We have been waiting for this day for years. Yesterday, the Assembly leaders introduced Assembly bill A.10475, which would end the flawed annual professional performance review law. Now we need the Senate to act too.
Everything about the current system has angered and frustrated educators, parents and students. The misuse of standardized tests and the state’s over-reliance on testing have plagued the learning climate in our classrooms for years. There are far better ways to evaluate educators than to use mystery math and algorithms that spit out invalid “growth scores” while subjecting kids to exhausting tests that neither inform instruction nor accurately measure achievement.
This new legislation would Let Educators Teach and Let Students Learn! School districts and their unions would be able to design their own fair and effective evaluations systems that help teachers grow professionally while meeting the unique needs of their own communities.
Urge lawmakers to listen to parents and educators and pass this bill to ensure students and teachers are valued as more than a test score. Tell them they must reduce the testing burden and enact this fairer evaluation system before the end of this legislative session.
It’s time to finally fix this mess. Tell your state Senator to Let Us Teach and Let Them Learn!
In solidarity,
Andrew Pallotta
NYSUT President