Timothy Road Elementary School will be one of many schools experiencing changes within the next few months. Senate Bill 364 was recently passed by the House and Senate, and it is still awaiting approval on Governor Deal’s desk.  This Bill will include critical changes in the way teachers are evaluated in their profession.

Half of teacher evaluations are currently based on students’ standarized test performance. But Bill 364 proposes that only 30% count toward their performance and the remaining 20% will be based on professional growth. Clarke County Board Member Greg Davis, who was once a former high school teacher, has been advocating this bill for quite some time.

Davis says that in order to improve education, people must listen to the teachers, the people that work on the front line. Kate Hollingsworth, a Timothy Road Elementary teacher, also believes that lawmakers and makers of standardized tests do not relate to teachers

Chris Anani, another Timothy Road teacher, says that his students’ growth cannot be determined by how well they do on a standardized test.

“For all of the teachers out there, this is not why you got into teaching. It’s not an evaluation system that makes you a good teacher or a bad teacher, so stop caring about it so much,” said Anani.

Teachers are not the only people to consider. If the bill is implemented, students will have a reduction in stress and can focus more on concepts that can be utilized outside of the classroom.