Teachers (Be)rated: wrong classes, wrong kids.

• Author: Morrisey, Brittany Ann
• Position: Citings - Brief article

LAST YEAR, Irby Elementary School's Kim Cook was crowned teacher of the year, only to receive an "unsatisfactory" rating on her official evaluation. What happened?

In 2011, the Florida legislature passed a law setting up a new way to assess educators. A teacher's rating is split into two halves, one part based on student performance on standardized exams and the other part based on observations by the school's principal.

But the law created a problem for teachers who instruct students in subjects that don't have corresponding standardized tests. Many schools did the best they could, cobbling together scores from students' reading and math exams for social studies teachers, speech coaches, and physical education instructors.

Cook's...