N.Y. Teacher Evaluation Movement Goes to Districts

After a landmark deal was struck in Albany to create a guide for evaluating the state's 222,000 public school teachers, the effort turns to local districts where the theory will have to be put into practice.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo called Thursday's statewide "template" he helped create "groundbreaking." The deal means student performance in standardized tests will be used to determine 40 percent of a teacher's evaluation.

The new approach replaces decades-old policies that usually relied more heavily on classroom visits and colleagues' opinions. Critics of that policy, including Cuomo, have said it protected bad teachers while failing to recognize and reward the best.

"Evaluation has always been a part of the teaching profession. Teaching is a craft, you have to hone your craft all the time," said Sharon Pikul, a fifth grade teacher at Lorraine Elementary School in Buffalo who has been teaching for 40 years.

"An evaluation should be an opportunity to step back and look at what you're working for," she said. "You're always asking, 'How can I do this lesson more effectively, what can I do to increase students' success?'"

The deal reached by Cuomo, teachers unions, and state Education Commissioner John B. King Jr. would allow 60 percent of an evaluation to be based on classroom observation and other measures not related to standardized tests.

The deal broadly reflects a 2010 law passed by the Legislature to qualify for $700 million in federal education reform funds. King has said millions more in state aid is also tied to effective teacher evaluations.

"Every teacher that I've worked with believes in the importance of assessment and proving that you're a credible and competent professional," said Jeff Peneston of the Liverpool district in Central New York. "It's right for teachers, it's right for kids."

He notes, however, the effort's flaws. Teachers in the arts, technology, guidance counselors and others won't be judged by tests because there are no standardized tests for their areas.

A group of recent teachers of the year also raise concerns about teachers being judged on the performance of students with long absences, who suffer depression, or whose parents are going through divorce.

"It all sounds fine in the big picture," said Peneston. "In the fine picture, this is where I have a problem: Currently half of my colleagues are not tied to a state or national exam. Because of this split, it's a good example of just what a false idol these large standardized tests are," he said in an interview.

Such are the difficulties in crafting a job evaluation for teachers in vastly different subjects, in widely different locales with a wide variety of student populations.

"Make no mistake: Many thorny issues must still be negotiated between school leaders and their respective bargaining units," said Timothy Kremer, executive director of the state School Boards Association. "School boards agree that the evaluation system is, first and foremost, about sharing the teaching methods of exemplary teachers and providing developmental opportunities to those who need it."

In perhaps the strongest element of Thursday's deal, the state education commissioner will have to approve local teacher evaluation plans. If school districts and their unions can't agree on an evaluation system, Cuomo said he will deny a scheduled 4 percent increase in state aid, which would total $800 million, including $300 million for New York City schools alone.

New York State United Teachers President Richard Iannuzzi called the deal historic and said it will put "an effective teacher in front of every classroom."

State schools Chancellor Merryl Tisch, head of the policy-setting Board of Regents, called Thursday's agreement a significant improvement over the broader 2010 law.

Cuomo said he will contact the U.S. Education Department, but felt confident the deal will secure the millions in Race to the Top funds. Cuomo called the state evaluation system rigorous and the best one he's seen to reward good teachers and eliminate bad ones.

"Today's a great day for the schools within the state of New York and for schoolchildren within the state," Cuomo said. "I believe this is a better system than any system that had been contemplated or discussed until now."