A New York state court has sided with a teacher who challenged the student-achievement component of her teacher evaluation.
Shari Lederman filed a lawsuit after she received the lowest possible score on the student-growth portion of her evaluation—just a year after receiving a high score. She argued that the methodology used to assign the growth rating was opaque, and that it was impossible to know how to earn the maximum number of points.
A number of scholars submitted affidavits in support of Lederman. Of them, one name stands out: Linda Darling-Hammond, who is seen as a top contender to become the U.S. secretary of education should Hillary Clinton be elected president.
The judge ruled that Lederman had met the burden of proof to show that her evaluation was arbitrary and capricious.
