AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO STUDENT IMPROVEMENT COMPONENT.

New evaluation protections for Delaware educators

Delaware’s Education Department must revise how student progress counts in educator evaluations to make the measure fair and flexible. Evaluations must consider student absences, school changes, repeated rule-breaking, and parents’ repeated failure to follow the Parents’ Declaration of Responsibilities. They must also consider other factors the Department identifies that can hurt an evaluation. If a student misses more than 15% of class time, their performance counts only with the evaluated educator’s agreement. The pilot covers at least 3 school districts or charter schools in 2025–2026 and at least 6 additional ones in 2026–2027. Each must agree to participate, along with its educators’ collective bargaining group when applicable. The pilot includes teachers, specialists, and administrators, who still receive final evaluations. The student progress measure does not affect participating educators’ or schools’ overall ratings during the pilot. The pilot must improve goal-setting, connect goals to professional growth, and make student progress measures more flexible. Statewide use begins in 2027–2028 for all licensed and certified educators.