UFT President Michael Mulgrew introduced delegates on April 15 to the box graph or matrix scoring system that will be part of the
mandated changes to the teacher evaluation system passed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature as part of the 2015 budget.
The delegates approved two resolutions: one calling for the proper use of assessments to further education, and the other calling for the state Board of Regents to hold public hearings on the implementation of the
required changes to the teacher evaluation system.
The biggest sticking points for the union:
Changes to the teacher evaluation system, tenure and the 3020A proceedings which make it easier for districts to fire poorly performing teachers.
The changes to the teacher evaluation system that the New York state legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo enacted received much attention in this year's budget debate.
As for
the changes to the teacher evaluation system, testing and standards, Elia said state education officials will continue their review and work with the Legislature to make changes accordingly.
But it's happened at the same time, which means that the two policies have gotten tangled together — and
the changes to teacher evaluation systems are much more controversial among teachers than the standards are.