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Last year, legislation was enacted requiring an annual performance evaluation of all teachers and principals. These evaluations will play a significant role in a wide array of employment decisions, including promotion, retention, tenure determinations, termination, and supplemental compensation, and will be a significant factor in teacher and principal professional development. The Regents Advisory Task Force on Teacher and Principal Effectiveness -- composed of teachers, principals, superintendents of schools, school board representatives, school district and BOCES officials, and other interested parties -- has been meeting regularly since September 2010. And the Board of Regents has discussed various topics related to the evaluation system at its meetings in January, February and March 2011.

Earlier this month, at the Regents April meeting, the Task Force submitted a comprehensive report containing recommendations for implementing the evaluation system in New York. The Board of Regents reviewed and discussed the recommendations at a full day meeting with representatives of the Task Force.Ìý As part of that meeting, the Commissioner and Department staff embraced the Task Force report's core recommendations, but also proposed a small number of modifications.Ìý At the end of the meeting, the Board directed State Education Department staff to prepare draft regulations consistent with the day's discussions. Yesterday, those draft regulations were circulated to the members of the Task Force and, this morning, they were posted on the Department's website -- the Department is seeking comment on the regulations from the Task Force as well as the public. The draft regulations will be on the Regents agenda at their meeting in May.

The draft regulations may be viewed here: