NJ Schools Prepare to Implement New Teacher Evaluations
With teacher’s tenure now tied to the evaluations, state sets deadlines for districts to decide on the process and performance models
New Jersey’s plans for having a statewide teacher evaluation system in place by 2013-2014 goes full throttle this year, with every school district in the state being required to start putting the key pieces in place.
Much of the attention has been on the more than two dozen districts that have signed on to be pilots of the new program, 11 last year and another 10 this year. An additional 14 districts are also piloting a new principal evaluation system.
But the balance of the state’s nearly 600 districts are hardly off the hook, as the state has begun rolling outtimelines and regulations that they will need to follow in preparation for having the statewide system ready by next year.
It will start with every district and school putting together the teams of administrators and teachers who will decide on the process for their districts, as well as the choice of the eventual evaluation models to be used to judge their teachers’ performances.
Thirteen models -- from nationally-known ones to local district versions -- have so far been chosen by the state as options for districts to choose from, with the state opening up another two rounds of proposals in the coming months. The pilots in the meantime are testing out a variety of models themselves.
In the end, the program and how it plays out in each district will be the linchpin to the Christie administration’s and the Legislature’s push to bring more accountability to teacher performance, including the ultimate use of student achievement as one of the factors in a teacher’s or principal’s evaluation.
Under new tenure reform legislation signed in August, a teacher’s tenure protections will hinge on how they fare in the evaluations.
State officials yesterday said they are seeing a range of reactions so far to the early rollout of the rules, but certainly a steady commitment by every district’s to be well prepared.
‘We are seeing a mix of emotions about it,” said Peter Shulman, the assistant education commissioner overseeing the effort. “But I must say the signing of [the new tenure law] has grabbed the attention of folks who might not have before.”
YOSEMITE SAM
11:12 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
ABOUT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YOSEMITE SAM
9:05 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
DO AWAY WITH TENURE TOTALLY
YOU LAME ASS TEACHERS ARE NO BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Irwin Nack
2:09 pm on Monday, November 5, 2012
Tenure protection should be maintained and not weakened. It was established in the first place to replace a system in which teaching and other government positions were granted to supporters of the politicians in power. To replace that, a system was established in which appointments were granted only to those who met the necessary qualifications. Such appointees were granted tenure during "efficiency and good behavior" and could be removed if they were found lacking in those areas. The point was to prevent the wholesale replacement of teachers and other government employees by the leaders of another political party as soon as they were elected to office. The end or weakening of tenure would result in a return to what was known as the "spoils system" in which teaching and other government positions were regularly used as rewards to staunch party supporters.
Sincerely yours,
Irwin Nack, Assoc. Prof. William Paterson University NJ, retired