Legislature will consider teacher report cards
I have been working on a column for the AJC’s Monday education page on an effort this upcoming legislative session to formulate a bill creating teacher report cards in Georgia and just chatted with House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey, R-Atlanta, about his interest in the issue.
Along with state Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan, D-Austell, Lindsey visited Colorado recently to meet with the legislator there led a successful effort to pass a teacher effectiveness bill this year.
We talked about a range of education initiatives that Lindsey would like to see this session, including improving the substance of pre-k, reviewing how much testing we do in our schools, enhancing technical education in high school and saving HOPE.
But we talked mostly about whether Georgia was ready and able to rate teachers given the available data and all the controversies about whether such measures are fair:
His reply to my question on whether this was the time for report cards for teachers:
“If not now, when? We now have a situation where 50 percent of low-income students who enter ninth grade are not graduating. That is atrocious. We cannot allow demographics to control destiny. You have a wide range of people across the spectrum who believe that — from myself in the Republican category to the Secretary of Education to Alisha Morgan and lots of folks in between.
I am a great believer that given our present state of education nationwide, we need to be trying to figure out ways to move forward. Whether that means the present year or 2012 for all these education initiatives, I am about building coalitions and moving legislation. But I feel strongly that we have to move forward now. The status quo in education is not acceptable.”
Lindsey was not surprised when I predicted strong teacher opposition to public report cards, but said that he wants to hear from teachers.
So, here is your first chance to comment on this possible legislation.
– By Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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304 comments Add your comment
ugateacher
December 28th, 2010
8:15 pm
People- please don’t waste your time replying to Dr. NO- he/she is just trying to raise your blood pressure. He/she obviously has nothing better to do than to antagonize others. So ignore him/her. It’s not worth the time typing.
@Teacher
December 28th, 2010
8:28 pm
@MattandJack’s Mom: Hence the APS strategy…..tell him don’t worry about it, the admins will fill it in for him. Better yet, that works better, at least no abnormal erasures!!
Dave
December 28th, 2010
8:29 pm
In nearly all the conversations regarding out failing education systems, hardly ever do I see any mention of the culture variable, it’s always the teacher. As a teacher, I saw the effects of poor parenting daily, and if the lack of parenting wasn’t enough to totally warp the childrens’ attitudes and perspectives, the corporate world completed the task. Just look at what these kids, who now mostly come from one parent homes, watch on TV – hate and confrontation, which inevitably is played out the next day in the classroom. And, if not the TV, there is always Grand Theft Auto or the like video games. Our schools only reflect what is happening in the neighborhoods, and not until such social necessities like empathy and respect are once again taught behind the close doors in these neighborhoods, will we see improved schools.
mary
December 28th, 2010
8:36 pm
First year teachers who are new in the field need more support than what they are getting. As a first year teacher in a middle school I was put in a three-man team while seasoned teachers were in a four man team. I taught social studies, language arts, and ELT (Extended Learning Time)at dekalb county. The principal, Ms. Jackson decided to observe me during the last week of fall term when kids were excited about starting their christmas vacation. I was continuously harrassed by the assistant principal who is completely ignorant about how to coach a first year teacher. My contract was not renewed while a white male teacher who was not certified and was not a better teacher than myself was retained.
d2
December 28th, 2010
8:42 pm
The real issue is who is going to pay for this stupid rating system–I get sick of politician meddling in public schools with these test, performance pay, and other absurd ideas and then wonder why public education gets such a bad rap. Three friends of mine left Georgia to teach in Oregon. I love it when every politician jumps on the band wagon-first standarize testing, then more of it, then a universal taught curriculum, then performance pay, then Race to the Bottom, now this S@@@. These ideas come from the same people who say Government needs to me limited. I hate it when people say it is coming like it or not–but I have seen things come then I see them go–Lived here all my life and never thought I see it this bad since Joe Frank Harris. If I misspelled anything or used wrong grammar–GET OVER IT–it is a blog not an English class.
