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10 Districts Selected for Teacher Evaluation Pilot

TRENTON, Sept. 1, 2011—Ten New Jersey school districts will take part in a $1.1 million state-funded pilot project to develop a “consistent and learning-centered evaluation system,” planned for statewide implementation in 2012, Acting Commissioner of Education Christopher D. Cerf announced today.

In an opinion column published in the Star-Ledger, Cerf noted that New Jersey ranks among the top states in the nation in student achievement, commended the work of public school s teachers, but stated that schools need a more effective evaluation system.

 “…we must recognize and respect effective educators, support teachers in their efforts to continue to develop their skills and ensure that those comparatively few individuals who are unable to improve no longer remain in the classroom,” he wrote.  “Current systems of educator evaluation fall far short of meeting this goal.”

Core Principles  During the pilot program, called EE4NJ (Excellent Educators for New Jersey), the test districts will have flexibility in implementing evaluation frameworks that best fit their needs “because we should encourage and learn from local innovation,” according to Cerf.  Nonetheless, he stressed that the state Department of Education is requiring that the pilot plans to adhere to certain principles, including—

·         Teachers should never be evaluated on the basis of a single consideration such as test scores, much less a single test, but on the basis of multiple measures that include both learning outcomes and effective practice, with approximately 50 percent associated with each.

·         Where applicable, the component of the evaluation based on "learning outcomes" should include, but is not limited to, progress on objective assessments such as NJ ASK. In untested grades and subjects, for example, student progress might include a focus on student work or locally determined criteria.

·         To avoid penalizing teachers who work with the highest needs students, evaluation criteria should be based on student progress and not absolute performance.

·         To give teachers meaningful information to help them develop, the prior system of binary ratings (either "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory") will be replaced by a four-tiered system, including "ineffective," "partially effective," "effective" and "highly effective."

·         Districts should provide a direct link between the results of the evaluation and professional development opportunities to help teachers at all levels continuously improve.

·         Any personnel consequences connected with evaluations remain a matter of local decision and applicable state law, and are not an element of the pilot program.

“These principles represent a significant departure from existing practice,” wrote the acting commissioner.  “Perhaps the most important change is the belief that teachers should be evaluated both on how well they teach and how much their students improve.”

Pilot Districts  The 10 pilot districts, selected from over 30 applicants, are Alexandria Township, Bergenfield, Elizabeth, Monroe Township (Middlesex County), Ocean City, Pemberton Township, Red Bank, Secaucus, West Deptford and Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional.  In addition, the Newark school district, as well 18 individual schools considered to be persistently underperforming by the U.S. Department of Education, will participate in the EE4NJ pilot project through separate grant funding.

Links to Other Reforms  Cerf did not mention the administration’s other education reform proposals, and his column clearly emphasized the pilot program’s singular focus on developing a new evaluation system.  However, the administration has consistently tied the establishment of such an evaluation process to other reforms, such as renewable tenure, elimination of seniority as the sole criterion for job retention during a reduction in force, and merit compensation.

NJSBA has previously cited support for the direction of much of the administration’s reform agenda, including establishment of a fair and consistent evaluation system and the elimination of lifetime tenure.

The New Jersey School Boards Association is a federation of 587 local boards of education and includes 62 charter school associate members. NJSBA advocates the interests of school districts, trains local school board members, and provides resources for the advancement of public education.