In a recent op-ed, Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, calls on New York City to move faster on a new teacher evaluation system. Since the Governor's February announcement of the groundbreaking agreement on a new evaluation system for teachers and principals, more than 600 school districts around the state have submitted evaluation plans and 250 of those plans have been approved.
Unfortunately, New York City isn’t one of those districts:
This isn’t just about money, although the city stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars if it doesn’t have an approved plan in place by Jan. 17. And it’s not about a “gotcha” system to get rid of teachers. This is about giving teachers and principals the tools they need to strengthen their skills and improve their instruction.
There has also been some debate over using student test scores to measure teacher performance. Tisch explains that even though test scores don’t give a full measure of a teacher’ performance, they are still essential and are adjusted based on student needs:
The student-growth scores provided by the state for teacher evaluations are adjusted for factors such as students who are English Language Learners, students with disabilities and students living in poverty. When used right, growth data from student assessments provide an objective measurement of student achievement and, by extension, teacher performance.
Hundreds of New York school districts and local unions have put successful teacher evaluation plans into place. New York City should be next in line.
