As one New Yorker told us today, I think if parents choose to look up these grades, they should view them with an open mind. How effective a teacher is depends on a variety of factors, not just test scores -- including student improvement, classroom interaction, and things that simply can’t be measured, such as how much they inspire their students. If you’re curious to see your child’s teacher’s grade, they will be released on our website tomorrow (Friday) afternoon.

Come tomorrow, the City’s Department of Education will make public more than 12 thousand teachers’ individual performance scores. The scores are supposed to reflect how well each teacher did improving students’ state test scores, but the teachers union says the information is misleading. The UFT has been fighting against the release of the Teacher Data Reports, arguing they are “compiled using questionable data and employ an unproven and often inaccurate methodology.” UFT President Michael Mulgrew today encouraged teachers to comment on their reports once they are released.

The City started producing the reports in 2008, but not for the public to see. It was only after several news organizations, including NY1, filed Freedom of Information Law requests for them that the City decided to release the scores. Last week, the state's highest court turned down the union's final appeal to keep the reports under wraps.

Are you anxious to see your teacher’s performance score? Should this type of information be made public, or is it unfair to teachers? If you are a teacher, do you plan to comment on your report? What’s your reaction to the decision to release the scores?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

A data report based on data that the City of New York, namely our former Chancellor and current Mayor, tagged as flawed, makes absolutely no sense to anyone with a brain that functions. Back when they were released to the principals and the teachers, the principals felt that the data was bogus, yet because these groups pressed for the release of these flawed reports, the courts said OK. I'm happy to report that the students from my class that my report is based upon, although I was deemed INEFFECTIVE at the time, are all thriving and doing quite well in 8th grade. I must have done something right!!! Yes, I will be commenting on my report. I think the whole thing is ridiculous. If and when we can release a Mayoral Data Report or a Chancellor Data Report, then I can see a Teacher Data Report. Why are we held more accountable than our superiors? Why are children used as pawns, when all they deserve to get is a perfect education - one that will take them through life, each year building upon what was learned the year before. I'd like to see the teacher data report of the teachers who taught Mayor Bloomberg or the Chancellor. Did everyone in their classes succeed or just the few who had the support from home to ensure success? Unfortunately in our City schools today, half our kids have such baggage each day that they can't concentrate on their school work. Yet, we, the teacher, are to blame, when they don't do well on the State exams.

Jessica
Arden Heights

It is impossible to show improvement on students' state test scores, because the DOE keeps changing the test. The only way scores can be compared is if the test remains the same from year to year. The 2012 test has once again been changed.

Lizabeth
Upper Westside

it is not unfair!!!! The reason why the UFT is against it is to protect BAD teachers. They give test to students why not measure the teachers! Almost everyone who works in private industry is rated on proformance so should the teachers

Tom
Richmondtown

Just more Bloomberg smoke and mirrors.

Gina
Little Neck NY

What a joke worthless reports using worthless data
This is what Bloomy wants something else he can use against tchrs
Let him try doing what tchrs do day in/day out

Who is the one evaluating the teachers? Why should they be released for the public to see when many times if not always they just write people up and many don’t realize why they have been bypassed for promotions even though they have qualified.

Now we should consider personality conflicts, singling out others for one reason or another, or wanting to just fire them.

PEOPLE WAKE UP = WE HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE AND CORRUPTION SINCE BLOOMBERG ARRIVED ON THE SCENE.

SO NOW WE ARE TO BELIEVE THAT IT’S ALL OF THE TEACHERS FAULT AND YET WE HAVE BEEN HAVING ALL ALONG FOR YEARS CHILDREN BEING HARASSED AND TOUCHED, MOLESTED AND NO ONE KNEW ABOUT IT.

PLEASE STOP INSULTING US OVER AND OVER AGAIN. MUCH OF THE PROBLEMS START AT HOME.

maxxiee
mp

Teacher scores should be posted every year on a website. Every teacher should be free to reply to and/or comment on his or her posted score. Enough space should be provided to enable the teacher to include documents, evaluations from other authorities, etc.

Once this is in place, a website should be set up for every politician, every NYC department head, every department employee and members of the City Council where the citizens can comment on and rate their performance.

Joe
Port Richmond

I am a NYC public school teacher who was not rated and am not working in a testing grade. I am APPALLED by this decision!

Other NYC public employees do not have a similar rating system. Are police officers rated and data publicly announced for wrongful arrests or murders? Firefighters are not publicly rated for their responses to a fire.

In addition, once parents find out the scores, what can they do? They cannot switch their children to another class. The DOE is not going to field these phone calls or have those conversations with parents. That will fall on the shoulders of the teachers and principals.

Releasing student scores to judge teachers helps no one. It only tells you how those students performed on a test. Teachers who work in poor neighborhoods or who teach a high special ed population will have lower scores. It doesn't really rate the teacher it rates the students their parents and neighborhoods

Kerri
Queens

I don’t think that scores should be published. There should be an opportunity for a failing teacher to get remedial assistance and a time for him or her to show improvement. Maybe there should be a reassessment of their current assignment. In that way a more accurate determination could be made. Only after due process should any scores be published.

