Teacher performance bill hits a bump and goes back to Rules. Will it return at the 11th hour?
House Education Committee chair Brooks Coleman just asked that Senate Bill 521 be returned to the Rules Committee, which seems to take the controversial measure to judge teachers on their students’ performance off the agenda for the time being. The House agreed to Coleman’s request.
Does the bill — which is actually dual enrollment legislation with the performance language added last week — go back to Rules and come out again in the last hours of the session?
Or does it disappear into the mist? Is this a time delay to garner support? Or a concession that there is no support?
”Sending the legislation back to Rules Committee might be a sign that there is insufficient support to bring it to the floor. We know that educators across the state have been communicating with their representatives – who, unlike the governor, have to face the voters this November,” said Tim Callahan of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.
“I’d like to believe that, but it may only be a brief tactical retreat to duck safely back into the legislative ’smoke and mirrors’ only to pop out again just prior to sine die when it is more hectic, legislators are more pressed and things can sometimes sneak by,” he said.
According to Marcus W. Downs, director of government relations for the Georgia Association of Educators, “We can only speculate what it means for the bill to have gone back to rules. We would hope that legislators are going to take a closer look at what section four of the bill could mean and will consider striking it from the language. We do not oppose dual enrollment- we do not oppose the development of evaluation tools. It is unfortunate however that such a serious amendment was made without stakeholder input.
“We would like to thank those legislators who have considered our requests – Rep. Coleman has been a supportive chair and has brought our organization to the table. We are trying our best to be a part of the solution to the challenges Georgia is facing in education. We recognize that the solution will never be valuable or credible if done in a vacuum,” said Downs.
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82 comments Add your comment
Just a Thought
April 27th, 2010
10:21 pm
Right. Teacher and public input to the same tune of the survey results they are using to convince the people in Washington that teachers want this (the emails they are now receiving being contrary to that fact). Why would we trust them to do it right next time?
18 years as a teacher
April 27th, 2010
10:25 pm
Personally I do not want Georgia to receive RTTT funds at this point. Why would we want money that comes with so many strings? Especially when that money is limited. It won’t last forever, but we will be stuck with the so-called reforms.
The reforms that really need to be done are not possible. It’s parenting that needs to be reformed. You can tie teacher evaluations or salary to student achievement, but you cannot make the student “achieve” or “perform” on any given evaluation. There are too many other factors at play. Most of which involve parents.
Many parents today spend more time “plugged in” to their phones, computers, or TVs than they do actually parenting their children. Did you know that it’s a surprise to parents that kindergarten students need to be able to do some things independently? The parents have spent the first five years doing everything for them – it takes less time to do that than it does to teach the child how to do it. I could go on, but I’m sure you get the picture.
Just a Thought
April 27th, 2010
10:27 pm
“IF it passes, then we might have a microscopically higher chance of receiving RTTT funding…”
According to my understanding Georgia was already a close third. A real move towards merit pay was one of the main components missing. That seems more than a microscopic chance to me. They wouldn’t be trying to force this through at the last minute if they felt they only had a microscopic chance. They wouldn’t be feeding us this line about the unimportance of teacher buy in if they felt they only had a microscopic chance.
d
April 27th, 2010
10:30 pm
Why have a committee if the chair is going to override the will of the majority?
Happy Teacher
April 27th, 2010
10:33 pm
The results of the first round have no bearing on this round, and this is hardly the type of move towards merit pay that other states have put together. Plus, add in the fact that Sonny is out soon, and this is all he has been able to cobble together…
How “they” feel about our chances is irrelevant. It seems they feel desperate more than anything, since the reviewer that scored our aplication abnormally high last time isn’t guaranteed to evluate us again.
Happy Teacher
April 27th, 2010
10:35 pm
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/04/15/in-second-race-to-the-top-georgia-may-not-have-its-one-big-fan-again/
Just a Thought
April 27th, 2010
10:45 pm
@Happy Teacher….you know what, you just gave me some good news. Thank You!
Happy Teacher
April 27th, 2010
10:47 pm
A miracle! Don’t let the others hear you say that!
