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Thursday, August 9, 2012

Secret teacher evaluations part of 'compromise' | The Asbury Park Press NJ | APP.com

Secret teacher evaluations part of 'compromise' | The Asbury Park Press NJ | APP.com:


Secret teacher evaluations part of 'compromise'


Senate President Steven Sweeney Senator Teresa Rui
Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf speaks after Governor Chris Christie signed the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey (TEACHN) Act at Von E. Mauger Middle School in Middlesex, N.J. on Monday, Aug. 6, 2012. (Governor's Office/Tim Larsen) / Office of the Governor
Gov. Chris Christie, along with legislators and leaders of teacher unions, has lined up to keep the results of teacher evaluations secret from the public, though Christie said the issue was “among certain points of compromise” in a new education bill.
The Republican governor signed teacher tenure legislation into law Monday during a visit to Mauger Middle School in Middlesex.
The job security of tenure will be tied to the evaluations.
Proponents of the new law say teachers still will be held to task for their performance. But the privacy clause has been panned by parents and other stakeholders, who say they won’t know what was detailed in a teacher’s review under a plan that will cost millions of dollars to implement.
“From my perspective, the most significant