ALBANY—The final plan for a new statewide teacher evaluation system will require observations by an “independent” evaluator, a Cuomo administration official said during a briefing with reporters late Monday.
It’s hard to say definitively what will be in the bill, since it hasn’t been introduced, and leaders of the State Senate and Assembly did not immediately return a request for confirmation that they have agreed on specifics of the deal. But the administration official, speaking on background, presented the plan in great detail, some of which Capital has already reported, arguing the deal was solid.
According to the briefing, the evaluation system will have two components: observations and student performance on state tests.
There will be two required observations, from a teacher’s principal or administrator and an “independent” evaluator, who could be a principal, administrator or “highly effective” teacher from another school or district. As Cuomo originally proposed, a college professor or retired educator could also serve as the independent evaluator. A peer observation will be optional.
The official argued against critics’ characterization of the “independent” evaluator as an unfunded mandate. If schools or districts agree to swap evaluators, neither would have to pay for the other’s services, the official said.
All that extra money in the budget that's going for education?
Much of it is going to have to be used for compliance.
How will the independent evaluator program work?
Will these be announced or unannounced?
Will there be a meeting with the independent evaluator before and/or after the observation?
Or is this just going to be a drive-by evaluation by some stranger who doesn't know you and never sees you again?
Oh, yeah - this is going to be a swell new system we have.
I make a prediction that in a year or two, after this system proves to be spectacularly unworkable and expensive, we're back re-doing the evaluation system once again.
If administrators are so easily swapped, they presumably aren't needed at their schools. Will transportation costs be reimbursed? Which organization will provide matchmaking services between schools and districts?
ReplyDeleteThis is going to be the biggest cluster F of all time and I am going to love watching the chaos that unfolds.
ReplyDeleteCan anybody else see the level of corruption that can go on here? A teacher from another district comes to evaluate a teacher in a different district. "Hmmm, there is a hundred dollars in my lesson plan book over there, feel free to take a look". Or: "Heey, you are are a cute teacher, how about we meet up after school to discuss your observation". Don't think this can happen? I do.
ReplyDeleteCuomo is a twat bag.
ReplyDeleteThis is utter nonsense and exactly the type of worthless legislation you get when politicians meddle in education. They are a bunch of incompetents. The fact that NYSUT and the UFT are powerless to stop this stupidity proves their leaders aren't up to the task and the millions they have given to state legislators over the years was wasted. The guys the union endorsed are voting to make this BS law. Incredible.
ReplyDelete