The New Jersey Educator Evaluation Review Task Force has submitted its report to Governor Phil Murphy. The 13-member task force, which includes representatives from the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), other education stakeholder groups, the Legislature, and the governor’s office, worked throughout the summer to meet the September 30 deadline set by the Legislature.
The task force was established last spring following legislation supported by NJEA members. This initiative is part of a broader campaign by NJEA aimed at reforming the state's evaluation system to reduce time spent on evaluations and alleviate paperwork burdens for educators in New Jersey. A key focus of this effort is the permanent elimination of student growth objectives (SGOs), which have been suspended this year for tenured teachers during an ongoing review of the evaluation system.
Steve Beatty, NJEA Vice President and one of NJEA’s three representatives on the task force, praised their progress so far. "I’m pleased that we have completed this important first step in the process. Our report contains a number of critical recommendations, including the permanent elimination of SGOs, among other measures, to move beyond a compliance-centered approach and embrace a system that values innovation, collaboration and the pursuit of educational excellence."
Beatty emphasized that continued collaborative work is essential: "Very critically, the task force report says that we should continue our collaborative work beyond this initial effort. It’s not enough to study evaluation. We need to fix evaluation! That is why the task force’s cornerstone recommendation is to convene a working group to support the implementation of all these proposals."
He also acknowledged contributions from Dayna Orlak and Elisabeth Yucis: "I want to thank Dayna Orlak, chair of NJEA’s Certification, Evaluation and Tenure Committee and Elisabeth Yucis, NJEA PDII associate director, who joined me on the task force to make sure the voices of NJEA members were heard in every discussion and reflected in every recommendation. They will continue to serve in their roles as we move forward."
Looking ahead, Beatty expressed optimism about continuing efforts: "We are excited to continue this work in the coming year. We will help guide New Jersey toward an evaluation system that works for all members and ultimately makes our schools, our staff and our students more successful."
To support ongoing efforts, NJEA plans to create an internal workgroup composed of members from across New Jersey who represent diverse perspectives within their evaluation system. This group will assist with next steps alongside the task force.
