Our APPR legislation has been introduced by both houses in Albany and is likely to pass in the next few weeks.
As you'll recall, this bill will eliminate the mandate that school districts use state test scores in teacher ratings. This legislation would return the decision back to local school districts and collective bargaining. The bill would also keep these test scores from being included on students' permanent records.
Last year, the same legislation passed in the state Assembly, but was held hostage by Senate Republicans, who wanted to tack on to the bill more funding for charter schools and a lifting of the charter cap.
Thanks to your VOTE-COPE contributions and volunteer election efforts, pro-public education legislators have regained control of the state Senate and our bill now stands a good chance of passage.
State test scores became part of teacher evaluation in New York State in 2010 after the Federal government made it an eligibility requirement for large federal education grants. With the political winds behind them, “school reformers” at the local, state and federal level pushed to make high-stakes testing the most important measure of school, teacher and student performance.
But working hand in hand with parents, we have fought back, showing how the relentless focus on testing has hurt our students and our schools. The tide against over-testing began to turn in 2016 when NYSUT successfully advocated to impose a three-year moratorium on the use of New York State tests in teacher evaluation.
Our progress in putting teacher evaluation back on track shows what public school educators can do when they take collective action to achieve a common goal.
Albany leaders have led this revived effort. The new Assembly Education Chair, Michael Benedetto, a former Bronx public school teacher, introduced bill (A.783) last week. His colleague in the Senate, new Education Chair Senator Shelley Mayer, a longtime education advocate from Westchester County, introduced the same legislation (S.1262 ) in the Senate.
We are on the cusp of success, but please be on alert: We may need your help in the coming weeks to make sure this critical piece of legislation passes and is signed into law.
Thank you for everything you do.
In solidarity,
Andrew Pallotta
NYSUT President