Commentary

When Illinois’ Performance Evaluation Review Act was signed into law in 2010, its supporters promised a more accurate way to evaluate teachers, explaining that it couldn’t possibly be true that, as the previous evaluation system indicated, more than 95 percent of teachers were actually doing a good job.

The Illinois State Board of Education recently rolled out the latest Illinois school report cards, and for the first time teacher evaluation ratings based on PERA requirements have been reported in aggregate. According to the state, 97 percent of teachers across Illinois are rated in the top two categories of “proficient” or “excellent.”