New York Implements Decoupling Of Student Standardized Test Scores From Teacher Evaluations.

A new law is set to be implemented in the upcoming academic year in New York that allows school districts to no longer use student standardized test scores as a measure for evaluating and disciplining educators.

New York State Senate Bill 9054, which was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in June after unanimous approval from both houses, grants local districts the authority to create their own evaluation systems for annual or periodic reviews of teachers and principals, replacing the existing performance evaluation system.

This law specifically applies to tenured educators as well as newly appointed teachers or principals seeking tenure. Districts are now required to negotiate any changes with teacher and principal unions prior to the start of the 2031-2032 academic year.

However, if both parties agree, districts can continue to use the current evaluation practices which include the consideration of standardized test results, allowing districts to dismiss teachers based on low test scores.

The previous evaluation system was widely disliked, according to Brian Fessler, the government relations director of the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA). Fessler stated in an interview with The Epoch Times that the previous system was punitive and lacked constructive improvement elements. The goal now is to create a better system that fosters teacher growth and development in the classroom.

Fessler acknowledged concerns from school board members regarding teachers having significant influence in determining the parameters for their own evaluations. However, even the critics agree that any change will be an improvement compared to the current system which dates back to the Obama administration.

Fessler explained that the metric-based evaluation frameworks were hurriedly adopted by New York and other states under the Race to the Top initiative as a prerequisite for federal funding. The pressure to achieve improved test scores while maintaining job security has led to teacher burnout, recruitment challenges for new teachers, and the ongoing issue of teacher shortages faced by districts today.

Fessler stressed that this new law is another measure to address the teacher shortage problem. He emphasized the importance of listening to educators and their feedback in these evaluations.

During presentations made to educators and school board members on July 19-20, NYSSBA reported that approximately 180,000 additional teachers will be needed across the nation in the next decade.

In New York, 50 percent of rural school districts have vacancies for special education teachers, and within the next five years, 35 percent of all teachers in the state will be eligible for retirement, as stated in the presentation slides.

Under the new law, standardized test scores could be replaced with alternative metrics such as classroom observations by district administrators and student grades, provided both educators and school administrations agree to the change.

Teachers who receive low evaluation scores are now subject to performance improvement plans, and parents have the right to access their child’s teacher(s) and principal’s evaluation scores, according to a news release from Senator Shelley B. Mayer (D-White Plains), who co-sponsored the legislation.

In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy appointed a 13-member task force to evaluate and study the state’s evaluation system for public school teachers, which was established in 2012, as stated by the state Department of Education.

Meanwhile, in Michigan, starting this school year, teachers who have previously received satisfactory scores in three consecutive evaluations will only be evaluated once every three years. The evaluation process will include a minimum of two 15-minute classroom observations conducted by administrators during the evaluation year. Additionally, 20 percent of the overall evaluation score must be based on student growth data, excluding state test scores.

Both districts and teacher unions in Michigan must come to an agreement on which performance indicators involving student growth can be used as a metric, according to the Michigan Department of Education.