New Jersey Educator Effectiveness Task Force

On September 28, 2010, Governor Chris Christie established the New Jersey Educator Effectiveness Task Force with the goal of creating an educator evaluation system based on measures of effectiveness. This task force consisted of nine members, all of which had experience in or knowledge of education policy, administration, and teaching; these members were selected on October 28, 2010. This task force met 12 times between November 16, 2010 and March 1, 2011; during their sessions they reviewed, with the help of the Department of Education, the latest research on educator evaluations both in an out of state, including observation protocols, growth measures, and special education considerations. The task force report was comprised of four sections: (1) recommendations for a new teacher evaluation system, (2) recommendations for a new principal evaluation system, (3) other recommendations for the state to set positive conditions for successful implementation through related policies and activities, and (4) next steps to begin the process of achieving reform. Governor Christie made recommendations that this evaluation system should include measures of student achievement (at least 50% of the evaluation), demonstrate practices of effective teachers and leaders, and weigh the various components.

According to this task force, 50% of teacher evaluation should be based on student achievement, and 50% should be based on teacher practice. The 50% that comprises the student achievement would be broken down into 70%-90% from student growth on statewide assessments, 10% from state approved school-wide performance measures, and an optional 0%-10% of other state approved performance measures, like student performance on nationally-normed assessments or state-mandated end of the course exams. The 50% that comprises the teacher’s evaluation would be broken down into two parts: 50%-95% based on a “high quality, state-approved observation protocol”, and 5%-50% based on a state-approved measurement tool to assess practice. A list of approved observation protocols and measurement tools will be developed by the New Jersey Commissioner of Education. Change will also occur for the process of formal observations, in the way that non-tenure teachers will need to be observed a minimum of three times per year, whereas tenure teachers will now be required to be formally observed and evaluated at a minimum of two times per year, instead of once per year as current practice requires. Pre and post conferences will now also be requirements for each formal observation. Additionally, each teacher will also be required to have two informal observations, which could include walk-throughs, specific purpose classroom visits, or a review of “teacher artifacts.” These informal observations do not require pre or post conferences, and can either be announced or unannounced. Finally, at the conclusion of the school year, all teachers will be required to complete a self-assessment piece, along with the current requirement of a summative evaluation. Based on these new policies and procedures, the teachers will be rated as “highly effective”, “effective”, “partially effective”, or “ineffective”.

School leaders are a key element in the overall success of the students. According to research, principal and teacher quality account for nearly 60% of a school’s total impact on student achievement, with principals alone accounting for 25%. School leaders heavily influence the culture of the school, due to their role of decision making for areas of teacher effectiveness, such as hiring, professional development, evaluation, retention, and dismissal. Due to the great level of significance of administrators, the recommendations for evaluating principals and administrators have changed as well. According to these new regulations, 50% of the principal’s evaluation will be based on students achievement, 40% will be measured by their effective practice, and the remaining 10% will be based on the retention of effective teachers. As previously seen for teachers, administrators will be evaluated and rated on the four categories of “highly effective”, “effective”, “partially effective”, or “ineffective”.

The most controversial part of this new program is the initial tiered evaluation system that focuses on the grade level teachers and specific content areas teachers that are required to complete state tests, while overlooking the grade levels and subject areas that are not tested by the state. The NJDOE is going to work to develop new assessments for the subjects and grade levels that are not tested through standardized tests, like art, music, theater, physical education, and vocational-technical education; some of those assessments may include performance tasks, nationally-normed tests, or curriculum-based assessments.

In order to maximize the benefits of the new evaluation frameworks, there are some actions that need to take place. These actions, or “conditions for success”, will help to lay the foundation and build the support structure for this new system. Some areas of concerns that will need to be addressed include: providing training for those who will conduct observations, informing educators of the new components and implications of this system, ensuring a high-quality data system, and continually monitoring the system’s effects after implementation. There are additional areas of concern, and even more which have not surfaced during the beginning stages of this process. This task force will continually work with the State Board of Education and other education experts, as well as study further into appropriate performance measures for teachers of special populations and non-tested subjects and grades, in order to move forward with this process of positive implementation.

Governor Christie stated, “With a strong, student-centered foundation, we can achieve real reform to make educator effectiveness and student achievement the driving forces behind public education – rewarding excellent teachers who are getting positive results in the classroom and removing teachers who don’t. This report provides a roadmap to make the common sense reforms a reality, to challenge the status quo and to move the system toward the mutual goals of tangibly valuing our best teachers and excellent results for children.” With this task force under way, the state hopes to use this new evaluation system to make personnel decisions during the 2013-2014 school year.


References

Governor Christie Welcomes Recommendations. Retrieved from http://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/552011/approved/20110303a.html.

Interim Report. Retrieved from http://www.state.nj.us/education/educators/effectiveness.pdf?1323740388047.

NJEA – NJ Effectiveness Task Force. Retrieved from http://www.njea.org/news/2011/05/17/kyrillos%20bill%20seeks%20to%20end%20tenure%20quash%20collective%20bargaining/test-scores-evaluate-teachers.

Transforming Teacher Evaluations. Retrieved from http://www.njea.org/news/2011/09/15/transforming%20teacher%20evaluation.