Teacher Evaluations OK'd by Nearly All Long Island School Disctricts

Janet Joyce Tuesday, January 22, 2013

When it comes to education there should never be any doubt as to whether or not to evaluate teachers and their performance. The stakes are simply too high. The children of tomorrow are in the schools today. Becuase of this, new plans by Long Island school districts to rate teachers' job performance have won near-universal approval by state officials in the state capitol.

Of course, this doesn't mean that it was an easy vote. A total of 123 local school systems out of 124 in Nassau and Suffolk counties had obtained state approval of their evaluation plans as of 7 p.m. -- five hours before the state's deadline. The one exception was the tiny Oysterponds district in the region's East End, which was posted on a state website as having a plan still under review. Richard Malone, the district's superintendent, voiced confidence earlier in the day that approval was imminent, though the district only recently reached final agreement on the plan with its teachers union.

Teaching is not a profession to take lightly. It should be one in which those who are passionate about teaching, guiding, and helping children of today be the world leaders, doctors, scientists, and teachers of tomorrow. Teacher evaluations should have been enacted years ago rather than waiting for the time when the US ranks 17th among the world's countries in educational performance.

For the first time, 40 percent of teachers' ratings will be based on evidence of student performance, including scores from standardized tests. The remainder will be based on more subjective criteria, including classroom observations.

While the majority of school districts in the state are on board, and have submitted their own plans, there are still those who are pushing back a little.

Superintendent Steven Cohen, of the Shoreham-Wading River district, voiced satisfaction over the state's confirmation that the district plan was approved. Cohen reiterated his long-held opinion that the evaluation system was overly bureaucratic and had been pushed on districts too rapidly.

"I think it's being rolled out in an absolutely horrendous manner," Cohen said.

janetj@longislandyellowpages.com

Appears In: Education

 

 

• Business News
• Education
• Entertainment
• Jobs & Careers
• Local Events
• Local Steals, Deals & More
• Press Releases
• Restaurants & Food
• Sports & Recreation

Columnists John M.   Show all Columnists