GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

A screenshot from one school's ARIS "Community Space" shows that teachers were able to download "growth scores" for their colleagues last week. Teachers in tested grades and subjects are set to receive last year's growth scores, which will factor into new evaluations, this week.

About one in five city teachers will get a sneak peek on Tuesday about how they might be rated under a new evaluation system.

That’s when the city Department of Education will be sharing the state’s “growth scores” with teachers for whom a score was generated. The scores reflect how well a teacher’s students performed on state math and reading exams last year compared to other students like them and, according to state law, must eventually constitute 25 percent of annual evaluations for teachers who work in tested grades and subjects.

In New York City, about 17 percent of teachers teach fourth or fifth grade or English or math in middle school. They will get their growth score for the 2011-2012 school year Tuesday evening in their Department of Education email, department officials said.

The department has had the information since the end of the summer, state education officials said at a briefing for reporters last month. Principals got the reports last week and are expected to use the scores to help teachers at their school improve, according to Connie Pankratz, a department spokeswoman. But teachers are supposed to get access only to their own scores. (more…)