(MCT) — At 28, Evanston Township High School math teacher Zachary Herrmann is relatively new to the teaching profession, but he faces fundamental changes that could reshape his career — perhaps sooner than later.

The state this fall will start rolling out a controversial evaluation system that will rate teachers in part on how their students perform — a sea change unpopular with many rank-and-file educators but lauded by others as a way to ensure that the best instructors are in America's schools.