Image

Miller Photography

UFT President Michael Mulgrew introduced delegates on April 15 to the box graph or matrix scoring system that will be part of the mandated changes to the teacher evaluation system passed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature as part of the 2015 budget. 

While pointing out that both the current and new systems give too much weight to high-stakes standardized tests, Mulgrew said that the union’s research and analysis indicate that the new scoring system will be fairer and would remove some of the anomalies in the current scoring system.

Under the current 100-point scoring system, he said, teachers can be rated Ineffective overall if they have an Ineffective rating for their Measures of Student Learning regardless of their rating for Measures of Teacher Practice. Likewise, he said, a principal out to get a teacher knows that a score of less than 24 out of 60 points on Measures of Teacher Practice will guarantee that the overall rating of that teacher is Ineffective.

Under the new scoring system, Mulgrew explained that the member is given the benefit of the doubt in almost all cases, with the higher of the two ratings receiving more weight. If a teacher receives a rating of Developing in Measures of Student Learning and Effective in Observations, the final rating would be Effective. If those component ratings are flipped so the Developing is in Observations and the Effective is in Measures of Student Learning, the final rating would still be Effective.

When a teacher receives a rating of Developing in either of the two components and a rating of Ineffective in the other, he said, the final rating would be Ineffective.

Local school districts and their unions may negotiate a second measure of student learning that would lead to other scoring outcomes.

The State Education Department has yet to issue final regulations on how the Measures of Student Learning and Observations will be determined.