A bill backed by Republican Sen. Jack Martins would exempt the state’s top performing school districts from the newly approved teacher evaluation criteria.
Under the bill, introduced late last week, the top 20 percent of the state’s highest performing school districts would be allowed to submit their current evaluation plans along with a request for a waiver to the Department of Education.
The top 10 percent of the districts would be granted a waiver from the evaluation law. For school districts in the highest 11 percent to 20 percent category that do not receive waiver, the state education commissioner must release a statement in writing explaining the rationale for the rejection within 30 days.
This is a clear attempt to divide and conquer the growing opposition to the state's Endless Testing regime by making a two-tiered evaluation system.
It's also an attempt to short circuit the opt-out movement by dangling an evaluation exemption to "top-performing districts" who no doubt are "top-performing" based, in part, on Common Core state tests scores.
A similar bill passed the State Senate in 2012.
I would imagine it can pass again in the State Senate this year.
Can it pass the Assembly?
Would Cuomo sign it?
Cuomo's been telling us how bad the entire state education system is, which is why he needs to "break" the monopoly.
Can he go back on that vow now by only breaking 90% of it?