Reaper2007
April 27th, 2010
11:28 pm
Teacher in Cobb
April 27th, 2010
3:10 pm
Like the piece of crap “No Child Left Behind” which further allows the parents to place blame on us teachers, this bill will do just the same. Stop placing the failure rate on teachers. Parents need to step up and take charge of their kids. I didn’t lay down to make them, so I shouldn’t have to be the one that has to teach them things like being prepared in school, stop talking and picking up your pants. If you want kids to pass – get the little hoodlums out and in jail.>>>>>>>>>>>First of all, you’re right, the No child left behind plan was idiotic. All that does is make you, the teacher, push kids farther along than they should be simply to keep up and keep getting Fed and State monies for your schools. As far as parents stepping up, again I agree whole heartedly. Many parents today not only don’t take responsibility for thier kids but they don’t even accept it for themselves. However, I DO believe that teachers should be hired and fired based on performance. This should be gauged on teacher testing to ensure that the teachers know what they are supposedly subject matter experts in as well as performance of their students. Let’s face it, if you can’t inspire kids to learn and you can’t get your message or lesson across so that the kids learn and remember the lesson, then you are basically failing at your job!!
M G
April 27th, 2010
11:47 pm
I couldn’t respond earlier, trying to do so on the cell phone was not easy.
The truly scary part of this bill now is that parents and citizens will be involved in the creation of the new teacher evaluation instrument. If that sounds like a good idea to anyone, I’d really like to know if they will allow a committee of teachers to design their job performance criteria.
9th Lit Teacher
April 28th, 2010
1:29 am
Adding to history teacher’s response to I’m with Middle GA:
Count me in! I want to be evaluated, trreated, and paid like a coach too! Send only students that WANT to be in in my class. Send me students who value getting an education so much that they are willing to change their behavior motivated only by the possibility of being kicked out of my class. I would have NO problem being paid based on student performance because performing well will be the ultimate goal and passion of my students. So strong will this passion be, that I will never have to assign homework because my students will take it upon themselves to practice extra hours until they have mastered every concept. It won’t be my job to make them want an education … it will be my job to give them the education that they want. Yeah … I like this plan.
William Casey
April 28th, 2010
1:54 am
I’m retired after 31 years as teacher/administrator/coach so I have no personal stake but I still care very much. Give me the POWER in the classroom that I had in COACHING and you can evaluate me all day long! On the field or in the gym, I had ABSOLUTE POWER over something every player wanted….. playing time. Give me absolute power over something the kid in the classroom really wants (it will differ from kid to kid) and I (and most other teachers) will get some good results. Also give me power over something the PARENT really wants and I’ll get excellent results almost everytime.
9th Lit Teacher
April 28th, 2010
2:02 am
To Reaper 2007:
You said:” … the No child left behind plan was idiotic. All that does is make you, the teacher, push kids farther along than they should be simply to keep up and keep getting Fed and State monies for your schools.”
No, all NCLB does is empower the students and their parents to sit back and relax because *they* aren’t the ones being held accountable. Teachers are not pushing students, we’re spoon feeding them and escalating their grades. No, we were spoon feeding a few years back – it’s gotten to the point now that we’re spoon feeding, chewing, and swallowing for them. Teachers cannot engage students that don’t want to be engaged. It’s time for change. I, for one, refuse to dance naked on my desk just to get their attention. I’ve got their education. If they want it, they are invited to come and get it. I’m not going to beg them to come and get it, I’m not going to cram it down their throats, and I’m not going to water it down and give it to them intravenously. I will, however, jump through hoops of fire to get it to the students who show me they want it ….
Jacob
April 28th, 2010
7:21 am
We need a Bill 521, 522, 523,….for:
- Governor, senators and all government bureaucracy
- School Superintendents and administrators
- Principals and Assistant principals
- Medical doctors and nurses
- etc, etc
No Sir
April 28th, 2010
7:23 am
Please stop this pursuit, GA legislators. It is currently a flawed, ill-defined compensation model. Give it another try after a thorough dialogue among all interested/affected parties are allowed to voice their opinions. What is happening now is dubious at best.
rosie
April 28th, 2010
7:39 am
The evaluation has already been developed without teacher input it is called Class Keys. Please write your legislators and ask them NOT to pass this bill.
Meme (about to retire)
April 28th, 2010
8:55 am
I am very proud of Brooks. As a former educator he know how difficult it will be to determine merit.
Meme (about to retire)
April 28th, 2010
8:55 am
oops – he knows
education major
April 28th, 2010
9:06 am
I am currently in my senior year of college majoring in middle school education. I think the idea of merit pay is CRAZY. There are so many students out there who just don’t care about the tests that they are required to take. Saying that, I am so excited about becoming a teacher in the next year and plan to strive to do the best to my ability to have my future students succeed! I am full of hope that things in education will get better.
