LOS ANGELES (AP) — Teachers union officials praised a decision that says the Los Angeles Unified School District is violating state law for not including measures of student achievement in teacher evaluations.

In a statement Tuesday, United Teachers Los Angeles President Warren Fletcher says the union is pleased with the decision and has already developed an evaluation framework.

Monday’s 25-page opinion by Judge James Chalfant was a tentative decision in a lawsuit filed last year by an anonymous group of LAUSD families sponsored by a Sacramento-based education reform group, against the district.

Fletcher says UTLA is pleased Chalfant acknowledged the teacher evaluation system must be collectively bargained, and agreed on by both the district and teachers.

Superintendent John Deasy also lauded the decision, saying the district has taken too long to institute new methods.

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