For teachers in New Jersey, the pressure of student test results and their impact on teacher evaluations may no longer be a problem. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, Governor Chris Christie set up a commission to study the quality and frequency of K-12 assessment and reduced the influence of these test results on teacher evals. This coming school year, student growth on state tests will account for 10 percent of affected teachers' evaluations, down from 30 percent. The following year, it will count for up to 20 percent of reviews. 

Christie is said to have made this decision after a lengthy conversation with the New Jersey Education Association, which was pushing for a two-year delay in the use of test scores in teacher evaluations. There are many other states, the article said, that are asking for such a pause. New York and Washington, D.C., took steps to "postpone" or "reduce the impact of new tests tied to the Common Core."

"Many educators have argued it is unfair to judge teachers by students' scores on unfamiliar tests, especially in light of complaints that teachers didn't get enough training or time to adjust to the new standards," the article said. "Many parents have expressed anger that their children spend excessive amounts of time on testing and test prep, as teachers worry about the career consequences of poor scores."

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Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor