New York City Teacher Data Reports
Mark J. Madrigal
Northcentral University

New York City Teacher Data Reports
The purpose of this paper is to analyze an article and to demonstrate an understanding of introductory statistics as to discuss an estimated sample mean, margin of error, and confidence interval. Most important, this paper centers on the wide variations with reporting on New York city teacher’s performance and criticism through of potentially erroneous data from 2007 to 2010 as reported in the Wall Street Journal. These reports, that take student test scores in math and English, lead to controversy over value-added teacher performance that ultimately led to litigation
Data
In 2009, it was reported that seventh-grade math teacher, Ms. Bost ranked in the 49th percentile in New York city school district. The following year Ms. Bost ranked in the 73rd percentile of the 12,000 teachers (Fleisher, 2012; Zhao, 2012). Here it shows the wide variation in the data and the concerns the teachers faced with the statistics.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the sample mean is 50% with a margin of error of 35 or X̄ ±17.5. Next, we can use the margin of error to find the confidence interval of teachers who fell within this range between 32.5 to 67.5 percent. We define the sample mean = X̄ as a group of sufficiently large observations = n to estimate the population mean (Yale, 1998). Whereas, the margin of error = MOE “is used to describe the range of values that provides the confidence interval” (Bennett, Briggs, & Triola, 2014).
Analysis
Figure 1 shows the wide margin of error that the New York Teacher’s union contested in litigation as inaccurate and flawed data. For example, small class sizes, faulty class rosters, questionable data and complex methodology can be attributed to a wide margin of error (Fleisher, 2012; United Federation of Teachers, nd)

Figure 1
X̄ = 50
X̄ - E = 32.5
X̄ + E = 67.5
95% Confidence Interval
E = 35

X̄ = 50
X̄ - E = 32.5
X̄ + E = 67.5
95% Confidence Interval
E = 35

Conclusion In February 2012, the United Federations of Teachers reports that the courts have allowed the release of the Teacher Data Report for New York City school district despite the controversial statistics (United Federation of Teachers, 2012). In this regard, one must assume that the courts utilized expert statisticians to review the findings as to rule in favor of the New York School District. In the end, the union and the teachers must conform to the performance measures and work with the District to improve education in the New York city area.

References

Bennett, J., Briggs, W., & Triola, M. (2014). Statistical reasoning for everyday life. Boston: Pearson.
Fleisher, L. (2012, February 25). The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 4, 2016, from Wide variations spark skepticism: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203918304577243690477706160
United Federation of Teachers. (2012, February 14). Court says teacher data reports can be released. Retrieved January 10, 2016, from http://www.uft.org/press-releases/court-says-teacher-data-reports-can-be-released
United Federation of Teachers. (nd). This no way to rate a teacher. Retrieved January 9, 2016, from http://www.uft.org/files/attachments/uft-teacher-data-reports-formula-ad.pdf
Yale. (1998). Sample Means. Retrieved January 9, 2016, from http://www.stat.yale.edu/Courses/1997-98/101/sampmn.htm
Zhao, E. (2012, February 24). New York City teacher ratings: Teacher data reports publicly released amid controversy. Retrieved January 9, 2016, from Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/24/new-york-city-teacher-rat_n_1299837.html