HSTA secretary/treasurer Joan Lewis tells teachers that evaluations were in no way a concession to Race to the Top, but a recognition that professionals deserve regular feedback.

“Professionals are treated professionally, and one of the things that professionals are entitled to is feedback on a regular basis,” she says. “We have had our own concerns about the previous evaluation used by the Department of Education.

“One of those concerns was that an evaluation every five years — particularly if our salary increments align to that — is not a way to treat professionals.

“An annual evaluation is what should be expected by any professional. And those working with some kind of proficiency should somehow be rewarded for that. That was at the base of our approach to evaluations at the negotiation table.”

Lewis reassures teachers that it will not be based on just student learning and growth — which is more than just test scores, she says — but other measures of professionalism and success.