SB165 • 2025

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO STUDENT IMPROVEMENT COMPONENT.

Education

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Sturgeon
Last action: 2025-09-02
Official status: Lieu/Substituted 6/11/25
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the expansion phase or consequences for excessive absences beyond the pilot program's initial requirements.

Act to Improve Student Performance Evaluation

This act requires the Department of Education to start a pilot program that changes how student performance is evaluated, focusing on factors like absences and noncompliance.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Department of Education to run a pilot program for a new way to evaluate student improvement starting in the 2025-2026 school year.
The pilot must include at least three local education agencies and consider factors like absences, mobility, and noncompliance that can affect students' performance negatively.
Teachers, specialists, and administrators will be part of the pilot program to refine how goals are set for student improvement.
Local education agencies participating in the 2025-2026 pilot will not face negative consequences if they do poorly during this trial period.

Who It Names or Affects

Local education agencies that participate in the pilot program.
Teachers, specialists, and administrators involved in the evaluation process.
Students whose performance is being evaluated under this new system.

Terms To Know

Pilot Program: A small-scale test of a new idea or method before it's used widely.
Student Improvement Component: Part of the evaluation system that looks at how well students are doing and helps them improve.

Limits and Unknowns

It is unclear how exactly the new measures will be implemented statewide after the pilot phase.

Bill History

2025-09-02 Delaware General Assembly
SS 1 for SB 165 - Signed by Governor
2025-06-30 Delaware General Assembly
SS 1 for SB 165 - Passed By House. Votes: 39 YES 1 NOT VOTING 1 VACANT
2025-06-18 Delaware General Assembly
SS 1 for SB 165 - Reported Out of Committee (Education) in House with 10 On Its Merits
2025-06-12 Delaware General Assembly
SS 1 for SB 165 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 2 ABSENT
2025-06-12 Delaware General Assembly
SS 1 for SB 165 - Assigned to Education Committee in House
2025-06-11 Delaware General Assembly
Reported Out of Committee (Education) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 3 On Its Merits
2025-06-11 Delaware General Assembly
Substituted in Senate by SS 1 for SB 165
2025-06-05 Delaware General Assembly
Introduced and Assigned to Education Committee in Senate

Official Summary Text

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO STUDENT IMPROVEMENT COMPONENT.
This Act requires the Department of Education to pilot a revised student improvement component under the Delaware Performance Appraisal System and Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. The pilot must include at least 3 local education agencies and consider factors such as student absences, mobility, and noncompliance that may adversely affect a student’s performance. Participants will be held harmless during the pilot program. The program will expand in 2026-2027 and be implemented statewide in 2027-2028 for all licensed and certified educators.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Sen. Sturgeon

Rep. K. Williams

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE BILL NO. 165

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO STUDENT IMPROVEMENT COMPONENT.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend § 1270, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows and by redesignating accordingly:

(i) The Department shall implement a pilot program for the revised student improvement component in no less than 3 local education agencies for the 2025-2026 academic year. The pilot program must include teachers, specialists, and administrators and focus on refining the goal-setting process, ensuring alignment with professional growth and increasing flexibility in student improvement measures.

(1) The pilot program must be conducted with the consent of the local education agency and the organization representing the local education agency’s educators for collective bargaining purposes, if applicable.

(2) Local education agencies participating in the 2025-2026 pilot shall be held harmless, meaning that while they will still receive summative evaluations, the student improvement component will not factor into overall ratings.

(3) The measure of student improvement must take into consideration student absence, student mobility, student chronic noncompliance with school rules, chronic failure by parents to abide by the Parents’ Declaration of Responsibilities, and other factors that may adversely affect the evaluation. If a student has missed more than 15% of the class time, their performance may only be used with the agreement of the educator under this chapter.

(4) In the 2026-2027 academic year, the pilot will expand to no less than 6 additional local education agencies. Local education agencies participating in the 2026-2027 pilot shall also be held harmless, meaning they will receive summative evaluations that do not include the student improvement component, allowing for further refinement of implementation and support structures.

(5) Beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year, the revised student improvement component will be implemented statewide for all licensed and certified educators, ensuring a system that is equitable, flexible, and focused on meaningful student progress.

SYNOPSIS

This Act requires the Department of Education to pilot a revised student improvement component under the Delaware Performance Appraisal System and Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. The pilot must include at least 3 local education agencies and consider factors such as student absences, mobility, and noncompliance that may adversely affect a student’s performance. Participants will be held harmless during the pilot program. The program will expand in 2026-2027 and be implemented statewide in 2027-2028 for all licensed and certified educators.

Author: Senator Sturgeon