Research on NJ Effectiveness Task Force

The New Jersey Task Force team is a team of nine members who were chosen by Governor Chris Christie in October of 2010. The team consists of nine members with diverse backgrounds ranging from a retired teacher to a headmaster at a preparatory school. The job of this team is to meet with various professionals and stakeholders to improve the current evaluation system as needed on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. This new evaluation system will be piloted in the 2011-2012 school year. At the end of the pilot year the system will be adjusted as needed and implemented statewide in the 2012-2013 school year.

The goal of this team is to create an equal evaluation system for teachers statewide. The evaluation system will focus student learning and achievement. Improved education for all students will be the target. Teachers will be able to have clear expectations of what is needed for student growth and achievement. Also, the intention of this team is to fill in the achievement gaps between students.

In March 2011, the team submitted a report to the governor. The report had several recommendations for improving the teacher evaluation system. A large portion of a teacher’s evaluation would come from student performance/achievement on state tests. The other two components to the evaluation would come from a school evaluation of student performance and another measure of student performance, which will be approved by the state.

Principals are included in this evaluation system, and they too will be evaluated. The three pieces to a principal’s evaluation are as follows: “measures of effective practice, measures of student achievement, and retaining effective teachers.” The evaluation system will group teachers and principals into four categories: "highly effective, effective, partially effective, and ineffective." Currently, the task force team is taking more steps so that the new evaluation system can be piloted this upcoming fall (Interim Report, 2011).

There are some possible benefits to having an equal evaluation tool for all teachers. One positive could be that all teachers would be held accountable for what their students know, can do, understand and apply. Teachers can use the assessment data to improve upon their teaching and better themselves as educators, and this can be a benefit to teachers and students. A third advantage could be that high standards would be in place for all administrators, teachers, and students.

There are some possible drawbacks to having an equal evaluation tool statewide as well. Possibly making changes to the current tenure system may cause unrest. Teachers cannot control external conditions that are present for a learner, and this could be viewed as a negative. A final shortcoming could be that a large portion of a teacher’s evaluation would go hand in hand with test scores.

There are positives and negatives to most topics in the world of education. It is up to the individual to decide on where he/she stands with this current trend. At the end of it all, it is the students who are at the heart of the matter.