Devil's Advocate
April 28th, 2010
9:33 am
Why is it so crazy that teachers that can overcome all the obstacles that (supposedly) hold back other teachers should get a bonus above normal scale.
If the limitations that are beaten to death on this blog hold you back, then fine, you get normal scale pay.
But, if you can overcome the obstacles, you get more money. Nothing fairer than that…
Elizabeth
April 28th, 2010
9:35 am
9th grade lit teacher said it all. I will not dance naked on my desk to get their attention either. But I will go to extreme measures for those who want to get it. I once told an administrator this when she suggested that I provide a pizza party for the ones who scored highest on the CRCT as an incentive. I asked who would buy the pizzas. Her reply: “You will, of course.” I declined to fund this bribery and she declined to support me for the 3 years she was at our school.
Committed Educator
April 28th, 2010
9:44 am
@ Teacher in Cobb – I wonder if you are one of the teachers who are getting laid off? I am appalled at your lack of understanding and dedication to the education of our youth. Calling any child a “hoodlum” and desiring that they be “jailed” shows me that you are definitely in the wrong profession. Perhaps you may consider a field that does not involve the interaction and dedication to the growth of our children.
catlady
April 28th, 2010
9:46 am
Devil: not each teacher will have those obstacles. And those who don’t will be paid a very low rate.
It’s a money-saving ploy. We cannot be satisfied with being 5th best in the Southeast. We want to be dead-last.
catlady
April 28th, 2010
9:54 am
My two requests on the filter showed up, but the 2 substantive comments have not. Oh, the wise and wicked ways of the filter, blessed be its name.
Gwinnett resident
April 28th, 2010
10:02 am
Right now, teachers are told by the STATE and COUNTY the day-to-day material hte teacher MUST cover. Yoo bad if thekids do not get it; how is a teacher supposed to teach effectively when they do not have any control over the classroom time, the material, or the method to teach? nOw. you want to tell them that they will be evaluated based upon their students’ performance?! Get real people, talk to a teacher, find out what he/she is told to do, and what happens when they fail to cover the assigned material on the assigned day and instead decide to take the time to make sure that their students grasp the material!!
Veteran teacher, 2
April 28th, 2010
10:09 am
@Devil’s Advocate…It is pretty obvious that the Governor and some legislative leaders are using this ploy to lower salaries. They could actually have no intention of ever funding the bonuses. Many teachers did the arduous National Board Certification with the promise of a 10% bonus, and the legislature cut that this year. What will stop the legislature from saying, “sorry, thanks for doing a great job, but we don’t have the money this year.”? Without any clear details, few teachers will go along with this supposed plan. It is like building the airplane while flying it.
Devil's Advocate
April 28th, 2010
10:23 am
Sorry VT2, with the economy bouncing back, I just can’t get into the paranoid, conspiracy against teachers groove. I know teachers like to think that education should be beyond cuts, but that is just not reality.
Reality
April 28th, 2010
10:58 am
@Devil’s Advocate:
Teachers would be okay with cuts to go along with the bad economy. The problem is that Perdue and Repubs already had cut education budgets in the GOOD times. We have ALREADY been operating with skin and bones – no fat. Now, the bad economy hits and we cut more?
Just not right.
Veteran teacher, 2
April 28th, 2010
5:17 pm
@Devil’s Advocate…..It took me a long time to see the conspiracy, so I understand your reluctance. However, a trip to the Capitol during the session told me loud and clear what many of the current legislators think of teachers. This whole merit pay deal is simply a way to pay everyone more. The current Governor and many legislators think that teachers and principals just are not working hard enough, and if they did, achievement would immediately rise. The vast majority of people I work with are giving everything they have and more. Students have changed a lot in the past five years. No one should assume that students are now giving their best effort at anything they do. Listen to what most of the “real” teachers are saying, and you will hear similar information.
Veteran teacher, 2
April 28th, 2010
5:18 pm
typo-Should say “This whole merit pay deal is simply a way to pay everyone LESS” Freudian slip!!
Go Indians!
April 29th, 2010
2:40 pm
So we have a faculty meeting after school today – our Principal had met with the county all day to figure what is going to happen. Stay tuned.
battered & bruisedtchr
April 29th, 2010
7:09 pm
@Reaper2007
Where do YOU teach???!! East Cobb?? where most of the students are reading on grade level, know all their multiplication facts by grade 5, and scored level 2 and 3 on CRCT in ALL areas???
just curious, since you feel that if ALL students don’t learn, aren’t inspired to learn and are captivated by school each and every day that the teacher has FAILED at their job???