Evaluation of Effectiveness: New Jersey

Analysis of New Jersey's policies

Although the state requires student performance data to be a significant factor, New Jersey stops short of requiring that objective evidence of student learning be the preponderant criterion of its teacher evaluations. Districts develop teacher evaluation systems based on the state's framework. Approval is required. 
New Jersey now requires that by school year 2013-2014 multiple measures of student achievement be included in a teacher's evaluation score. These measures may include: teacher-set goals for student learning; student performance assessments, including portfolio projects, problem-solving protocols and internships; teacher-developed assessments; standardized assessments; and district-established assessments. Standardized assessments must be used but must not be predominant factor in overall evaluation. 
The Commissioner of the Department of Education sets the weights given to components. Each year, weights for the following school year will be posted by April 15.
Weighting must be based on the following parameters. If a teacher receives a median student growth percentile (teachers in tested areas), the student achievement component must be 40 to 50 percent of the rating. If a teacher does not receive a median student growth percentile (nontested area), the student achievement component must be at least 15 percent but not more than 50 percent of the rating. Measures of teacher practice must be at least 50 percent but not more than 85 percent of the rating. 
Four rating categories must be used: highly effective, effective, partially effective and ineffective. 
Multiple observations are required. 

Citation

S1455 (2012) 6A:10-4.1

Recommendations for New Jersey

Require instructional effectiveness to be the preponderant criterion of any teacher evaluations.
New Jersey's evaluation system falls short by failing to require that evidence of student learning be the most significant criterion. The state should either require a common evaluation instrument in which evidence of student learning is the most significant criterion, or it should specifically require that student learning be the preponderant criterion in local evaluation processes. This can be accomplished by requiring objective evidence to count for at least half of the evaluation score or through other scoring mechanisms, such as a matrix, that ensure that nothing affects the overall score more. Whether state or locally developed, a teacher should not be able to receive a satisfactory rating if found ineffective in the classroom. 
Further, while it may be wise to proceed with caution in applying measures of student growth to nontested grades and subjects, New Jersey's approach makes it possible for student performance to barely count for these teachers. 

Ensure that classroom observations specifically focus on and document the effectiveness of instruction.
Although New Jersey requires classroom observations as part of teacher evaluations, the state should articulate guidelines that focus classroom observations on the quality of instruction, as measured by student time on task, student grasp or mastery of the lesson objective and efficient use of class time.

State response to our analysis

New Jersey asserted that proposed regulations for school year 2013-2014 require measures of student achievement to comprise 45 percent of the evaluation for teachers of tested grades and subjects. The measure of student achievement for teachers of nontested grades and subjects—student growth objectives (SGOs)—counts for 15 percent of the overall evaluation. This is necessary to allow districts to build capacity to develop and execute high-quality SGOs. New Jersey also included a link to its request for qualification process with eligibility requirements regarding the practice instruments' focus on the effectiveness of instruction.