An interesting, if not a provocative, article in a recent issue of the LA Times. They are moving the same direction as the feds with a move from HQT (Highly Qualified Teachers) to HET (Highly Effective Teachers). In the case of the times, they are asking about the data available in LA Unified and the efficacy of individual teachers (somewhat like the RTTT requirements for teacher evaluations to be based on student data). Of course the next question is, what does effective mean?
In this case, the Times has utilized a statistical approach with student test scores to come to their "value-added" conclusions. More specifically they have utilized individualized student scores from the annual, state-required California Standards Test (CST). While there are certainly other measures that are valued and valuable -- that is what they choose. Additionally, they attempted to account for variations in all the normal student demographic variables.
This approach (Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System) was pioneered by Dr. William Sanders in Tennessee several years ago (1993) -- and while controversial has arguably assisted Tennessee in making serious progress in their public education system. Part of Sander's conclusion when the data was fully analyzed statewide was that there were lots of surprises -- a number of affluent schools did not perform well -- a number of less-affluent schools performed well. However, Sander's analysis was based on a school-by-school basis, not a teacher-by-teacher basis.
Regardless, of the varied views on this matter (and there are varied views), it is clear that this is the direction that the federal Department of Education is headed with our state leadership close behind.
I believe in LA they intend to post names of LAUSD teachers and their scores in the LA Times. One teacher's scores have already been revealed - she scored poorly although she is considered an excellent teacher by her colleagues, her principal, and her district. She has also received national recognition. I believe her comment to the press was something to the effect that she was, "surprised and disappointed."
ReplyDeleteAs with all such proposals, the devil is in the details. There are so many factors involved in student performance in any given year, many of which have to do with what happens with a student outside the classroom - divorce, illness, mental disorders, social issues, etc.
One interesting aspect of such a system would be parent reaction. Would you, as a parent, want your child in the class of the lowest performing teacher in his or her grade level? Can you imagine the effect this would have on the District? Would teachers be fired if their score was below a certain level? Would it be a pass/fail system? What exactly would the cut-off be? Would they be given a chance to improve?
I would assume that each District could implement the program differently and our adoption would be tailored to meet our needs. But the implications of such a system are vast.
I have no problem with a system that fairly addresses these types of situations, but I think it should apply to all public employees, including principals and District officials, not just teachers.
"Public school students are graded and tested all the time. Schools are scored too — California rates them in an annual index. Not so with teachers." Jason Felch, Jason Song and Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times
ReplyDeleteI think this is one thing the federal government is doing right. The next step would be to have the teachers grades up on their doors like a health rating from the health department.
These same standardized tests are what you give to the kids all the time and I don't see why we can't take the same test scores and put them all together to find out if the teacher is doing a good job. One student with a bad score is obviously not going to bring the teacher's score down too much.
We are heading for dangerous territory. Teachers' grades up on the door? How about teachers can start grading parenting skills and how well parents prepare their kids for school, based on their child's test score, and posting those on the door? We need to be working together to provide a quality education, not picking at teachers' test scores. The schools are being expected to more with less, and I believe that most teachers are doing the best job they can with what they have. There might be some ineffective teachers out there, but that should be handled in a professional way, not with a "scarlet letter."
ReplyDeleteSo, who will teach the combo class or the RSP cluster or the ELL 1&2 cluster year after year?
This is not what's best for kids! It will lead to more "teaching to the test" and our most needy kids will suffer.
I'll concede that this may not be the best idea but admit it there are some teachers out there that need to move on to another career.
ReplyDeleteWe have all had a bad teacher or dealt with them so what would be an acceptable way to monitor teachers?
Ahhhh! A job without scrutiny,judgement,accountability,evaluation, or consequence.....PERFECT!!!!!!! Those days are gone! Welcome to the REAL world!!!
ReplyDeleteParents and society are the problem. Everyone wants to ignore it, but it's true. I'm a teacher and the parenting that I see (or lack of parenting) is ridiculous. Parents want to be their kids' best friend. Society continues to let kids do and be exposed to whatever they want. There are no boundaries, there are no more manners, there is no more respect, there are no more high expectations. I'm not speaking about all parents here, but an increasingly dangerous number of them. I see it every day.
ReplyDeleteI am not advocating a job without accountability or evaluation. I just don't think that looking at test scores paints an acurate picture of a teacher's total performance. If you want to know what kind of teacher I am, come to my classroom and watch or ask me about the kind of learning that goes on in my classroom. Or, ask the parents from my class about their child's experience and growth in my room. It's not all about test scores, it's about the whole picture. As far as evaluation, that should be left to my administration and my peers. Like in most jobs, I should be evaluated by a supervisor from my field, not by the press and the public.
ReplyDeleteI know there are less effective teachers out there, but that should be determined by their classroom performance and evaluations along with their students' achievement.
For the record, I have consistently high test scores in my classroom. I just don't think the test scores should be the only determining factor for "good teachers and "bad teachers."
After the Russian Revolution, their entire education system was revamped so that children and young adults were taught dogma and skills that benefitted the "State". Good teachers were those who adhered to the party line, and turned out students who followed the party. It's easy to measure the effectiveness of teachers when you have one yardstick.
ReplyDeleteAmerica is a complex country with complex needs. Not all students will become college-educated or flourish in high-tech careers. Not all teaching can be measured by a one-size-fits-all test of basic language and math skills. There are no easy answers or quick fixes for our education system.
My question is: "Is it really broken?" Most parents will say that his or her child is receiving a good education when asked on a personal level. However, many of those same people will say that our schools are failing. The media present one side of the issue. Can we do a better job? The answer is a resounding, "YES!" Most teachers are willing to do whatever it takes to help children succeed.
We have a few "bad apples" that need to be removed. In a District the size of RUSD, there is no doubt about that. Anyone who has worked in any job knows some people do the work and some do not. We do need to identify these teachers and streamline the process to rehabilitate or remove them.
Teachers must accept responsibility for what they can control and stop making excuses. The public needs to realize that the "product" in education (educated children) is affected by many factors beyond the control of the schools. The fact that many of our most challenged students succeed is an indication of how many teachers do their jobs well.
Job description: work long hours managing 5-18 year olds with various levels of ability, motivation and household stability. Qualified applicants must be flexible, compliant, creative, entertaining and professional. In addition, applicants should have a strong desire to give back to their community both in terms of their time and money. Lastly, all qualified applicants must be water certified - having the ability to walk on water since it will take nothing short of a miracle for all your students to perform at the highest levels on State tests each year. And if your "charges" do perform well, you will need to forgive the State for not recognizing your efforts in any meaningful ways. If you have rocks in your head, cast the first stone!
ReplyDelete