Please read this blog post by parent activist Leonie Haimson at the NYC Parents Blog.
Here is a part of it:
A new bill, passed
by the NYS Assembly and being considered by the
NY Senate as S08301, would change the teacher evaluation system in the state
for (at least) the fourth time since 2010.
Despite the claims of NYSUT, the state teacher union, a careful
reading of the bill does not indicate that it would de-link teacher evaluations from
student test scores.
Instead, teacher evaluations would continue to be partially
determined by student “growth scores,” which in turn would be based on “alternate assessments” as approved
by the NYS Education Department or where desired locally, still based on the state
exams. Thus, the concerns
expressed by the NY State School Boards Association, the New York Council of School Superintendents and
other education groups, that this bill, if passed, could mean even more testing for students, appears warranted, since the state exams will continue to be given anyway,
as mandated by federal law.
More discussion of the teacher evaluation issue, which NY
State can’t seem to get right, is in an column written by Gary Stern
of LoHud News, in which he calls
the system “a ghastly mistake that won't die.” Diane Ravitch argues
that the currently teacher evaluation law, called APPR, should just
be repealed, and the decision how to evaluate teachers should go back to the
districts, as it was before the promise of Race to the Top funds lured the
state to create a new system based in part on student test scores. My view? If the law is not
to be simply repealed, there should be hearings, public input and careful
consideration as to what should replace this complex and unreliable mess of a system, rather than the current bill.
Leonie then has Long Island parent activist Deborah Abramson-Brooks break down the flawed new bill in detail.
The parents also link to our petition. It has grown slowly but surely over the last six weeks. Keep it going folks. We are making a difference.
Does anyone have any ideas how we could spread the word even further?
Every now and then it the petition pops up in the comment sections on various Facebook posts on the UFT page. I have not seen the UFT take them down. The bigger question is are they listening to our wishes to repeal the current eval system? The assembly bill to change the eval is bullshit and does not go far enough.
ReplyDeleteIn favor of us getting a fair raise, or the 8.25 we shouldve never lost, or 11 years of back pay?
ReplyDeleteHarvard will host its first ever “black only” graduation ceremony
ReplyDeleteThis is racist and a disgrace to all racial progress made over the last 60 yrs
MLK would be disgusted at this
By the way, if you are a black person that goes to Harvard, you are the furthest thing from oppressed
While i prefer less observations and while the MOSL tests are a joke, students dont care, they sleep, they eat, the job is torture, hate it everyday, no student cooperation, etc. This would be one tiny step, and even if it went through, admin can still get you if they want.
ReplyDeleteThis would be a sea change if we get evaluation repealed.
ReplyDeleteNot sure. The students and behavior would still be out of control, no change in discipline, etc. HS students unable to read and write, easy pass classes...
ReplyDelete