(WIBX) - Governor Cuomo says he's happy that state education leaders are "putting the needs of students ahead of politics" in reaching an agreement about teacher evaluations in New York State.

Officials ranging from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to State Education Commissioner John King, Jr. praised the Governor, heralding the implementation of a new teacher evaluation system as a move toward making New York a national leader in holding teachers accountable for student achievement.

Under the new agreement teachers will be rated on a 100-point scale.  Up to 60 points will be assigned according to performance, classroom observations, and feedback from students and parents.  Up to 40 points will be derived from student test results.

Reaching an agreement on establishing new guidelines was a requirement of a $700 million grant from the federal government as part of its "Race to the Top" program.

New York State United Teachers President Richard Iannuzzi said that the agreement "is good for students and fair to teachers."

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