Yesterday we heard that DCPS was preparing to fire a “sizable” number of teachers for ineffectiveness, and this morning, the Post reports that “sizable” means 241 226. That’s how many educators were let go earlier today, after receiving poor ratings under the new IMPACT teacher evaluation system. The system assesses teacher performance using several criteria, including growth in student test scores, contributions to school culture, and classroom management. IMPACT also provides financial bonuses to teachers who are ranked “highly effective.” The evaluation system is part of the new teachers contract, which was overwhelmingly voted for by teachers earlier this summer.

UPDATE: The WTU has announced plans to appeal the firings. Also, as commenters have pointed out below, IMPACT itself is not named in the recently approved teachers’ contract (PDF), but the contract does give power to develop evaluation systems to the Chancellor’s office. IMPACT was announced last fall, and its presence was a factor in contract negotiations.

UPDATE 2: The Post has revised its report based on a statement by Michelle Rhee. Rhee said that 226 teachers, not 241, were fired today.