The New Mexico Public Education Department has announced new changes to its much-debated teacher evaluation system amid a court challenge and feedback from educators.
Education Secretary Hanna Skandera said the revisions unveiled late Friday will simplify the system and will likely lead to less testing of students. She also said teach evaluations will be more uniform statewide instead of each district submitting 89 different versions.
Under the changes, teacher evaluations will be based on improved student achievement, observations and teacher attendance or student surveys. Before districts had more flexibility on what criteria they could use to evaluate teachers.
In December, a Santa Fe judge ruled the New Mexico's teacher evaluation system couldn't be used to affect teachers' licensures amid an ongoing legal fight between teachers unions and the state.
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