Jay
Staten Island

Teachers are feeling the heat, aren't they? These reports are just one-shot snapshots of how well or how poorly they did over a long period of time... Sort of like what we do to students, isn't it?

Dee
Morningside Heights

I think this is just another example of testing being more important the education. A teacher is not good or bad based on NYS test scores especially when they are in a system that teaches to test. We'd find out how good our teachers are if they were truly educating children.

Victoria
Astoria NY

With all due respect to those of your profession, the media is failing miserably. A knowingly incorrect and incomplete story is being publicized, and now being the subject of such a story myself, I understand those who criticize the press. I am disgusted with this development and will now have to forever defend my teaching career.

The reports DO NOT SHOW how well we do our jobs.

The media has failed and should be ashamed.

Sal, NYC Teacher
Bay Ridge

Mayor Bloomberg said he wants education to be his legacy. Well, he's had ten years to change the education system in NYC, and he has failed.

He can never really positively effect education, since he's never spent a day in front of a
classroom. His newest proposal, to publish "scores" is completely ridiculous. This will not help the students or the system. It's another Bloomberg blunder. Lower the class size!!!!!

Paul
Jamaica

An earlier caller mentioned that we test students so why don't we test teachers.

We do test students but we don't make their individual test results public. To use them for individual, internal evaluation is one thing. To air them out, especially with no public plan of how to address the backlash and the poor performers, is just irresponsible.

Andrea
Upper East Side

Well, as a student - when you cannot reach a certain score you will have to repeat the class/grade/test. Why can't the teacher also be evaluated for not being able to effectively teach a student fundamental math, for example. Not everyone can teach - but they can get paid for going to teaching school.

I think the grades should be seen. Because we want the bad teachers out of there and the good teachers there.

Joe
Annadale

Everyone is complaining that it's not a good idea. The issue here is the STUDENTS getting the best education possible and decreasing drop out rates. Why don't the DOE implement the same teaching structure of some charter schools e.g. KIPP NYC, Success Academy who have successful teachers in their schools. As a parent, I need to see the reports because students always get the short end of the stick. It's been years of school failures and there need to be a change. NYC schools don't encourage parent involvement as much as charter schools, there needs to be accountability, and maybe the report will enforce that however flawed it may be.

Next will be teachers actually sending home material that is being thought in the class so the parents will know how to help the child with homework.

Ann
Upper West Side

Society is looking for scapegoats. The parents are the first teachers.

We teach students coming from different households. We should not be held responsible for failures. They need to look at the child's upbringing and their environment. They need to look at the behavioral and academic climate of the school.

Christie

all city workers and all politicians should be evaluated and removed from their job. Equality for ALL.

The grades should not be seen because its not the teachers fault. It's the students. Most of them don't behave.

Anthony
Grant City

Flawed or not, they are a good piece of data. The only reason why people are freaking out about these reports is because it's never been available as it should have always been.

Public school teachers are paid by the taxpayers. Let the data be known and we can interpret it with the caveats about tests not being perfect.

John
Brooklyn

As a teacher in the testing grades I think this is completely unfair! I have students whose parents don't show up for parent teacher conferences or look at the report card. Where's the accountability on their part? We work so hard to make progress with our students but if they go home to a television and video games then all of the work we've done during the day is completely undone! We should be evaluated on a wide range of measurements - not just a test!

Jennifer
Annadale

I have one question, what other profession or job (public or private) has had individual "performance data" publicized (with name and rating)? Not, doctors, lawyers, police officers, fire fighters, or anyone else. The data that was used to give these ratings were baseless! Teachers do get evaluated and regardless of what method is used, a bad apple will still be a bad apple. There is a presumption that a bad teacher can't get fired, this is totally inaccurate! These data reports only impact those teachers who teach certain grade levels and subjects...this in itself is unfair. Publicizing these reports do not serve any real purpose!

Pearl
Bronx

This is a ploy to save costs and bust the union.

Hold parents accountable, give supervisors the time to actively supervise instruction, lower class size and provide staff development that is effective and give children consequences for poor behavior.

There are great teachers out there, but in all honesty there are teachers out there that should not be in a classroom. There are 8th grade students being promoted to High school who can't multiply! Teachers have to be accountable to some extent. I have an elementary school child and a high school child and I go to the PTA meetings and volunteer at their schools and there are teachers there who just don't care. If you are doing what you are suppose to you shouldn't have anything to fear. Show the scores, but explain what they mean and how they are determined. Unions protect people, we all know that; even when that person shouldn't be there. That's why you have people working in so many union jobs who just drag their feet. Teachers need to be accountable to some extent and stop blaming it on parents only. There are darn good parents out there, who actually care and it is exhausting to see nobody held accountable and just pointing fingers.

Johanna
Manhattan