Kudos to Tisch, Steiner and King for pushing this critical ball forward:

 

Start grading the teachers: Adopt rigorous ratings for classroom effectiveness

Editorials

Tuesday, November 17th 2009, 4:00 AM

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/11/17/2009-11-17_start_grading_the_teachers_adopt_rigorous_ratings_for_classroom_effectiveness.html#ixzz0XPXdygPr

The single most important factor in how well a class of children learns is the quality of the teacher - except no one imposes any real quality control.

Yesterday, Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch and Education Commissioner David Steiner presented a plan aimed at remedying this fundamental defect in school accountability.

If aggressively implemented, their proposals could markedly increase the chances that administrators hire and retain only those instructors who have demonstrated that they are qualified for their positions.

How would Tisch and Steiner do that? By making a system that measures the results teachers produce, student by student, in the classroom.

First, aspiring teachers would have to master more rigorous material to get certified for jobs.

Second, fledgling instructors would have to demonstrate that they can perform in front of a class and use data to tailor lessons to children's individual needs.

Third, after two years on the job, a teacher would undergo a review that includes a data-driven assessment of student learning. In other words, administrators would examine whether the teacher's classes have made appropriate progress, as measured by exams.

Fourth, the use of that data would extend beyond individual instructors to the schools of education that trained them, or were supposed to.

Teachers colleges would be assessed according to how well their grads do on tougher professional tests, how many take positions in high-needs schools and subjects, and how well they teach their own students.

By introducing data in teacher evaluations at the very start of careers, Tisch and Steiner are making an end run around the teacher union blockade on the use of student performance in making tenure decisions.

This would be a milestone in educational accountability in New York because - again, if applied, aggressively - the state would not grant permanent teaching licenses to those instructors whose students fail to keep up.

It's a marvelous concept to be pursued full steam ahead as a way to bolster New York's shot at federal Race for the Top funding and, far more importantly, drive student achievement.