Yesterday the New Jersey Department of Education released its first ever publication of the results of N.J.’s new teacher evaluation system, which rates teachers on a four-point scale: ineffective, partially effective, effective, and highly effective.

Ninety-seven percent of NJ’s teachers were rated either effective or highly effective, about two points less than evaluations pre-TEACHNJ.  The highest totals for teachers rated “ineffective” were in Newark, Paterson, and Camden. It’s often noted that high-needs district have a disproportionate number of ineffective teachers.

From NJ Spotlight:

 There were limits to the information the state released, starting with the fact the numbers are a year old and information is not yet available for the school year that just ended. 

There was also extensive redaction of data, as the state did not release the numbers where the rankings applied to 10 or less teachers – leaving a vast majority of schools without full disclosure. The state claimed the privacy and confidentiality rules under the new law required suppression of such information.

Both NJ Spotlight and the Star-Ledger have widgets that let you view each district’s ratings.