the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, first no basic skills, now no teacher evaluations, time for school choice.In a move that has sparked controversy, the assembly education committee lawmakers on Thursday approved a bill aimed at eliminating annual teacher evaluations in New Jersey.
Continue reading Death of Public Education: First No Basic Skills, now No Teacher Evaluations
file photo by Boyd Loving
September 10,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey Department of Education Teacher Evaluations for Ridgewood Schools.
New Jersey Teacher Evaluations 2015-2016
The database shows the number of teachers at each school who were rated ineffective, partially effective, effective and highly effective under the state’s teacher evaluation system. The state did not name the teachers or release their individual evaluations to protect their privacy.
Ridgewood High School 89 Effective 45 Highly Effective 134 total rated
Benjamin Franklin 36 Effective 20 Highly Effective 56 total rated
George Washington 36 Effective 19 Highly Effective 55 total rated
Hawes 11Effective 18 Highly Effective 29 total rated
Ridge 25 Effective 9 Highly Effective 34 total rated
Somerville 19Effective 13 Highly Effective 32 total rated
Travell 10 Effective16 Highly Effective 26 total rated
Orchard 18Effective 6 Highly Effective 24 total rated
Willard 29Effective 4 Highly Effective 33 total rated
Ridgewood educators prepare for changes
SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014, 3:26 PM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER
At the annual all-staff convocation event at Benjamin Franklin Middle School on Tuesday, the theme of “Celebrating Change” was given a bittersweet embrace.
A backdrop on the stage used the metaphor of a caterpillar transitioning to a butterfly to highlight the theme, but those at the event seemed less convinced that the transformation of curriculum to meet the new state standards would end as beautifully.
Each person who spoke had something to say about the three biggest changes in the district: the one-to-one Chromebook initiative, Common Core and standardized tests.
“This year’s convocation theme is ‘Celebrating Change,’ and to be perfectly frank, this is not something that comes naturally to me,” said Michael Yannone, president of the Ridgewood Education Association (REA). “I am a bit of a traditionalist; I am a history teacher after all. If it has worked successfully in the past, why change?”
His speech gave a scathing criticism of the way education reform happens in America.
“The current educational reform movement is not about spending money to address the needs of schools and students, it is about making money,” Yannone said. “Perhaps I am too cynical, but the playbook seems obvious to me. Step one: Make Americans believe that their public schools are bad by bashing teachers and cherry picking faulty data. Politicians then get involved and support costly one-size-fits-all solutions that their donors stand to make a nice profit from.”
Yannone said the REA plans to partner with a new parent-led advocacy group, Ridgewood Cares About Schools, whose members have urged the district not to adopt the Common Core curriculum and oppose the increase in standardized testing for students.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ridgewood-educators-prepare-for-changes-1.1081319#sthash.mulwngrP.dpuf
New Jersey school board reduces weight of test scores on teacher evaluations
AUGUST 6, 2014, 7:40 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2014, 7:40 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
The state Board of Education has taken steps to reduce the use of student test scores to judge teachers, weeks after Gov. Christie announced a compromise with educators outlining changes to teacher evaluations.
The board’s proposal came after lawmakers and educators argued it was unfair to use student scores because the online tests were based on new standards and schools needed time to adjust. The plan still must get final approval after a public comment period, but districts have been instructed to use the new evaluation system, officials said.
Under the new system, the impact of scores of the new standards-based tests will drop from 30 to 10 percent for math and reading teachers who give them.
Another 20 percent of evaluations will be based on “student growth objectives” — academic goals set by teachers with input from supervisors to measure their effectiveness. They can be based on a combination of measures, including final exams, advanced placement tests, and student projects and portfolios.
The weight of those measures was raised from 15 percent, but the board also made it easier for teachers to appeal those scores
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/new-jersey-school-board-reduces-weight-of-test-scores-on-teacher-evaluations-1.1063264#sthash.2ek5tpoB.dpuf
N.J. residents welcome Christie’s decision to reduce impact of student test scores
JULY 15, 2014, 7:48 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2014, 1:00 AM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Educators, lawmakers and parents welcomed Governor Christie’s decision to reduce the impact of student test scores on teacher evaluations and to study the volume of testing, but some said Tuesday that the measures fell short of what is needed.
On Monday, the governor pledged to appoint a commission to study standardized tests, their usefulness, and whether they were too much or too repetitive, in an apparent response to public criticism over the increase in testing and the impact on classroom instruction. But critics of the tests said they had doubts that the commission would recommend real change.
“This does nothing to address the true problem, which is putting stress on our teachers and our children under this high-stakes testing,” said Terry Anzano, a Ridgewood parent.
The new measures will not change anything in the classroom come September, critics said, and will do little to address concerns that tests have been rushed and that districts devote too much time and resources to them. But the commission will make recommendations a year from now that could affect testing in the future.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-residents-welcome-christie-s-decision-to-reduce-impact-of-student-test-scores-1.1051721#sthash.KD6PYBQ2.dpuf
NJ State Board of Education considers motions on charter schools, teacher evaluations
TRENTON — The New Jersey State Board of Education will consider amendments to the teacher evaluation process and charter school regulations at its monthly meeting in Trenton this morning.
The board meeting, the first since acting education commissioner David Hespe took office last month, will also include a vote on the list of religious holidays for the 2014-15 school year. The list is issued annually by the department to serve as a guide for local school boards. Those boards can add holidays to the state issued list.
New Jersey law states students cannot be marked absent for missing school because they are observing a religious holiday.
Board members will hear a new proposal pertaining to the regulations for educating homeless students and those in state facilities, according to the agenda published by the Department of Education.
Public testimony in the afternoon focuses on charter schools. (McGlone/Star-Ledger)
Teachers, Administrators Give Mixed Reviews to New Evaluations after Test Run
But survey of educators who took part in tryout of new system shows most not worried about impact on jobs, tenure.
For all the debate going on outside classroom walls, New Jersey schoolteachers who actually have been through the new state-mandated evaluation system have not found it to be as nerve-wracking as everyone thinks.
In a survey conducted by a team of Rutgers researchers, teachers and administrators who took part in the two-year pilot rollout of the evaluation system had mixed reactions to the new rules and the potential consequences for their careers.
On one hand, there was a wide range of opinion regarding whether the system was entirely fair and accurate, with administrators expressing much more faith than teachers — by a more than 2-to-1 margin.
Nevertheless, three-quarters of teachers surveyed by the Rutgers team said they were not worried that the new evaluations – including those newly tied to student performance — would have a negative impact on their tenure protections.
Even among teachers working to attain tenure, a majority said the new metrics would have little impact or might actually help them more than hurt in keeping their jobs. There were some pockets of anxiety over job security, to be sure, but the Rutgers researchers said it was not widespread – at least not yet. (Mooney/NJSpotlight)
