The Governor has called for another Special Session of the Legislature to change existing state law, for the purpose of making California eligible for federal funds with the "Race To The Top" program. While there are a number of issues that are involved in eligibility, the most controversial and the one that is likely to obtain the greatest debate is the notion of tying student performance data (tests) to a teacher's/principal's evaluation. As you might imagine there will be a WIDE variety of opinions on the issue.
While most would agree that we as educators should be accountable (including myself) for our work, this particular issue is probably far more complicated than it may first appear. There are questions regarding other variables that can effect student performance (e.g., motivation to perform, no consequence either positive or negative for the student) BEYOND the learning that might have taken place. This is a fairly major and quick (certainly by Sacramento standards) potential change for a one-time shot at the federal gold. There is also a serious question about the merit of the instrument/test itself -- does it really test what we, as California, want? Interestingly, there is a group asking that same question on a national and international level.
Bottom line, I suspect that there will be a lot of debate on the matter and in the end there will be some sufficient compromise to make us eligible for the federal funds. While I FULLY support accountability, I question why the potential (not even a promise) of federal $$ would cause us to do what we have not considered worthy to even put on the table prior to this time. It should be an interesting debate between now and October 1st (the Governor's stated deadline).
I have been following the teacher assessment debate with interest as a parent and a university educator. Obviously gate and SE classes would throw off any even assessment, but there must be a way to assess the effectiveness of teaching on a class-by-class basis.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, if the previous year's test scores of each student in a class were averaged, one would expect the class to hit near that average in this year's tests. If a teacher's class were to surpass the expectation, they should be rewarded. If they consistently miss the mark, they need observation and possibly additional training.
I also would love a forum or venue to give feedback about teachers without feeling like I am overstepping a boundary. My son has had wonderful teachers and he has had teachers that seemed cranky and overly focused on classroom management and less than exciting in their presentation of the material. I never know, from year to year, which one of these he will get.