D.C. Schools Fires More Than 400 Teachers

D.C. Public schools fired 413 teachers today as a result of poor annual evaluations.

This year, 663 Washington Teachers' Union members will be receiving bonuses for earning the top rating of "highly effective," according to a DCPS statement released today.

Of the 413 teachers who will be leaving their posts, 104 did not comply with licensure requirements, 113 were deemed "Ineffective" and 175 were considered "2x Minimally Effective." The remaining 21 are leaving under an "Unplaced Extra Year."

"Great teachers are critical to our success," DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson said in the statement. "We are delighted to be able to shine a spotlight on our top performers, and we are thrilled by the improvements that so many of our educators made this year. We also remain committed to moving out our lowest performers in an effort to ensure that every child has access to an outstanding education."

DCPS evaluates its teachers and staff on a system it calls IMPACT, which assesses teacher performance according to student achievement, instructional expertise, collaboration and professionalism. The system was put in place under former DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Henderson relaxed some IMPACT policies after she took her post.

Last year, a total of 211 educators were let go from the system, 76 of which were due to licensure noncompliance.

The employee shuffle comes amid a probe by DCPS and the U.S. Department of Education that investigates questionable scoring patterns and alleged cheating incidents among teachers between 2008 and 2010.