Many New York school districts have been slow to submit required teacher-evaluation plans to the state, despite a looming deadline that could eliminate some state aid. The state department of education has been overwhelmed by the work required to go through the evaluations, said Executive Deputy Commissioner Valerie Grey during a state board of regents meeting this month.
Ms. Grey said the state did not expect the wide variety of plans it received. Plans are reviewed three times and the process can take up to six weeks for completion.
So far, the state has approved just 75 plans and offered feedback on another 151, out of a total of 700 districts. About 295 of the state’s districts have submitted teacher-evaluation plans.
Districts are already under significant pressure to implement the plans by Jan. 17. That’s when Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has promised to cut off state aid increases for districts that don’t have evaluation plans in place.
