Deer Park Superintendent: New Teacher, Principal Evaluation Plans Should be Delayed

By Deer Park Superintendent of Schools Eva J. Demyen


As a veteran educator, I fully support New York State Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch’s stance to delay the implementation of the new teacher and principal evaluations.

During the 2012-13 school year, districts across the state were rushed into adopting the new Annual Professional Performance Review plans under the threat of potentially losing state aid. We knew that this ‘rush job’ would create a flawed evaluation system.

So the question is, why are elected officials making the same mistake? Just two years later, we are faced with approving a new APPR plan prior to a Nov. 15 deadline. This new requirement, approved on March 31, hinges upon NYSED and the Board of Regents having the new evaluation criteria in place by June 30, which has been defined as highly dubious by the Chancellor. Districts would have to formulate their own evaluations, enter into an agreement with the local teachers’ union and get final approval from the state for their plans. At best, this deadline is unrealistic; at worst, it will force compromises that affect quality.

In the Chancellor’s new announcement, districts will be granted an extension to Sept. 1, 2016 should they obtain State Education Department approval based on an articulated (and obvious) hardship. I am hopeful that an extension will be granted to allow us more time to formulate and implement a plan that will work for our district and our students. We at Deer Park want to take a thoughtful approach to our evaluations and make certain that they adequately measure the performance of our dedicated educators. I’m sure that most, if not all, other districts in the state agree with this position.