Students improve even amid evaluation controversy 

New York state emerged as an early proponent of ramping up the quality of teacher evaluations in the belief that student learning would improve. But just as quickly, the same state gave birth to the opt-out movement when parents saw the potential for problems when evaluations were linked to student test results, and thousands of kids refused to take statewide tests.   

So several years into this experiment of linking teacher evaluation and student test results, it’s fair to ask: Did the most aggressive program for teacher and principal evaluation succeed? Did this plan improve student learning? What other lessons can be learned?