The Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness has released its interim report on the development of the first statewide educator evaluation system. In the report, the Council recommends the state spend $6 million for a pilot program that will be tested in 12 school districts during the 2012-13 school year.

Despite legislators' hope for a state system that could be implemented in 2012-13, the council has concluded a pilot is imperative, saying rushing to develop a system "would be reckless, both fiscally and technically."

The pilot will allow the small number of districts to test models for a year "in order to learn about how well they work and to uncover any problems that should be remedied before implementing a system wholesale in all Michigan schools," the council said in its report.

The Council’s detailed report recommends a pilot of three teacher observation models – expected to be fully developed later this year – to ensure that teacher evaluation tools are fair, reliable and consistent, from school to school and across the state. The Council also announced it would issue recommendations on other components of its evaluation model – including student growth and administrator evaluation – later this year.

Read the April 2012 Interim Progress Report .

Read a Detroit Free Press article about the report's release.