Is “Developing” an adverse rating?

Since the introduction of our current test-score linked evaluation system (that we should have never agreed to), teachers get rated HE, E, D, or I.  That’s Highly Effective, Effective, Developing, or Ineffective.

It sucks to be rated Developing. That’s what people who are rated developing have been saying.

It’s no big deal to be rated Developing. That’s what UFT representatives have been pushing.

Who is right? If you have a D, you get a TIP – a Teacher Improvement Plan. I understand that at best, they are benign. In some schools, with some admins, they suck. And I haven’t met a single teacher who raves about how good their year with a TIP was, how much they “grew,” how much they looked forward to their mandatory meetings with their administrator.

I wrote about this. Last Spring. Twice. I said D’s suck. UFT reps said no. It’s just a TIP. My word (and teachers who have Ds) against theirs?

Not any more. In the new evaluation agreement, UFT negotiators requested and got the right to appeal D ratings. Guess they knew the Ds were bad all along, they just didn’t want to say so… (in front of the teachers).