Student Exam Data Won't Make or Break Teachers; Aim to Improve, Not Evaluate

The Department of Education and United Federation of Teachers have reached an agreement on the use of new standardized test data to improve instruction but conditioned on the material not being made public or used to evaluate Teachers for tenure decisions or annual ratings.

JOEL I. KLEIN: Data meant to 'empower' Teachers.

In a joint letter to union members, Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and UFT President Randi Weingarten assured Teachers that new data reports on students' English language and math scores in grades four through eight will be used only as a "tool to help teachers learn about their own strengths and opportunities for development."

'Used to Help Improve'

The letter defends the additional emphasis on testing by saying that "educators have told us that they want as much information as possible about what's working and not working in their classrooms." While acknowledging that "there is a broad array of factors, many outside of an educator's direct control, that influence student learning," Mr. Klein and Ms. Weingarten said they felt the data was "designed to help you pinpoint your own strengths and weaknesses, and empower you, working with your principal and colleagues, to devise strategies to improve."

The decision is the latest agreement between the DOE and the UFT that uses test results to evaluate student and Teacher progress, but Principals will be strictly advised not to consult them when making annual ratings or tenure decisions, the letter says.

"The data reports will add to the other sources of information — like periodic assessments, examination of student class and homework, and school inquiry teams — that you can use to develop as professionals," it adds.

The Teacher data reports are an expansion of a controversial pilot program that began in January, monitoring about 2,500 Teachers at 140 schools. With the expansion to all math and English teachers in the fourth to eighth grades, the program should now cover about 18,000 Teachers.