Expert: NM teacher evals are toughest in the nation
New Mexico rated more than twice as many teachers below effective than any other state in a 24-state study conducted by a Brown University economist who studies teacher evaluation systems across the country.
New Mexico placed 28.7 percent of its teachers in that category in 2015-2016, while the majority of states rated fewer than 4 percent of teachers below effective, according to Matthew Kraft, Brown University assistant professor of education and economics.
“The New Mexico system is very different than others,” Kraft said. ” ‘Tough’ would be one way to describe it.”
Although Kraft questioned whether New Mexico’s system is alienating too many teachers, the bulk of his paper criticized those states with the highest teacher proficiency rates – often nearing 100 percent.
Kraft attributed New Mexico’s dramatic results to its evaluation system, particularly its heavy weight on student test scores.
Christopher Ruszkowski, New Mexico’s acting secretary of education, said New Mexico’s system reflects a “commitment to putting students first.”
“In the New Mexico context, we have put student learning at the forefront, the centerpiece of everything that we do,” Ruszkowski told the Journal. “The fact that other states have not always done that, to me, is more of a testament to the work that New Mexico has done and more of a black mark on those other states.”
Education Week, a respected national publication, also called New Mexico’s teacher evaluations “the toughest in the nation” this spring.
The purpose of Kraft’s study was to look at the new evaluation systems many Expert: NM teacher evals are toughest in the nation | Albuquerque Journal:
