Teachers warn of new evaluation plan's pitfalls - The New York WorldThe New York World

Teachers warn of new evaluation plan’s pitfalls

Posted March 1, 2012 By Maral Noshad Sharifi & Anna Irrera

The performance ratings recently released for some New York City elementary and middle school teachers account for just a fraction of the educators who now will have their work evaluated under a deal struck in February between the state and teachers unions.

Beginning next year at the earliest, all teachers will receive one of four ratings, ranging from “highly effective” to “ineffective.” Sixty percent of that rating will be based on classroom observations by principals, and another 40 percent will be derived from student performance on standardized tests.

While the city employs a complex formula to isolate the teacher’s impact on test scores from other factors that affect students’ performance, some teachers and education experts say that won’t be enough, especially in low-income neighborhoods.

“To standardize something like that for teachers is nearly impossible,” said Bronx high school teacher Jenny Quirindongo. We have many different issues in our community, where students have to worry about basic life needs.”

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<h1>Teachers warn of new evaluation plan’s pitfalls</h1><p><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/37761686?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" frameborder="0" width="590" height="332"></iframe></p>
<p>The performance ratings recently released for some New York City elementary and middle school teachers account for just a fraction of the educators who now will have their work evaluated under a deal struck in February between the state and teachers unions.</p>
<p>Beginning next year at the earliest, all teachers will receive one of four ratings, ranging from “highly effective” to “ineffective.” Sixty percent of that rating will be based on classroom observations by principals, and another 40 percent will be derived from student performance on standardized tests.</p>
<p>While the city employs a complex formula to isolate the teacher’s impact on test scores from other factors that affect students’ performance, some teachers and education experts say that won’t be enough, especially in low-income neighborhoods.</p>
<p>“To standardize something like that for teachers is nearly impossible,” said Bronx high school teacher Jenny Quirindongo. We have many different issues in our community, where students have to worry about basic life needs.”</p>
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