Almost every Idaho teacher again deemed ‘proficient’ or better

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on September 12, 2022.

BOISE – New numbers, same results.

Overall, 98.7% of Idaho’s K-12 teachers earned top marks on their annual performance evaluations in 2021-22, according to new data from the State Board of Education.

The number reflects the exact same total of “proficient” or “distinguished” teachers on the prior year’s batch of mandatory evaluations that administrators conduct annually — and on which lawmakers have based additional teacher pay for designations of “basic,” “proficient” and “distinguished.”

High marks on evaluations have hovered in the near-perfect range for years in Idaho, drawing concerns from state leaders. In 2019-20, those designated “proficient” or better was 98.5%, up from 98.1% a year earlier.

Statewide tally for 2021-22:

• 6,723 teachers marked “distinguished”
• 13,033 marked “proficient”
• 235 marked “basic”
• 20 marked “unsatisfactory”

In all, 89 of 166 school districts and charter schools reported 100% of their teachers as “proficient” or “distinguished” in 2021-22. At least 110 tallied higher marks than the state average of 98.7%, and 156 exceeded 90%.

The bottom five for distinctions of “proficient” or “distinguished” include:

• Gem Prep Nampa: 79.2%
• Highland Joint district: 75%
• Pathways in Education, Nampa: 72.7%,
• Cascade district: 71.4%
• Pinecrest Academy, Twin Falls: 61.5%

Click here for a statewide look at the latest evaluation numbers. Note: results from 19 districts and charters were redacted by the state over teacher privacy concerns.

Further reading: More than 20% of Idaho’s K-12 administrators don’t meet all state requirements for evaluating their teachers, according to findings from the State Board of Education’s 2020-21 Educator Evaluation Review.

Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this story.