Grumbling as state modifies teacher evaluations yet again

For the second time in three years, Albany has told school districts in New York State to develop a new evaluation system for teachers or lose state funding. The state’s Board of Regents voted to pass the new system on June 16. 

“It is confusing,” said Jocelyn Hernandez, a middle school English Language Learner teacher at IN-Tech Academy. “After so many changes, I got lost.”

The new evaluations place a higher premium on student growth: 50 percent of each teacher’s evaluation will be based on their students’ test scores, as compared to the previous year. At least half of the student growth portion will come from state test results — more if a district’s local measures do not meet state standards. 

The other half of the evaluations will come from observation by principals, other supervisors and outside observers.

The current evaluations are 40 percent based on student growth (split evenly between state test results and local measures) and 60 percent on supervisors’ evaluations.

Riverdalian Paul Hogan, a retired teacher who is outspoken on education issues, said it was “absurd” to base teacher evaluations on test results.

“This is a construct that comes from the private industry,” he said. “It has no application to public school teachers and students.”

“It’s taken all the joy out of it, to use an emotional word,” Mr. Hogan added. 

The legislature passed the mandate to create the new system in April as part of the state budget. Originally, Gov. Andrew Cuomo had petitioned for 80 percent of the student growth to come from state test results. But teachers’ unions and some legislators pushed back. 

The compromise appeared to placate the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), which represents educators in New York City, for now.