Coffee County board temporarily excludes state-test sections from director evaluation
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Summary
Board amended the director of schools's evaluation to exclude two test-based sections (sections J and K) for one year, citing embargoed test data and fairness concerns; the amendment and the modified evaluation passed after debate over timing and data availability.
Coffee County Board of Education members voted to modify the director of schools's performance-evaluation form for one year, excluding student-performance sections tied to state testing.
The board approved an amendment to remove sections J and K — described in the form as student performance and student achievement data — for one year, then approved the modified evaluation instrument. The amendment passed on board tally (recorded in the minutes as 6-2-1), and the final approval of the modified evaluation was recorded as 6-1.
The change followed questions from board members about whether the district could fairly evaluate the director in February when state accountability and test-data releases are embargoed until later in the year. One board member summarized the concern: “Student performance is section J. . . . Student achievement data is section K,” noting those data streams are not timely if review dates are moved earlier in the cycle.
Proponents said the evaluation contains multiple non-test sections — including strategic planning, operations and board relationships — that remain appropriate for a February review. Opponents said they worried the director would be judged on data from a year before he was in post. A number of members suggested using benchmarking tools or excluding only the test-driven sections for this first-year administration so that other goal areas and contractual bonus measures could still be evaluated.
The board staff said GSBA is administering the instrument this year and that the district would handle the evaluation internally in future years. The board directed staff to notify the committee and update the evaluation dates as approved.
What happens next: The board approved the modified evaluation form for the coming cycle and asked staff to implement the one-year exclusion of the two test-based sections; future administrations will be revisited once testing-data release schedules and state accountability changes are clearer.