While defenders of LIFO say no good alternative exists, critics disagree. A handful of states and districts already use performance as the main criteria – some for the first time this year.
No one believes teacher evaluation systems are where they need to be, but critics of LIFO say that isn't enough reason to omit performance-based factors when deciding who goes. Most districts still have some sort of evaluation system in place.
One proposal from The New Teacher Project, a nonprofit that advocates ranking performance over seniority, outlines a score card that would consider attendance, performance rating, classroom-management rating, years of service, and extra school responsibilities for each teacher, giving each a certain weight (with performance rating counting the most).
A number of the new laws already give metrics for ranking teacher performance: Typically, student learning growth – when it can be measured by tests – counts for a portion.
