Evaluating Teacher Evaluation

by: deciminyan

Mon Sep 19, 2011 at 07:48:24 PM EDT

Senator Ruiz's video and the NJEA's response are below the fold.

After the hearing, I asked Steve Baker, a spokesman for NJEA, for comments. Baker acknowledged that the current methods of teacher evaluation can be improved, and is glad that this program is being piloted in selected districts instead of being rolled out to all districts. He expressed concern about how it will work across New Jersey and thought that one year is not enough time to thoroughy assess the changes. Baker is also worried about the continued emphasis on test scores as a method for evaluating teachers. He said that the current testing methods were not designed to evaluate teacher effectiveness, and further work will be needed.