Teachers Tell Education Committee About Common Core, Teacher Evaluation Concerns

CEA Executive Director Mark Waxenberg and President Sheila Cohen testify before the legislature’s Education Committee.

Educators around the state have been facing a challenging year due to the botched implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the challenges related to simultaneously implementing a new teacher evaluation system. Last night some educators had a chance to make their voices heard on these issues at a hearing of the legislature’s Education Committee, which drew over 100 people to Hartford to testify and over 300 to submit written testimony.

CEA President Sheila Cohen and CEA Executive Director Mark Waxenberg were among those who gave testimony at the hearing. They shared a survey highlighting the differing levels of readiness and preparedness of teachers and districts across the state with regard to implementing CCSS. They told legislators, “let’s pause and make sure we get this right.” Read their prepared testimony here.

Watch excerpts of CEA testimony here or below.

The State Department of Education, based on the recommendations of the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC), has already received a one-year waiver from the federal government from tying state standardized tests to educators’ evaluations and is seeking a waiver for a second year.

Senator Danté Bartolomeo had a two-part question for the CEA leaders. She asked them (1) how many years they’d ideally like to see an absence of a linkage between SBAC results and teacher evaluations, and (2) on how many different tests teacher evaluations should be based. Watch Waxenberg’s response here or below.

CEA members Blaise Messinger, Lisa Bress, and Kristen Keska were also prepared to testify at yesterday’s hearing about their experiences with Common Core and teacher evaluation. Given the the hearing continued past midnight, Messinger and Bress had to leave before they had the opportunity to testify, however Keska did have a chance to speak to the legislators after 8 p.m. Watch her remarks here or below. You can read the written testimony all three submitted: Blaise Messinger, Lisa Bress, Kristen Keska.