The deadline was set as Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant pushed the district to obey his order to comply with the Stull Act, the 41-year-old law which mandates that student performance be used to help gauge teacher success. After a legal squabble in the courtroom, Chalfant sent attorneys into the hallway to hammer out a timeline for complying with a ruling he issued last month.

There will be a "gut-check" on Sept. 4, to make sure the district is on track toward a final Dec. 4 deadline, said Bill Lucia, executive director of EdVoice, the advocacy group that filed suit challenging the district's teacher evaluations. Lucia called the timeline realistic, and said it ensures that a system will be in place next spring for ensuring that students are in a classroom with an effective teacher.

Jesus Quinonez, an attorney for United Teachers Los Angeles, said the union and district have a negotiating session scheduled for Wednesday as they work to hammer out the details of the evaluation system.