Perhaps new teacher evals aren't so bad
New York City public school teachers used to receive either a 'satisfactory' or 'unsatisfactory' rating, reports Beth Fertig for WNYC. In 2012, 97 percent were deemed satisfactory. Now, teachers are rated through a combination of classroom observations and student test scores, and teachers and principals say overall they appreciate the classroom-observation component -- it's just very complicated. Last year, principals had to make four classroom observations of every teacher, and observe for 15 minutes each time. During these visits, they measured teachers on 22 competencies. The new teacher contract reduces the competencies to eight, partly because principals were overwhelmed. At the Community Action School on West 93rd in Manhattan, Principal John Curry and special ed teacher Noah Foster allowed Fertig to record a classroom observation and follow-up conversation. Curry recently assessed Foster's seventh grade English class, which he was co-teaching with a general education teacher because it had a mix of students. Curry brought his laptop for notes, and cell phone to record parts of the lesson. He leaned in when Foster pressed students to think about a writing assignment based on a chart about student crime. "Careful -- does the data say that kids are turning into criminals?" Foster asked. Curry rated Foster "highly effective" on six of eight areas, "effective" on two. But the conversation with his principal meant more to Foster than actual ratings. "I value these conversations extraordinarily," Foster says. More
Source: Public Education News Blast
Published by LEAP
Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty communities.
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