How Hard Is It To Get Tenure as a Teacher?

Written by Mr Mustafa in Teachers' Lounge Last Updated February 6, 2023

Being a teacher is one of the most fulfilling experiences, albeit always challenging. Educators must ensure that their students grow into responsible, knowledgeable adults while also pursuing their personal goals. Tenure provides some much-needed job security, but how hard is it to achieve this status?

It’s relatively hard to get tenure as a teacher because you must serve a considerable number of years as an educator and achieve or maintain a specific performance rating to attain such status. The tenured teachers’ standards depend on the school, district, and state they teach.

This article will explore how teachers get their tenure status according to their length of service and individual performance ratings. I will also discuss the pros and cons of providing a tenured position for teachers. Keep reading to learn more.

How Do Teachers Get Tenure Status?

Here are some considerations when it comes to teachers receiving their tenure status:

Years of Service

While there are varying teacher tenure status rules, public school teachers generally take at least three academic years of service to be given non-probationary status in at least 46 states. 

Twenty-seven states require teachers to return the following academic year or sign a contract stating they are committed to returning the following year to become tenured.

Only MississippiOpens in a new tab., North DakotaOpens in a new tab., and VermontOpens in a new tab. require at least two academic years for public school teachers to serve to achieve tenure status. In 2019, MaineOpens in a new tab. passed legislation shortening the probationary period from three to two years for teachers hired during the 2020-2021 academic year and beyond.

On the other hand, public school teachers in Louisiana, MichiganOpens in a new tab., MissouriOpens in a new tab., New HampshireOpens in a new tab., and TennesseeOpens in a new tab. must have at least five academic years of service to attain non-probationary or tenure status.

Here are a few other details for some of the states in terms of the required years of service:

  • Public school teachers in Florida do not receive tenure status. They are given contracts yearly regardless of whether they are new in the service or have served a long time. School district boards may opt to refuse to provide a contract for a teacher without cause.
  • In IowaOpens in a new tab., a school district’s board may extend a teacher’s probationary period for another year with their consent.
  • Superintendents of school districts in MassachusettsOpens in a new tab. can award tenure status to teachers who have served in a school for at least a year or those who obtained tenure status in any school district within Massachusetts.
  • North CarolinaOpens in a new tab. teachers are employed by contract by their local board of education. The board will give those employed for less than three years a contract for one school year. Those who have served for more than three years will be given a multiple-year contract. Local boards of education may require the three-year employment period to be consecutive.
  • In South Carolina, every teacher employed by school districts will be given an induction contract for three years. School districts shall not employ teachers under an induction contract for more than three years.
  • Provisional employees in Utah can work half-time for three consecutive years to attain a career employment status.
  • A teacher hired on or after July 1, 2001, in VirginiaOpens in a new tab. must successfully finish training in instructional strategies and techniques for students who failed or are at risk of failing the state’s standards of learning assessments before being given a continuing contract status.

For private school teachers, however, tenure varies from one school to another depending on their rules and the terms of their contract. It may take at least one to five years to be considered non-probationary or tenured.

Individual Performance Evaluation Ratings

Several states take into account the teacher’s performance during their probationary period in consideration when it comes to whether they will be tenured or not. Here are their details:

