Breaking new ground in teacher evaluations
Every child deserves an effective teacher. And every teacher, when evaluated for effectiveness, deserves an objective process that integrates evaluations into ongoing professional growth. Those premises are fundamental to TED, a system of Teacher Evaluation and Development, which was created by six labor/management Innovation Teams across New York State to integrate evaluations in a continuum that advances teacher practice and student learning.
NYSUT, as a union of more than 600,000 professionals across New York State, is proud to have initiated this groundbreaking project, one that has given voice to teachers in shaping the standards for our profession. Through this effective labor/management collaboration, teachers worked side by side with principals and superintendents in developing the TED system as an exemplar. This practitioner-led initiative came to fruition as policymakers at the federal and state levels were continuing to debate proposals targeting teacher effectiveness.
Supported by grants from the American Federation of Teachers and the U.S. Department of Education, TED is based on cutting-edge research, is aligned with New York State legislation and has been field-tested in districts whose visionary leaders committed immeasurable time and intellectual capital to this project. All involved are dedicated to "doing it right," creating a quality system that will shape and inform the next generation of teacher evaluation.
The TED system is unique because it:
-
Establishes teachers as participants in, not recipients of, their own evaluations;
-
Aligns with New York State Teaching Standards and the NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric (herein referred to as the Teacher Practice Rubric) to delineate multiple measures of teacher effectiveness;
-
Provides for evaluations to serve as stepping stones to meaningful professional dialogue and continued development;
-
Details a practitioner-developed and field-tested process for Peer Assistance and Review that seamlessly integrates evaluation and professional development;
-
Incorporates the necessity of documenting and addressing conditions of teaching and learning; and
-
Requires training of practitioners and evaluators to optimize use of the system.
The TED Handbook synthesizes the work of the six labor/management Innovation Teams (Albany, Hempstead, Marlboro, North Syracuse, Plattsburgh and Poughkeepsie) into a user-friendly guide for educators statewide as they bargain collectively their local processes for teacher evaluations.
To ensure New York students have the quality teachers they deserve, and to ensure that teachers are fairly evaluated and supported in their important work, we need a strategy that strengthens retention, supports teacher growth, fosters improvements in student learning, and factors in the conditions in which teaching professionals work. A comprehensive, integrated teacher evaluation and development system - driven by practitioner knowledge and experience - is critical. The TED system breaks new ground in advancing that mission.
Maria Neira
NYSUT Vice President