No judge's decision on teachers union suit
A guide for parents of high school students. Credit: iStock
State Supreme Court Justice Michael Lynch reserved decision Friday on a suit brought by the state teachers union seeking to block a regulation that could allow school districts to double the weight of state test scores in teacher evaluations.
The New York State United Teachers filed suit in June to try to prevent the state from allowing 40 percent of a teacher's evaluation on how students perform on standardized state tests. The union argues that the regulation violates state law and is inconsistent with the teacher evaluation statute adopted by the legislature in May 2010.
Union officials have argued in legal papers the law calls for 20 percent of a teacher's rating to be based on student evaluations, and the other 20 percent should not be based on state tests but on "other locally selected measures of student achievement that are determined to be rigorous and comparable across classrooms and are developed locally through collective bargaining."
In May, a divided Board of Regents approved an evaluation package in which up to 40 percent of a teacher's rating could be based on students' improvement on state tests. The exact weight given test scores would be left to local school districts, but a minimum of 20 percent would be based on the state exams. Districts can opt to include the other 20 percent based on a locally developed test or use the state exams.
On Friday, John B. King Jr., commissioner of education, said the department is confident the regulations will be upheld in court.
"Our goal all along has been to make sure every child gets the best education possible. Sound, comprehensive teacher evaluations will help ensure every classroom has a great teacher leading the way to that goal," he said. "That's exactly what our regulations create -- a comprehensive, fair teacher evaluation process.
"New York is in a 'Race to the Top' on behalf of our students; the longer we go without a process for evaluating educators, the longer that race will take us."
When judges reserve decisions, they normally deliver them at a later time, usually in written form.
Teacher evaluations are scheduled to take effect in the coming school year. The remaining 60 percent of teacher ratings would be determined by other criteria, such as principals' evaluations of the teachers' classroom work.