  • AlaskaOpens in a new tab.: The state’s education laws require all probationary teachers to garner a performance evaluation that meets the individual school district’s performance standards before attaining tenure.
  • ColoOpens in a new tab.rado: The probationary teacher must prove demonstrated effectiveness consistently within three years before being granted a non-probationary status. The state’s law does not define tenureOpens in a new tab., but teachers in Colorado get the same rights as tenured teachers elsewhere.
  • Connecticut: The non-tenured teacher will be able to return the following school year with a tenure status if the superintendent gives a contract to return after 40 school months based on the results of the performance evaluations. The evaluation will measure the teacher’s strengths, areas for improvement, strategies to help the teacher improve, and indicators of student academic growth.
  • FloridaOpens in a new tab.: After July 2011, every teacher in Florida is given an annual contract regardless of their status. However, school district boards can only offer a yearly contract if the teacher does not receive an unsatisfactory or needs improvement rating within two to three years.
  • IdahoOpens in a new tab.: A school district’s board of trustees can issue renewable contracts to probationary teachers. The school district’s board will evaluate teachers’ performance at least once annually according to the board’s guidelines as approved by the state’s board of education.
  • IllinoisOpens in a new tab.: Any teacher hired on or after the effective date of the state’s Performance Evaluation Reform Act (September 1, 2012) must receive a proficient rating or above during the last two to three years of service. The school board must provide written notice of dismissal if they decide to terminate the probationary teacher in the last year of their probationary period.
  • IndianaOpens in a new tab.: If a teacher receives an effective or a highly effective rating in an evaluation for at least three years in five years after June 30, 2011, they shall be deemed tenured. However, a tenured teacher can become a probationary teacher if they receive an ineffective rating for the last two years.
  • LouisianaOpens in a new tab.: Any teacher, except those paid using federal funds, who has received a highly effective rating for five years within six years will be granted tenure status. A teacher who fails to achieve tenure will remain an at-will employee of the school board or special school district. A tenured teacher with an ineffective rating will automatically lose tenure status and have to follow the tenure rules.
  • MichiganOpens in a new tab.: The teacher must have been rated effective or highly effective on their three most recent performance evaluations. If the teacher has attained a highly effective rating for three consecutive years, the probationary period will end after four years.
  • NevadaOpens in a new tab.: The probationary teacher must attain a highly effective or effective performance appraisal rating for two consecutive years to attain post-probationary status.
  • New JerseyOpens in a new tab.: Teachers must complete a district mentorship program in their first year of employment and achieve an effective or highly effective rating in two performance evaluations within their second to fourth year of service based on the metrics set by the board of education.
  • OhioOpens in a new tab.: Teachers must meet the following criteria to become eligible for tenure: an educator license holder for seven years or more, currently employed by a school district in at least three of the last five years of service, and has finished other college or graduate coursework after being licensed.
  • South CarolinaOpens in a new tab.: Teachers on induction contracts can be given an annual contract. The school district board will evaluate them with standards adopted by the district following the rules of the state board of education. They must also submit professional growth plans supporting the district’s goals. Once they pass the annual contract phase, they can be given a continuing contract.
  • TennesseeOpens in a new tab.: Probationary teachers must receive an overall rating of “above expectations” or “significantly above expectations” in the last two years using the standards approved by the state board of education to become tenured. Tenured teachers who resigned and later reemployed and those who failed to achieve satisfactory performance ratings will be returned to probationary status.
  • UtahOpens in a new tab.: All school boards must conduct performance evaluations on all of their employees under the rules adopted by the state board of education. State board rules may exempt temporary or part-time employees from the said assessment.
  • WashingtonOpens in a new tab.: The teacher will still be subjected to non-renewal of the contract if they have received a rating of below level 2 until they receive a level 2. The school district superintendent could remove a teacher from provisional status if they got one of the top two evaluation ratings during their second year of service.

Benefits of Achieving a Tenured Status

Attaining a tenure status for teachers is sure to provide benefits for them. These include:

  • Protection from political, personal, or non-work-related dismissal from the service
  • Academic freedom to teach controversial subject matter, including evolution and controversial works of art or literature, without fear of retaliation or reprisal
  • Job security
  • Right to due process in administrative proceedings
  • Tenure gives teachers protection from being dismissed in favor of hiring others who can be paid less than them
  • Providing tenure to teachers allows them to voice out their opinions on behalf of their students or colleagues that are against the school district or state board of education’s policies

Drawbacks of a Tenured Status

Here are some of the disadvantages of providing tenure to teachers:

  • Costs of removing teachers in the school system who are performing worse than expected or those who have cases due to the need to exhaust administrative remedies first before removing them 
  • Tenure status makes teachers complacent in their jobs
  • As tenure protects teachers’ job security, schools must make long-term spending commitments amid declining enrollment figures and economic woes
  • Tenure allows experienced teachers to choose subjects that are easy to be delivered to students

To learn more about teacher tenure, watch this YouTube video from Ask About SPORTS:

Conclusion

Providing tenure to teachers is already a subject of heated debate in the United States. States have varying degrees of difficulty in their rules for teachers when it comes to attaining tenure status. 

Teachers can become tenured after a year in one state, but it might take a long time in another. Some states do not require teachers to achieve a passing performance rating, while others have rigorous metrics to follow. Tenured teachers can even return to probation if they fail to meet the standards.

Teachers must also juggle these requirements with their daily responsibilities in the classroom.

Sources

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  5. Should Elementary Teachers Give Homework? (The Ultimate Guide) 

Mr Mustafa

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