New York State Race to the Top Finalist Interview March 16, 2010

David Steiner President of the University of the State of New York and Commissioner for Education

John King Senior Deputy Commissioner for P-12 Education NY State Education Department Will oversee all RTTT implementation work and resources

Laura Smith Assistant Commissioner for External Partnerships & Research NY State Education Department Will pursue external resources to ensure sustainability of RTTT-funded reforms and disseminate to educators information about proven best practices and successful, scalable models

Bob Hughes CEO New Visions for Public Schools Is a partner to the NYC Department of Education and the New York State Education Department in implementing innovative teacher and principal certification programs and turning around low performing schools.

Ira Schwartz Assistant Commissioner for Accountability NY State Education Department Will oversee school accountability and compliance

Improving Teacher Effectiveness Annual Professional Performance Reviews – Comprehensive evaluation for all practicing teachers – Multiple measures of effectiveness, spanning both qualitative and quantitative inputs – Student achievement, as measured by value-added growth models, will represent a significant component Initial certification Based on performance standards – Must demonstrate effective practice Professional certification Based on performance standards – Must demonstrate ability to increase student achievement – Multiple measures, including student growth Professional certification is independent of tenure and must be earned within five years of receiving initial certification Teacher Growth & Accountability Incentive Fund – Individual Teacher Development Plans based, in part, on student data – Rigorous evaluations for all teachers with at least 30-40% of score based on student growth measure – Remaining 60-70% could include rubrics-based, in- person, and/or video observation – New evaluations inform: – Differentiated PD – Tenure, Promotion, and Career Ladder – Compensation – Dismissal