Maryland Teachers Union Sues Over Teacher Evaluation System

From Gates Foundation Education Week:

The Maryland State Education Association, the largest state teachers' union in Maryland, plans to seek a court injunction to stop state-approved teacher evaluation systems from being imposed on several county school districts. They plan to argue that the state has usurped what should be the districts' power to decide, along with local teachers' unions, which tests are included in the portions of evaluations tied to student growth.

The association, along with several school districts, say that the Maryland School Assessments (MSA) and the upcoming assessments from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) aligned to the Common Core State Standards carry too much weight in the state-approved teacher-evaluation system. They also say the system itself, slated to be fully online next year, isn't ready for prime time, and that the department has confused districts throughout the development of the evaluation system. At least two school districts, in Charles and St. Mary's counties, have submitted final evaluation plans that don't comport with what the state wants.

"The refusal to include all stakeholders in these conversations is detrimental to the progress we've made," MSEA President Betty Weller wrote to Maryland Superintendent of Schools Lillian Lowery in a June 5 letter.

Here in NY State, the NYSUT actually dropped a lawsuit against the state for putting too much weight on test scores, a lawsuit they won in an early round in the lower courts (though it was being appealed by the state.)  The NYSUT agreed to give Governor Cuomo everything he wanted in the teacher evaluation law, including changes to the test component of the law that increased the weight of scores AND forced a teacher to be given an "ineffective" evaluation overall if she/he came up "ineffective" on just the 20% test score component.

Here in NYC, the UFT actually bragged that they helped develop the nightmare system imposed by NYSED Commissioner/rookie teacher John King.

Too bad we have company unions here in New York who do as much damage to teachers as the state and the feds do.

Wouldn't it be nice if they went back to the courts and sued over the "unworkable" NYC evaluation system instead of bragging how they helped bring it to fruition?