Incident 9: NY City School Teacher Evaluation Algorithm Contested
Entities
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CSETv1 Taxonomy Classifications
Taxonomy DetailsHarm Distribution Basis
none
Sector of Deployment
Education
CSETv0 Taxonomy Classifications
Taxonomy DetailsFull Description
A value-added measurement based algorithm used to calculate the effectiveness of school teachers is being challenged for its lack of apparent accuracy and real-world relevance. In Rochester, New York approximately 600 teachers are disputing the results, and in Syracuse between 400-500 are disputing the results. The VAM score can be used to give raises to teachers deemed "effective" or "highly effective", but can also be used to fire teachers who are given two "ineffective" ratings in a row. Teachers criticize the algorithm for including only Math and English in the evaluation (even for teachers of other subjects as the algorithm only covers those two subjects), using school averages to calculate a single student's expected average, and high-grade-earning students being predicted to grow at literally impossible rates (to score grades higher than 100% on tests).
Short Description
An algorithm used to rate the effectiveness of school teachers in New York has resulted in thousands of disputes of its results.
Severity
Negligible
Harm Distribution Basis
Other:School Teachers
Harm Type
Financial harm
AI System Description
value-added analysis algorithm used for evaluating a school teacher's effectiveness of teaching
System Developer
New York city Dept. of Education
Sector of Deployment
Education
Relevant AI functions
Unclear
AI Techniques
value-added mesaurements
AI Applications
data processing, data prediction
Location
New York, United States of America
Named Entities
New York Department of Education, United Federation of Teachers, Sheri Lederman, Common Core, Governor Andrew Cuomo
Technology Purveyor
New York Department of Education
Beginning Date
2007-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
Ending Date
2010-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
Near Miss
Harm caused
Intent
Accident
Lives Lost
No
Data Inputs
School grades, student grades, predicted grades
Incident Reports
Reports Timeline
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Stories & Grievances
A NYC Math Teacher Fights Back After Receiving an Unfair 'Unsatisfactory' Rating from a Principal
Edmond Farrell uses the Freedom of Information Law and Department of Education/Teacher regulations in his fight to change…
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The New York City Department of Education released today a list of individual ratings of thousands of the city's schoolteachers, a move that concludes a lengthy legal battle waged by the local teachers' union and media.
The Teacher Data Rep…
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Late last week and over the weekend, New York City newspapers, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, published the value-added scores (teacher data reports) for thousands of the city’s teachers. Prior to this release, I and …
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In part 1 I demonstrated there was little correlation between how a teacher was rated in 2009 to how that same teacher was rated in 2010. So what can be more crazy than a teacher being rated highly effective one year and then highly ineffec…
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Teachers plan widespread appeals of 'unfair' evaluations
ALBANY—Hundreds of teachers in urban school districts plan to appeal performance evaluations that could be used as grounds for termination under a new statewide system for evaluating …
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Former New York state education commissioner John King, who is being sued by a N.Y. teacher over the state’s educator evaluation system. (Mike Groll/AP)
A veteran teacher suing New York state education officials over the controversial metho…
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Just over half of New York City teachers were evaluated in the 2015–16 school year, in part, by tests in subjects or of students they didn’t teach, according to data obtained by Chalkbeat through a public records request.
At 53 percent of c…
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