On Saturday, State Education Commissioner John King issued a teacher evaluation plan for New York City's public schools. For the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the state-imposed plan largely ignored their demands and sided with the New York City Department of Education, according to the New York Post:
The state denied the UFT's attempt to be part of a committee that would oversee the plan's implementation — arguing that the union's inclusion would only delay the removal of poor performers.
The union, headed by Michael Mulgrew, also failed to block the use of student surveys in the teacher-appraisal process. They will account for only 5 percent of the rating.
The state Education Department rejected a UFT push to allow instructors to have the final say over what measures of learning would be used to rate them, and instead gave that power to principals.
This state-imposed system will function for the next four years, and any new system can only be implemented with the approval of the New York City Department of Education.
