New Mexico to Change its Teacher Evaluation System, But Not Really
As you all likely recall, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), joined by the Albuquerque Teachers Federation (ATF), last year, filed a “Lawsuit in New Mexico Challenging [the] State’s Teacher Evaluation System.” In December 2015, state District Judge David K. Thomson granted a preliminary injunction preventing consequences from being attached to the state’s teacher evaluation data. More specifically, Judge Thomson ruled that the state can proceed with “developing” and “improving” its teacher evaluation system, but the state is not to make any consequential decisions about New Mexico’s teachers using the data the state collects until the state (and/or others external to the state) can evidence to the court that the system is reliable, valid, fair, uniform, and the like (see prior post on this ruling here).
Late Friday afternoon, New Mexico’s Public Education Department (PED) announced that they are accordingly changing their NMTEACH teacher evaluation system, and they will be issuing new regulations. Their primary goal is as follows: To (1) “Address major liabilities resulting from litigation” as these liabilities specifically pertain to the former NMTEACH system’s (a) Uniformity, (b) Transparency, and (c) Clarity. On the surface level, this is gratifying to the extent that the state is attempting to, at least theoretically, please the court. But we, and especially those in New Mexico, might refrain from celebrating too soon…given when one reads the PED announcement here, one will see this is yet another example of the state’s futile attempts to keep with a very top-down teacher evaluation system. Note, however, that a uniform teacher evaluation system is also required under state law, although the governor has the right to change state statute should those at the state (including the governor, state superintendent, and PED) decide New Mexico to Change its Teacher Evaluation System, But Not Really | VAMboozled!: