United Federation of Teachers on Flickr.
Mayor Bloomberg has been dealt another blow from Albany as legislators agreed to back a plan that will make it easier for city teachers to get tenure. The plan, which was part of last-minute state budget wrangling, will bar school districts from denying or granting tenure based upon student scores on standardized tests. Teachers’ unions have been pushing hard to keep tenure decisions separate from metrics like the test scores. Bloomberg and schools Chancellor Joel Klein had hoped that tying scores to tenure would help improve accountability. Needless to say, UFT President Randi Weingarten was happy with the agreement and stated:
The mayor and the chancellor are just wrong both statistically and educationally in arguing that teacher tenure should be contingent on student scores on standardized tests. There is no independent or conclusive research that shows you can accurately measure the impact of an individual teacher on a student’s academic achievement – much less using student test scores, particularly those given midyear, to do it. No one is afraid of accountability but the measures have to be fair and accurate. Indeed, with the exception of the chancellor and the mayor, everyone in the state – including the School Boards Association – supports the compromise crafted by the Legislature and the Governor.
Two small caveats will be included in the legislation, which include the creation of a commission to study the potential use of test scores in making future tenure decisions, and the entire scheme will be put up for reauthorization in two years.
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I also think that metrics should not determine teachers tenure. There are many more ways to increase achievement apart from linking to tenure.
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