Teacher Evaluations - DETAILS

[Chris_Wendt]

Newsday reports the following details of the agreement reached yesterday between NYSED and NYSUT (the Teachers Union whose local, WUT, represents Wantagh's teachers) paraphrasing:

"Under the plan, 60 percent of a teacher's rating would be based on classroom observations, 20 percent on students' scores on state standardized tests, and 20 percent on a list of three scoring options. That could include locally developed tests, tests offered by third parties or a simple doubling of the value placed on the state tests. School boards would have to negotiate the final 20 percent with their local unions.

State Education Commissioner John B. King Jr. acknowledged this was similar to the framework provided in the 2010 law, but added: 'We've constrained the choices. We've created a very clear menu' for determining the final 20 percent.

Timothy Kremer, head of the state School Boards Association, said the plan leaves sticky issues to be bargained with local unions -- such as how to handle appeals by teachers rated "ineffective" and whether school superintendents would arbitrate those appeals. But he said the agreement is conceptually 'positive' and 'something we can work with.'"

www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/deal-reached-on-teacher-evaluations-1.3534989

The plan leaves "sticky" issues to be bargained with local unions, meaning, the State and NYSUT punted.

Having the school superintendent negotiate appeals...as opposed to what...3020(a) proceedings? And it did not mention at what point individual school board members could meddle and interfere and tell the Superintendent who to keep and who to dump after receiving negative appraisals.

On balance, this plan smacks of a lot of noise, money and hoopla, but no real reform. None.

What a shame. At least, that is my personal opinion. Feel free to disagree.

Separately, NY City reached a similar deal with the UFT, which represents their teachers. Their deal was primarily over the appeals process.

Chris Wendt

[lilly]

From the same article:

"School district officials have their own reasons for apprehension. A prime concern, they said, is how to win local unions' agreement on details of teacher evaluations in the months ahead without making concessions on salaries and benefits that financially pressed districts can ill afford."

and...

"Sixty percent of ratings will be based on subjective criteria, with at least 31 percent coming from classroom observations."

I realize any personnel evaluation is an attempt to quantify the qualitative and often, the unquantifiable. Smart companies know that.

With regard to teacher evals, IMO the big problem is the heavy hand the teacher's union has in all of this. Let me know when the teachers union is 'about the kids' - their first and foremost charge is best interests of the teachers, not "the kids".

In an ideal world, it should be between maybe stated ed and districts (e.g., a representative advisory panel), no Cuomo or teachers union interference. But hey, I can fantasize...

The article was about the state guidelines. While Wantagh's will have to fall into state guidelines, we don't know exactly what Wantagh's proposed weighting percentages are. And supposedly, this has been worked on a lot in Wantagh.

Maybe I'm a pessimist lately, but I agree with your hoopla comment. Next up, school districts put teacher evals on their list of unfunded mandates to complain about, lol.