New York City education officials are planning to develop up to 16 new standardized tests for 3rd through 12th grades. Unlike other exams, these will be used to grade the teachers, not the students.
Under a state law passed last year that helped New York win $700 million in a federal "Race to the Top" grant competition, school districts must evaluate teachers on a scale from “ineffective” to “highly effective,” with potential firing for those rated ineffective for two years in a row. The city expects to spend about $25 million creating the new tests, which would be in addition to the standardized tests students already take.
What have we learned about tests as accountability tools for teacher performance? Why do school systems believe that tests are the answer to reforming education?