New Jersey task force recommends rolling back SGO paperwork, creating working group to overhaul teacher evaluations

Chairwoman Lampitt convened the Assembly Education Committee for testimony on recommendations from the New Jersey Educator Review Task Force, which members said aim to ease paperwork and refocus evaluations on professional growth and student learning. The task force presented a 150‑page report with 15 recommendations that the committee described as largely consensus‑based.

The task force’s chair, David Adderall, superintendent of West Windsor‑Plainsboro Regional School District, told the committee the current evaluation regime traces to TeachNJ statutes and Achieve NJ regulations and that many burdens result from regulatory translation and guidance. "SGOs have become a compliance‑based activity," Adderall said, arguing the requirement consumes teacher, administrator and student time and, in some districts, encourages use of “meaningless assessments” to show growth rather than improve instruction. He said the task force recommends targeted regulatory changes, greater use of commissioner‑approved activities and a workgroup to develop exemplars and practical guidance for districts.

Elizabeth Yukas, associate director for professional development and instructional issues at the New Jersey Education Association, said teachers and principals largely agreed on the need for change. "SGOs are an overly time‑consuming paperwork compliance exercise that do not have a meaningful positive impact on student learning," she said, praising the task force’s emphasis on using regulatory flexibility, waivers and clearer guidance to reduce burden while preserving measures that reflect student learning.

Karen Binger, executive director of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, described the administrative toll of the current system and urged alignment between professional development plans (PDPs) and SGOs to reduce duplicate documents. Binger recommended that the Department of Education publish approved waivers and equivalencies so districts can share best practices rather than reinvent processes locally.

Jennifer Higgins, president of AFT New Jersey, told the panel the union supports eliminating SGOs and establishing an implementation working group so regulatory changes can center coaching, mentoring and streamlined evaluation methods. Several task force members said the moratorium on SGOs for the 2024–25 school year was appropriate and asked the Legislature to consider extending the pause for one or two years to allow the Department and districts time to adopt workable alternatives and guidance.

The report’s recommendations (grouped in three themes) include: reexamining statutory language and embedding TeachNJ definitions into Achieve NJ where appropriate; streamlining requirements to reduce administrative burden; integrating PDPs and SGOs; expanding and publicizing commissioner‑approved activities and waivers; issuing clear state guidance on local flexibility in rubrics and weighting; and convening a state‑led educator working group to produce exemplars for districts.

Assembly members across the committee praised the collaborative process and urged careful drafting of legislation to implement the recommendations. Some members stressed that student outcomes must remain central and debated whether to retain four rating categories (ineffective, partially effective, effective, highly effective) or reduce categories while using language in evaluations to recognize outstanding performance. The chair indicated draft bills are expected and encouraged members to meet with task force participants and department staff before legislation is finalized.

Next steps identified during the hearing include formalizing the working group with Department of Education participation, producing illustrative commissioner‑approved activities and waiver examples for districts, and developing regulatory changes or guidance tied to the task force’s recommendations. No formal votes were taken by the committee during this session.

The committee scheduled follow‑up conversations and legislative drafting to translate the report’s recommendations into statutory or regulatory language; staff and members noted that regulatory revision and district implementation will take months and urged measures to avoid returning abruptly to prior SGO requirements while changes are adopted.