David Lombardo is reporting at Capitol Confidential the conversation in Albany about teacher evaluations continues, despite the adoption of legislation last week banning the required use of state tests to assess the performance of educators. “I think we have to do more work on the evaluation mechanism and the testing mechanism,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo told WAMC-FM Jan. 28. Cuomo said the state testing system had collapsed, noting the number of parents allowing their children to opt out of the exams. The legislation must still be sent to the governor for his signature. If signed into law, it would eliminate the requirement that scores on standardized grade 3 through 8 English and math tests be used to assess teachers, leaving it up to individual school districts to determine how, or if the tests would be used for that purpose. The state’s teachers’ union was opposed to the requirement, and lobbied vigorously on behalf of the new legislation. Regardless of what tests are used, teachers must still undergo regular evaluation, according to federal rules. The rules for assessing teachers are set by the state Board of Regents. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential.