FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

State Department of Education for New York Approves My Student Survey’s STeP Survey After Rigorous Evaluation

Albany, New York – November 5, 2014

The State Department of Education for New York informed My Student Survey that they are “pleased to inform you that NYSED has approved your STeP Survey for use by students in teacher evaluations. This survey will be placed on the Department’s list of Approved Surveys of P-12 Students or Families for Use in Teacher Evaluation.”

School districts in New York may now use the STeP Survey as part of their teacher evaluation process. Districts and teachers can feel comfortable that this researched and valid survey will be a fair component of their evaluation.

Additionally, school districts will benefit from the way in which My Student Survey helps schools and teachers use the results from the STeP survey to generate teacher feedback reports that help teachers reflect on their pedagogical practices and grow professionally. Stephanie Green, a teacher with the Poughkeepsie City School District in New York, said “These reports areVERY user friendly! I like how it tells you the questions and the percentages, comparisons, and areas of strength/focus. I will be using this information for my planning and practices next year.”

My Student Survey’s Founder and CEO, Dr. Ryan Balch was pleased with the news from New York. “In addition to being researchers, we are all former teachers at My Student Survey, and we are thrilled that the teachers in New York can now have part of their evaluation come from a survey designed and developed by teachers. Not only is it highly correlated with value-added student achievement, but the STeP survey is designed to support teachers in their professional growth.”

About My Student Survey

My Student Survey offers a research-based method for asking students in student friendly language about the consistency with which teachers used good pedagogical practices. Student feedback is used to identify and provide teachers and administrators each teacher’s strengths, areas of growth, and overall rating. My Student Survey’s STeP survey was developed using a well-established and extensive validation framework to ensure the highest levels of validity and reliability. The survey development and outcome analysis have been the subject of published and peer reviewed research.

About the State Department of Education for New York

The New York State Education Department, led by Commissioner John B. King, Jr., is part of the University of the State of New York (USNY), one of the most complete, interconnected systems of educational services in the United States.

Our mission is to raise the knowledge, skill, and opportunity of all the people in New York. Our vision is to provide leadership for a system that yields the best educated people in the world.

Contact information: Graham Balch

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