From Effective to Ineffective in One Year
A New York fourth-grade teacher's growth score fell from 14 out of 20 to 1 out of 20 in a single year. She took the number to court, and a judge threw it out.
How much should one number, calculated once a year, decide about a person's work?
What happened
Sheri Lederman taught fourth grade in Great Neck, New York. Under the state’s teacher evaluation system, part of each teacher’s rating was a growth score calculated from their students’ test results. For 2012–13 her growth score was 14 out of 20, which counted as effective. For 2013–14 it was 1 out of 20, which counted as ineffective.
Who spoke up
She did. She challenged the 2013–14 score in court, represented by her husband, Bruce Lederman, a lawyer.
What changed
In May 2016, Acting Justice Roger McDonough of the New York Supreme Court in Albany County found that her 2013–14 growth score was arbitrary and capricious, and set it aside.
What to keep straight
- The ruling applied to her score alone. It did not strike down New York’s evaluation system or find growth scores invalid in general.
- This account rests on a single published summary of the ruling. The court’s full opinion is the place to go for its reasoning.
Talk about it
- A score that swings from effective to ineffective in a year: what might explain that, other than the teacher?
- Why do you think the court limited its ruling to one person?
- If you were rated by a number, what would you want to know about how stable it is?
Go further
Measuring Learning that Matters
Success metrics beyond standardized tests
Read the article Teach it Classroom Kits · Ages 8–13Two Endings
A robot referee makes a call that looks wrong on replay. Write two endings: one where everyone moves on, one where someone asks a question. See what has to be true for the second one to happen.
View the kitSources
- Court rules in favor of teacher who challenged APPR score, New York State School Boards Association, On Board Online (23 May 2016).
More accounts to read
All Community Voices-
Teachers
A Score Nobody Could Check
Houston judged teachers with a score built on secret code that no one could verify. Teachers sued, and the district agreed not to fire anyone on an unverifiable score.
2014–2017 · Houston, US Read the account -
Families
A Risk Score on the Hotline
A county scores child-welfare calls using public records. Research found racial gaps in its recommendations, and parents with disabilities believe it flagged them.
2016–2023 · Pennsylvania, US Read the account -
Families
The Benefits Scandal That Brought Down a Government
A Dutch risk model that weighed citizenship helped wrongly brand tens of thousands of parents as fraudsters. Parents pushed back, and the government resigned.
2021 · Netherlands Read the account
Summarised from the public record. Follow the sources for the full story.