Gates Foundation Urges Delay in Using Tests to Rate Teachers

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has spearheaded efforts to implement the Common Core education standards across the country, is calling for a two-year delay in evaluating teachers based on tests aligned with the new guidelines, The Washington Post and The New York Times write.

“The standards need time to work,” Vicki Phillips, head of the Gates Foundation’s K-12 program, said in a statement Tuesday. “Teachers need time to develop lessons, receive more training, get used to the new tests, and offer their feedback.”

The foundation has put more than $200-million into developing and promoting the math and reading standards for primary and secondary schools. Forty-five states and the District of Columbia initially adopted the Common Core, but three states have pulled out amid growing criticism of the standards, particularly among conservatives. Decisions on a delay in applying the tests to teacher evaluations are up to legislatures or education departments in participating states.