teachers

Beginning with the Obama Administration's Race to the Top initiative in his first term in the Presidency, states began requiring teachers to be evaluated based on their students' performance on standardized tests. In return, their schools would receive a share of the $5 billion Congress granted to the Department of Education as a part of a stimulus package to aid schools in the U.S. In response to the current failing economy, many states adapted their processes for teacher evaluations to meet the requirements for aid. As a result, many highly-respected teachers were fired. However, many argue that test scores are not at all the ultimate factor that defines a teacher's efficiency in the classroom. There are other important aspects to the qualities of a "good teacher" besides a number.