Ceretto Supports Compromise On Public Teacher Evaluations

June 21, 2012

Assemblyman John Ceretto (R,I-Lewiston) today voted in favor of Assembly bill 10786, which allows parents to see the final evaluations of their child’s teachers. The measure was created thanks to bipartisan efforts by the Governor, lawmakers and teachers groups to ensure that New York’s public schools have the most effective teachers without leaving teachers vulnerable to inappropriate public scrutiny.

“As a former teacher, I understand the concerns many educators may have about this information being released to the public,” said Ceretto. “As a parent, I also understand the motivation to ensure your child is receiving the best education. That is why I believe this compromise was a positive result. It allows parents to be sure their kids have effective teachers, but prevents outside groups from using the information for negative and unconstructive ends.”

Today’s bill states that while all records of teacher quality ratings and composite effectiveness scores will be released to the public, the identities of those teachers will be released only to the parents of the students they instruct. In addition, while they will be notified when evaluations are available for review, parents must request to receive the data.

“This bill is not perfect, but is a step in the right direction that brought all parties together for compromise,” said Ceretto. “Our children’s education is one of the most important aspects of their development and this bill ensures parents are actively involved in the evaluation process.”

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