From the New York Times: Critics Question High Ratings on New York State Teacher Evaluations Amid Poor Test Scores:

“New York State released teacher and principal evaluations on Thursday that for the first time allow parents and administrators to assess the effectiveness of local teachers at the county, district and, in some cases, the school level.

“The evaluations, which cover the 2012-13 school year, are an expanded version of aggregate statewide results that were released in October. Those figures showed that 91.5 percent of New York State teachers were rated either highly effective or effective. On Thursday, that percentage was even higher, with 94 percent of teachers and 92 percent of principals rated in those top two tiers.

“The results have prompted an outcry from critics who question how so many of the state’s teachers could be regarded so highly while so many of their students are performing poorly…”

Read more.

We heard the same type of criticism in Boston a while back. See here.

” ‘Do we kind of have the equivalent of grade inflation?’ said Meg Campbell, a School Committee member who runs a charter school in Dorchester. ” ‘If we are all proficient, it’s hard not to be self satisfied.

 . . . I do get worried the whole district is 92 percent [proficient or exemplary] when we have so many issues we are facing.’ “