Assemblyman Dave McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick) criticized New York State’s method of value-added modeling that has led to at least one highly-respected Long Island teacher taking her case to court after being rated “ineffective” by the faulty evaluation system. McDonough, along with most of the Assembly Minority Conference, staunchly opposed Gov. Cuomo’s poorly-devised teacher evaluation overhaul that was passed as part of the 2015-16 Enacted Budget.

“The fact that Ms. Lederman has to take her case to court to save her reputation further enforces Gov. Cuomo’s and the Assembly Majority’s war on teachers,” McDonough said. “Decisions about education should remain in the classroom; our students deserve better.”

McDonough went on to criticize the value-added modeling (VAM) being used as the primary teacher evaluation mechanism in several states including New York.

“How can we base teacher evaluations largely on Common Core tests when the curriculum was irresponsibly implemented and teachers, parents and students had virtually no input on how our educators will be evaluated?” McDonough asked. “This new method takes education out of our classrooms and puts tenure and promotion decisions in the hands of state bureaucrats; the same people who thoughtlessly forced Common Core into our classrooms.”

Numerous experts and colleagues of Ms. Lederman have come out on her behalf, and oral arguments in her lawsuit began Wednesday in New York Supreme Court. McDonough currently serves on the Assembly Committee on Education and has been a longtime proponent of localized education and critic of the Common Core Standards.