NYSED Learning Summit (I.E., Dog And Pony Show) On Teacher/Principal Evaluations Not Going As Planned

This morning I posted that the NYSED "Learning Summit" that is being held on a school day during work hours seemed to be a way for Albany educrats to send a message to teachers and principals on the evaluation system redo (i.e., educator-input not wanted.)

Holding a "Learning Summit" on a school day during a time when primary stakeholders like teachers and principals can't attend seemed like a great way to make the evaluation redo process look open when it really isn't.

But Rich Karlin of Capitol Confidential reports NYSED's Learning Summit isn't quite going as planned by the NYSED educrats:

While the Summit was billed as a chance to learn about the new system, it’s turning out to be more like a Pinata session with participants roundly bashing the new plan which lawmakers, facing a delayed budget, and under pressure from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, approved in the recently passed state budget.

First up were school superintendents, who said the state’s time frame for implementing the system by November was unrealistic. One problem: teachers are on summer break starting in June, thus they can’t have their unions negotiate details about the evaluations, which must be bargained under state labor rules.

Another complaint: the tests that are supposed to inform evaluations aren’t really measuring student learning.

Nor are the tests, timely — results are provided in some instances months after the exams. Others have noted that the political fight over evaluations has created a ”poisonous” atmosphere.

One item of contention that will likely persist: whether schools should get a state-issued template to set teacher and principal evaluations or whether it should be far more locally based.

In addition to teachers, the new system sets up a program to evaluate the job performance of principals and members of their unions offered a harsh assessment of how this could affect their jobs.

“They should not have their authority eviscerated,” said James Viola, a member of one of the principals unions represented here.

This thing's such a mess that even when NYSED tries to put a dog and pony show together for the new system, they can't pull it off.

It's good to see that there might actually be a little learning at the NYSED "Learning Summit" for the educrats and the Endless Testing regime proponents.

I doubt any of that will matter in the actual system they release.

But at least the record is clear on Cuomo's APPR system - it's a mess.