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Under the direction of Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa, the State Education Department today proposed to extend the transition period for Annual Professional Performance Reviews (APPR) through the 2019-20 school year. This additional year is necessary for the Department to fully implement the Common Core Task Force鈥檚 recommendations, while the Department works with educators and stakeholders to develop an evaluation system that better supports teaching and learning.

鈥淎s we continue the work to develop a new evaluation system, it鈥檚 critical that we listen to teachers, principals, superintendents, parents and other stakeholders to ensure that the process we put in place reflects the best interests of our children and educators,鈥� Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. 鈥淭o be mindful of the concerns we鈥檝e heard, we must take the time necessary to conduct a truly thoughtful process, and that includes extending this transition period.鈥�

鈥淢eaningful evaluations can provide teachers and district leaders with valuable insight and are a foundational element of ensuring that all students in New York have access to quality educators,鈥� Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said. 鈥淲hile our review of the evaluation system is underway, we need to be able to build on the extensive outreach and engagement that has already been done. As I have consistently said, we will not take this process lightly; it will be transparent and will take time.鈥�

In December 2015, the Board of Regents enacted an APPR Transition Period for the 2015-16 through 2018-19 school years. During this transition period, teacher and principal evaluation measures based on the grades 3-8 ELA and math State tests and the State鈥檚 growth model are to be used for advisory purposes only and do not have employment-related consequences. The purpose of this transition period was to allow the Department and Board of Regents the time necessary to review and revise the state鈥檚 learning standards, assessment system, and evaluation system.

The transition period is also in alignment with a recommendation by the Common Core Task Force. This recommendation stated that, until a revised system for learning standards and assessments could be put in place, the results from the grades 3-8 English language arts and mathematics state assessments and the use of any state-provided growth model based on these tests or other state assessments shall not have consequence for teachers or students.听

Although the Department has undertaken a number of actions over the past three years, including adopting the Next Generation English Language Arts and Math Learning Standards and revising the assessment system, that work is not yet complete. Additionally, the Department continues to review the current educator evaluation system. Some of the work currently underway includes:

• Analyzing Survey Results: In February, the Department sent a survey to the field seeking input on the best way to create a useful evaluation system and received nearly 22,000 responses, the majority of which came from teachers.

• Establishing Workgroups: In November, the Department established evaluation and assessment workgroups that each include dozens of teachers, principals and stakeholder representatives. Each Workgroup will meet six times between November and March. The goal of each workgroup is to create recommendations for the Department and Board of Regents on what an ideal evaluation system could look like for New York educators.

• Developing Focus Groups: The Commissioner, Department staff and BOCES District Superintendents will conduct regional focus groups and additional short surveys to collect additional feedback from the field. That feedback will help inform the recommendations created by the workgroups.

Next Steps and Public Comment

A will be published in the State Register on December 26, 2018. Comments will be accepted through February 25, 2019 and can be submitted by email to听REGCOMMENTS@nysed.gov. It is anticipated that the Board of Regents will adopt the proposed amendment at its April 2019 meeting. If adopted, the proposed amendments will become effective on April 24, 2019. Supporting materials are available upon request to the Secretary of the Board of Regents.听听