Education News

I have been closely following the press regarding NYS Teacher Evaluations, and I believe that until the evaluation system has been proven accurate, that the ratings should be kept private. The percentage for error is just too large right now. Governor Cuomo Announces Agreement on Evaluation Guidelines That Will Make New York State a National Leader on Teacher Accountability Albany, NY (February 16, 2012) Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, New York State Education Commissioner John King, and New York State United Teachers President Richard C. Iannuzzi today announced a groundbreaking agreement on a new statewide evaluation system that will make New York State a national leader in holding teachers accountable for student achievement. The agreement gives significant guidance to local school districts for the implementation of a teacher evaluation system that is based on multiple measures of performance including student achievement and rigorous classroom observations. The agreement follows through on the state's commitment to put in place a real and effective teacher evaluation system as a condition of the $700 million granted through the federal Race to the Top program. "Today's agreement puts in place a groundbreaking new statewide teacher evaluation system that will put students first and make New York a national leader in holding teachers accountable for student achievement," Governor Cuomo said. "This agreement is exactly what is needed to transform our state's public education system, and I am pleased that by working together and putting the needs of students ahead of politics we were able to reach this agreement." State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr., said, "The goal is and always has been to help students - to give them every opportunity to succeed in college and careers. To make that happen, we need to improve teaching and learning. We owe it to our students to make sure every classroom is led by an effective teacher and every school is led by an effective principal. Today, the Governor's leadership and his commitment to our students has helped us take a strong step toward that goal." New York State United Teachers President Richard C. Iannuzzi, said, "Teachers support high standards and accountability for our profession. We believe today's agreement is good for students and fair to teachers. It includes two principles we believe are essential. First, a child is more than a standardized test score. While there is a place for standardized testing in measuring teacher effectiveness, tests must be used appropriately. Secondly, the purpose of evaluations must be to help all teachers improve and to advance excellence in our profession. This agreement acknowledges those key principles. The settlement also reinforces how important it is for teachers to have a voice in establishing standards of professional effectiveness and in developing evaluations that meet the needs of local communities." New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, "This is very good news for the 1.1 million school children of New York City – and it will benefit students for generations to come. It will help us to create a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation system that will ensure that teachers who are rated 'ineffective' can be given the support they need to grow -- or be moved out of the classroom. I want to thank the Governor for his leadership on this issue, as well as Merryl Tisch, John King, and Mike Mulgrew, who were all instrumental in this process." United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said, "The UFT and the Governor have reached an agreement on an appeal process for New York City teachers that includes the kind of independent, third party component that the UFT has been seeking. The appeal process will not go into effect unless and until Mayor Bloomberg negotiates agreement s with the UFT for an overall teacher evaluation deal and for schools eligible for School Improvement Grants (SIGs). I want to congratulate Governor Cuomo and NYSUT for their hard work in finding common ground on the statewide issues that separated them. Their agreement recognizes that students are more than a test score. I want to thank the Governor for his efforts to find a similar resolution for the issues that separate the UFT and Mayor Bloomberg. Chancellor Walcott's asserted that the city needed to close 33 SIG schools because there was no agreement possible on an appeals process for teachers. That process has now been laid out for the SIG schools. Despite this agreement, Mayor Bloomberg still seems determined to close those schools." Details of the plan are as follows: Teacher Performance – 60 points Under the agreement, 60 percent of a teacher's evaluation will be based on rigorous and nationally recognized measures of teacher performance. The agreement requires that a majority of the teacher performance points will be based on classroom observations by an administrator or principal, and at least one observation will be unannounced. The remaining points will be based upon defined standards including observations by independent trained evaluators, peer classroom observations, student and parent feedback from evaluators, and evidence of performance through student portfolios. Student Achievement in State and Local Assessments– 40 points Under the agreement, 40 percent of a teacher's evaluation will be based on student academic achievement, with 20 percent from state testing and 20 percent from a list of three testing options including state tests, third party assessments/tests approved by the SED and locally developed tests that will be subject to SED review and approval. Under the plan, school districts will also have the option of using state tests to measure up to 40 percent of a teacher's rating. Rating System The agreement significantly tightens the scoring system to ensure student achievement and teacher performance are both properly taken into account for teacher ratings. Teachers or principals that are rated ineffective in the 40 points could not receive a developing score overall. Ineffective: 0 – 64 Developing: 65 – 74 Effective: 75 – 90 Highly Effective: 91 – 100 Assigning a Curve for the Ratings The agreement sets forth, for the first time, a standard for school districts and teacher unions to set the allocation of points or the "curve" for the teacher ratings. The curve must be allocated in a manner that a teacher can receive one of the four ratings, and the SED Commissioner will be able to reject insufficiently set curves. SED Commissioner Final Review The agreement also, for the first time, gives the SED Commissioner the authority to approve or disapprove local evaluation plans that are deemed insufficient. This will add rigor to the process and ensure evaluation plans comply with the law. New York City Expedited Appeals Process Today's announcement also includes an expedited and streamlined appeals process for the New York City School District that becomes effective on January 17, 2013 if New York City and the UFT agree to an overall evaluation system http://engageny.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/nys-evaluation-plans-guidance-memo.pdf Below are excerpts from some recent news articles. Rating teachers has been the hot topic lately at educational conferences, school board and administration meetings, and in teachers' lounges across New York state. Under the threat of losing funding, school districts are developing new performance review systems with their collective bargaining units that follow parameters set down by the state. Forty percent of a teacher's evaluation will come from student growth in test scores -- at least half of that from standardized state tests. The remaining 60 percent will be based on classroom observations and other elements that Carl Korn, spokesman for the New York State United Teachers union, says can be considered the "art of teaching." Teachers' scores will earn them one of four ratings: highly effective, effective, developing and ineffective. Instructors rated ineffective will get a teacher improvement plan from the district. If the teacher is rated ineffective again the next year, he or she could be dismissed. The new system has been presented as a means not only to evaluate teachers' performance but also to give them training where it's needed. But the recent release of 18,000 individual teachers' data reports in New York City has raised the likelihood that scores from the new system will be open for public viewing. That's nothing more than public shaming, according to the many teachers I've spoken to. And it's bad news for anyone who's ever had a principal with a grudge. I've heard some fans of the policy -- often people convinced that teachers are blessed with short hours, long vacations, large pensions and little oversight -- argue that it's about time teachers were held accountable. But the jury is still out on whether this will be good policy. And though it's too early to know if the new system will convey valuable, unbiased information, one thing is almost certain: Parents will make judgments based on it. That's understandable -- who wouldn't want their kid to have a "highly effective" teacher? -- but it's also a real shame. While 60 percent of the ratings will be subjective, it's simply unclear whether there will be a meaningful way to take into account all of the many factors that make a great educator: teachers who come in early and stay late to help students with their homework; teachers who make a point of giving students the kind of individual attention that makes a huge difference in their intellectual and emotional development; teachers who adjust their approach to match a particular student's learning style and interests; teachers who go well beyond the curriculum and develop creative, interesting and, yes, even fun lessons that make stale subjects come to life and keep kids motivated. Forty percent is simply too strong a focus on scores, fostering a "teach to the test" ethic that makes for neither great teachers nor truly educated students. Kids today are facing overwhelming pressure to perform well on these tests -- which makes for anxious students, not better educated ones. What's more, the system is rife with inequities: It penalizes teachers in very low-performing and/or low-income districts, teachers with a transient student body or teachers with many non-English-speaking students. And how about teachers whose students have no support at home, are depressed or are suffering from other issues over which a teacher has no control? The system hasn't gone into effect yet, and it's possible that there are elements that make sense. But until we have a better idea of its real value and accuracy, at the very least the ratings should be kept private. And most important, if they are intended to help teachers perform better, let's shift our focus toward giving them the tools and support they need to do so. - Newsday - 3/9/2012- Jenna Kern-Rugile lives in East Northport. New York City school officials admit, the statistical margin of error for ratings based on students' improvement on state English tests averaged 26.5 percentile points. I'd be very worried if that reliability standard were adopted for safety tests in the automobile industry. In the name of educational excellence, some are willing to sacrifice basic logic and fairness. A teacher's job and reputation could be put at risk if names are publicly released under a flawed evaluation system. - Newsday - letter to the editor

