Bridgeport, Norwalk in school pilot

Bridgeport and Norwalk will pilot a new teacher and principal evaluation system being developed by the Connecticut Department of Education, a key component of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy”™s bill to improve schools statewide.

More than 35 districts and district groupings applied to participate in the pilot program, which allows districts to sideline teachers or principals if they do not meet standards after being given the opportunity to improve.

“The selection of these pilot districts is another step forward in our effort to fix what”™s broken in our public schools,” Malloy said, in a prepared statement. “Without a fair and reliable evaluation system, teachers and administrators are left with no clear indicators of where they are succeeding and where they should improve.”

The University of Connecticut”™s Neag School of Education will publish an analysis of the pilot program results by October 2013.

Other districts and groupings include:

Ӣ Bethany, Orange, and Woodbridge,

Ӣ Branford,

Ӣ Capitol Region Education Council,

Ӣ Columbia, Eastford, Franklin, and Sterling,

Ӣ Litchfield and Region 6,

Ӣ Waterford,

Ӣ Windham, and

Ӣ Windsor.