NEA Commentary: "As the NM PED state evaluation of individual teachers are distributed thisweek, we remain dedicated to doing all we can to provide students with an education that inspires their curiosity, imagination, and desire to learn," says NEA-New Mexico President Betty Patterson. " Whether we are teachers, school bus drivers, counselors, school secretaries, coaches, or custodians, all of us set high expectations for students and want to provide them with an environment that nurtures their success."
"We believe that students must learn to read, write and perform math skills along with other basic skills, but they must also learn critical thinking and problem-solving. No bubble test can measure a student’s creativity or potential, or a teacher's ability to motivate students, and any teacher evaluation system that heavily relies on inadequate measures of student success is inherently flawed."
Patterson cites some specific systemic problems: "Even though teachers checked class lists, some have more or fewer students being counted for their evaluations than they actually teach. Many teachers were docked for days they attended training sessions, including ones required or provided by the PED and the private contractors profiting from this system."
"Defying the very purpose of evaluations- to improve teacher performance - the NM PED evaluations provide no specific ways or ideas for the teachers to improve. Many teachers feel that no matter how hard they work, that even with student successes they themselves can measure, they can't raise scores on PARCC. This hurts morale and the interest in continuing to teach." adds Patterson.
Las Cruces elementary teacher Denise Corrales is concerned for her many colleagues "who actually let that stack of stapled junk actually ruin their day, month, school year. It's the harshest system in the nation. I think at this point moral is once again going to be pretty low for those teachers who allow for that report to tell them that they have failed despite their hard work."
"Mine have had errors every year! I know teachers who quit last year when given their unfair, flawed ratings. It only serves to destroy morale and drive more teachers out," says Ken Strawn, also a Las Cruces teacher who is worried for New Mexico students now being taught by long term substitutes as a result."
AFT Commentary: Albuquerque – American Federation of Teachers New Mexico President Stephanie Ly released the following statement:
“The New Mexico Public Education Department released their annual teacher evaluation ratings today, and already, educators are reporting inaccurate, incomplete, or missing data from their evaluations. Sadly, these errors on the part of the NM PED will continue to be used to blame New Mexico’s public educators for the shortcomings and failed promises of seven years of so-called PED ‘reforms’ under Hanna Skandera, and now, Christopher Ruszkowski.
“Let’s be clear – the NM PED is still using bad math to rate our educators, a fact that led a New Mexico court to say that the current evaluation system is causing “irreparable harm” to our educators. Additionally, New Mexico’s educators are still being penalized for using their contractually allowed sick leave, forcing educators to make a decision between coming to school sick or being punished for staying home to get well.
“It is astounding to me that the NM PED continues to court the press in advance of every major release of scores or ratings days before New Mexico’s educators, schools, and administrators are given the same data. Just like NM PARCC scores, school grades, and now educator ratings, the NM PED continually attempts to manipulate bad data to correlate with their narrative to undermine New Mexico’s public schools.
“New Mexico’s educators and public should ignore these results as they are not a reflection of the hard work and professionalism displayed by New Mexico educators every day. We will continue to advocate for an evaluation system in New Mexico which provides real, meaningful feedback for educators which allows them to grow their skills and abilities to best provide a quality education for all of our students.
“Secretary-designee Ruszkowski needs to ditch his status-quo sound-bite reforms and start to engage with educators on a meaningful level, otherwise, he will continue to compound the damage done by his predecessor, Hanna Skandera.”
"As the NM PED state evaluation of individual teachers are distributed thisweek, we remain dedicated to doing all we can to provide students with an education that inspires their curiosity, imagination, and desire to learn," says NEA-New Mexico President Betty Patterson. " Whether we are teachers, school bus drivers, counselors, school secretaries, coaches, or custodians, all of us set high expectations for students and want to provide them with an environment that nurtures their success."
"We believe that students must learn to read, write and perform math skills along with other basic skills, but they must also learn critical thinking and problem-solving. No bubble test can measure a student’s creativity or potential, or a teacher's ability to motivate students, and any teacher evaluation system that heavily relies on inadequate measures of student success is inherently flawed."
Patterson cites some specific systemic problems: "Even though teachers checked class lists, some have more or fewer students being counted for their evaluations than they actually teach. Many teachers were docked for days they attended training sessions, including ones required or provided by the PED and the private contractors profiting from this system."
"Defying the very purpose of evaluations- to improve teacher performance - the NM PED evaluations provide no specific ways or ideas for the teachers to improve. Many teachers feel that no matter how hard they work, that even with student successes they themselves can measure, they can't raise scores on PARCC. This hurts morale and the interest in continuing to teach." adds Patterson
Las Cruces elementary teacher Denise Corrales is concerned for her many colleagues "who actually let that stack of stapled junk actually ruin their day, month, school year. It's the harshest system in the nation. I think at this point moral is once again going to be pretty low for those teachers who allow for that report to tell them that they have failed despite their hard work."
"Mine have had errors every year! I know teachers who quit last year when given their unfair, flawed ratings. It only serves to destroy morale and drive more teachers out," says Ken Strawn, also a Las Cruces teacher who is worried for New Mexico students now being taught by long term substitutes as a result."