Students enter our classes at different levels of learning. That’s why teachers are evaluated on their students’ progress, rather than on passing rates, which cannot capture the good work we do with students. To measure student growth using growth models, for example, prior achievement scores, as well as factors such as disability, ELL status and other factors are combined to create a baseline student profile from which growth is measured. Teacher results are based upon how well students perform at the end of the year compared to students with a similar baseline profile. The growth measures used by New York City are carefully monitored and reviewed annually for accuracy and fairness by a panel of external experts as well as by the UFT.
At the start of the school year, your principal and UFT chapter leader will create a committee that will select the measures of student learning to be included in your evaluation. The committee is composed of the chapter leader and the principal (or designee), who each select three staff members to serve as well.
How will measures be assigned to you? Broadly speaking, there are two steps.
1. The MOSL committee makes selections for every grade and subject based on a citywide menu of options. The committee also selects the process that will be used for measuring growth.
2. Once the grade/subject selections are finalized, the committee assigns the measures to individual teachers based on what they teach.
Because many teachers teach more than one subject and/or grade, there are opportunities for teachers to have more than one assessment result used in their MOSL.
If the principal does not accept the full slate of recommendations from the committee, then the schoolwide default measure is applied.
Options for measuring growth
The growth model: Using a statistical model, the DOE determines how well each student performs at the end of the school year compared to similar students. The result is the student’s growth percentile, and these growth percentiles are averaged together to determine the teacher’s MOSL rating.
Goal-setting: In this model, goals are set at the start of the year for each student. The teacher’s MOSL rating is determined by the extent to which his or her students have met their goals.
