This NY Daily News editorial nails it:

The state Education Department has fashioned a plan that would start New York on the road toward measuring whether each public school teacher is a superstar or a lemon, based on how well students learn.

This must be counted as a win in the fight for school reform - as well as in the effort to win hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Race to the Top funding. Just a few months ago, it was inconceivable that New York would endorse the concept of grading instructors at four benchmarks, with the weakest facing dismissal.

Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch and Education Commissioner David Steiner get credit for cajoling support from teachers unions, even if they settled for an evaluation system less stringent than ideal. United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew and New York State United Teachers President Richard Iannuzzi get a pat on the back for accepting the use of objective data to gauge the quality of a teacher's work, even if the unions held firm to indefensible job protections.

Now Steiner has his work cut out. First, he has to get a bill through the Legislature, making crystal-clear that lawmakers must also lift the cap on charter schools. Then, he has to enact the tough regulations necessary to turn a victory in principle into a victory in practice.

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