Monday, March 23, 2015

Governor Cuomo Brings Us The Matrix

Tenure, the charter cap and receivership appear to be out of the budget discussions (at least for now), but teacher evaluation changes are not - and they sound like they're a mess:

ALBANY—Following negotiations with the governor this weekend, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie asked the Democratic members of his conference to consider alternative means of doing teacher evaluations.

Assembly members interviewed by Capital referred to one of the models under serious discussion as a “matrix” or “grid,” which include a variety of “boxes” or categories for measuring educators’ performance. A spokesman for the conference confirmed that a “matrix” model was one possibility lawmakers are considering.

But the Democratic members—many of whom are closely allied with the teachers' unions, and are at odds with Cuomo's push to make teachers ratings more heavily contingent on testing—said they had not seen exact language to describe what Heastie was proposing. And in the absence of further detail, some worried that the proposed alternatives were simply repackaged versions of what the governor was pushing for.

...

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, a Democrat from Westchester, said she needs more information on the proposal. But she said it sounds like the plan is being sold as a “matrix” when it’s actually not much different than the current system, which is based on student test scores and observations.

“If it’s what I think it is, one side down the matrix is still one test … and the other side is performance evaluation by the school district,” she said. “It doesn’t look like a matrix to me. It looks like an index, because you have 50 percent and 50 percent. That means there’s still a score based on 100 percent, which is not a matrix.

“I’m looking for someone to show me the matrix, show me the boxes, the different components,” she said.

Show me the matrix.

Oy.

17 comments:

  1. "The other side is performance evaluation from the school district". This sounds like the observations will NOT be done by the principal but rather by the "school district". Anybody want to chime in on this?

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    1. Read the Cap NY article I linked to - both GOP and Dems opposed to that, calling it an "unfunded mandate." They were "very strong"in their opposition to that part of eval reform.

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    2. Cuomo thinks that principals are too kind in giving out effective and highly effective ratings on observations. Do you think since the legislature will not fund "outside observers" that observations might have to be performed by district personnel already on local payrolls? Thoughts?

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    3. I do not think the outside observers will be in the final plan. Cuomo never gave any details on how they would work, how much that would cost and just who these outside observers would be. It's half-baked at best.

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  2. How about a 1 by 1 matrix with either an Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U). That would be just right. KISS

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  3. As long as 10% of teachers are fired each year, it works fine for Cuomo!

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  4. Yes, RBE, he really needs some time in to clear his head. Maybe chop down some of that arrogance, maybe take some mandated classes in humility.
    Actually I can list some other politicians who could use a training program. Make this country more human cause it sure as hell ain't providing no dignity or humanity for it's citizens.

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    1. Rumor has it Skelos is next after the budget is done.

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  5. Cue the perp walk for the Chico Marx lookalike/ wannabe, Arnold Leo enabler lover and catamite for the hedgies and 1% ers.

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    1. You keep calling him a Chico Marx lookalike and I keep saying Chico Marx had some charm. I stand by that - no charm for Andy.

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  6. Just wrote my assemblyman again for what it's worth. A matrix and from the article the politicians can't even figure it out, yet it's a possibility for us - you cannot make this stuff up!

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    1. In some ways, the worse the plan is, the better it is for us because the bigger a mess it will be. The public already stands with us over Andy in the polls. If he shoves through some egregious piece of garbage that makes it into the papers on a weekly basis as an egregious piece of garbage, that surely doesn't help Cuomo's poll numbers. And in the end, they;ll be back doing a new system in a year or two.

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  7. All I could immediately think of was the movie "The Matrix".

    These people HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING US.

    Are they living in some sort of alternative world, like in the Matrix???

    They're rushing some sort of half-assed plan into place When do professional educators get to comment on it? What an embarrassment.

    -John Ogozalek

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    1. Yes, they act as if something HAS to be done by March 31 or the world will end.

      In a way, it will end for Andy.

      He laid down the gauntlet in his budget - if he doesn't get some "reform," he will look weak.

      And you know how Andy feels about that.

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  8. I think that most people on this blog understand that NYSUT and the UFT have been going down the tubes for a long time. Some people look upon the Dick Iannuzzi years as the good ole days, but Dick and his crew were just as incompetent and self-serving as what we have now.

    As a teacher, I am offended that people who have absolutely no education, training or experience in a classroom are putting forth evaluation proposals that measure everything except what makes a good teacher.

    Everyone has to remember that what is behind this is an attempt to further weaken teacher unions and teacher rights and promote an expansion of charter schools. Everything comes back to these goals. Albany's politicians are addicted to campaign contributions. They live off these monies. Look at their campaign finance disclosure statements on the NYS Board of Elections website. Senator John Flanagan billed his campaign for a $1.25 toll on the Thruway for God's sake. The charter school billionaire shower these creeps with money. In turn, the politicians sellout the students, parents and teachers.

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