The following message from Commissioner King was emailed to over 240,000 educators statewide on January 9, 2012. Dear Colleagues, Happy New Year! I want to take this opportunity to wish you, your families, your students, and your school communities a safe, healthy, and happy 2012. As we embark on a new year, New York continues to be a leader in education reform. The role you play in your classrooms is the critical element in our state’s reform efforts. Our work in teaching and learning is now guided by the Common Core Learning Standards. These standards are driving twelve “shifts” in instruction – six shifts in English Language Arts (ELA)/Literacy and six shifts in Mathematics. You can find a concise list of the shifts and a series of short videos about them on the EngageNY.org website. This Spring semester, we have asked all teachers in the state to teach at least one unit that is aligned to the Common Core. You can work in teams to think through the ways each shift should impact a unit of instruction and plan these learning experiences together. You also could adopt or augment one of our curriculum exemplars. In every math classroom (or any classroom where math plays a significant role), the Common Core calls for us to create classroom time to dive deeply into the math fluencies and applications necessary for every student to reach deep understanding of a priority math concept. In every ELA classroom (or any classroom where literacy plays a significant role), the Common Core calls for thoughtful learning experiences around rigorous texts – you should conduct close readings of those texts with your students and ask deep and thought-provoking, evidence-based questions about the texts to facilitate evidence-dependent conversations and build students’ ability to marshal arguments about the texts. Please be sure to visit EngageNY.org, which we offer as your go-to website for teaching and learning resources. In addition to the helpful materials on the website now, more will be on the way in the coming months. Curriculum units, exemplar videos, and professional development resources will all be available on EngageNY.org and will be aimed at supporting the statewide implementation of the Common Core Learning Standards. We designed EngageNY.org specifically for you: it is an evolving, collaborative platform for educators. As the Regents’ reform agenda moves forward across the state, we want you to be able to access and share resources that work for you. If you have questions about the Common Core Learning Standards, check out the “Get Started” page on EngageNY.org. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, let us know by signing up and commenting at the website itself or by sending us an email at info@engageny.org. Thank you for all you do every day to serve your students and for your continued commitment to improving education in New York State. Sincerely, Dr. John B. King, Jr. Follow me on Twitter @JohnKingNYSED

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