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Educators4Excellence.org

May 31, 2013 Dear Commissioner King, In the few hours left before you deliver an evaluation system for New York Citys 75,000 educators, we wanted the final voice to be that of teachers. Youve no doubt heard from many parties with a vested interest in the measures you develop. However, the most important voice in this debate is the one that has often been discountedthat of classroom teachers who will be directly affected by your decisions. For the past two years, the citys 7,000 Educators 4 Excellence members have been advocating for an evaluation system that will, for the first time, provide them with meaningful feedback about their performance, and opportunities for improvement and professional growth. After all, that must be the goal of any evaluation system if it is to be successful in elevating instruction. As weve shared with you previously and elaborated on in the attached Teacher Policy Team paper Beyond Satisfactory, E4E members believe the following measures are essential to a strong evaluation system:

Multiple Observations, both announced and unannounced Student Growth Data Student Survey Data School Community Participation Measures of Professionalism

Implementing any new evaluation system, regardless of its contents, will require thorough training for all educators and a change in culture in our schools. To implement evaluation with fidelity will require a lot of patience, as administrators and teachers learn a new way to work together and as the City manages a new complex system. We hope that all involved will give evaluation the time it needs to be truly successful, and not put an unfair and unreasonable clock on it. None of these measures alone will improve achievement. But taken together and implemented effectively, they can provide teachers with a much more complete picture of their strengths and weaknesses in the classroom. As you know great teachers are always looking to improve their practice, and with the knowledge teachers can gain from fair and multi-measured evaluation, we can deliver a truly powerful learning experience to the citys 1.1 million school children. As you know, the decisions you make will have an impact on the classroom for many years, hopefully generations, to come. As the hours tick down to your deadline, we hope you recognize how much educators value the difficult task youve undertaken. On behalf of E4Es 7,000 New York City members, thank you for your commitment to helping both teachers and students excel. Sincerely, Jonathan Schleifer Executive Director, Educators 4 Excellence-New York