The Truth
December 28th, 2010
8:46 pm
I am not afraid to be rated in public, I welcome it. In the same right, lets’ publish a report card for parents; You would not believe how many Pyramid of Intervention meetings I do in a week without a parent or guardian in attendance. Half of the students in the Pyramid are raised by the tired Grandparents who are so far removed from the realities of this generation they don’t know what to do. I wish I could be paid the hours I spend during lunch, before school, and after school tutoring, mentoring, counseling, planning, grading, and worrying about my low achievers. The students’ with involved parents are not problems in the classroom, they make higher test scores, and they want to be successful; by the way, not all of them have money either. The difference is that they show they care. They work with their child. They don’t let economics excuse laziness and a lack of interest.
This is a parenting problem, not a teacher problem. I think it is funny how students that come to school and do their job, participate, and give their best effort always seem to succeed; hard work and effort are not a socio-economic issue…or are they?
TOTY
December 28th, 2010
8:47 pm
Politicians like this are one reason my wife will retire early and select a new profession in a new state next year. Teaching sucks as a profession in Georgia except for the retirement plan. Too late to change that!
Getting treated as a subhuman gets old after a couple of decades.
Let’s fingerprint and do a background check on Lindsey.
Lindsey must ride one of our short buses.
outspoken1
December 28th, 2010
8:49 pm
I had to stop before I reacted to this. I wanted to come out swinging against the teachers but I agree with some of the other posters and since when is it only up to our teachers to teach?
Did women lib give parents an out for helping to teach our children.
I always made sure that the tv was off until all homework was completed. This means I was also involved with helping out with the homework as well.
My daughter always made great grades and I was glad to help.
Parents want very little to do with being a parent these days.
They can’t wait to have a child and then drop it off at daycare the first day possible.
Then it is off to school for the next 12 to 16 years and then it is outta the house and onto their own lives.
So, as parents we really invest about 2 to 3 solid months of being the parents and being solely responsible for our own child.
Then it is off to someone else to do our dirty work.
Shame on us.
I am in agreement with a report card for teachers. We get them in our jobs and in our real life.
We are to be held responsible for our actions and the lack there of.
ScienceTeacher671
December 28th, 2010
9:02 pm
How many teachers in Georgia are currently under provisional certification? I know that at our school, quite a few of those in the “critical needs” fields, such as science, math, special education, and foreign languages, are on provisional certificates because fully certified teachers could not be found for those positions.
Those who speak of school choice, charter schools, and vouchers also love to speak of “market forces”. The same “market force” theories tell one that if teachers are in short supply, if demand exceeds supply, one of two things must occur: either compensation will be raised to make the position appeal to more qualified applicants, or standards for entry into the field will be lowered to make more people eligible to fill the vacant positions. Unfortunately, our legislators and local officials are most inclined to take the latter course, and then complain that the low quality of teachers is the problem.
Rep. Lindsey, if your grading system finds that unqualified teachers are the problem and removes them from the profession, how and where will you find replacements for these inferior teachers? I have heard that in some northern states with strong unions, good working conditions, and excellent pay and benefits packages, teacher turnover is low and there are many qualified applicants for each position. I don’t think that is the case in Georgia.
ronald
December 28th, 2010
9:03 pm
Teachers and teachers unions are ridiculous. They don’t want to be judged by any metric or tool whatsover. They just want to get their checks and get their annual raises and get their pensions. The rest of the world has a message for you- Everyone else in every other industry on the planet is judged and paid according to how effective they are. Its time that you joined the club..
Just Wondering...
December 28th, 2010
9:04 pm
@ Outspoken1 – you said, “I am in agreement with a report card for teachers. We get them in our jobs and in our real life.”
Really? Just what do you do for a living? I was in the military and the private sector for 15 years before I became a teacher. I never once received a “report card.” I was, however, evaluated, much as I am now. My evaluations determined my eligibility for promotions and raises – much as my evaluation does now (contrary to popular belief, a poor evaluation means no raise, and would put you out of the running for a promotion, although other factors are involved there). Never when I was in the military or private sector were my evaluations to be made public – they were between my bosses and me. Never were my grades or my children’s grades made public either – those were between them, their teachers, and me. This proposal is far far removed from the “real world.”
You said, “We are to be held responsible for our actions and the lack there of.” The problem is that TPTB want to base a large part of the so-called “report card” on STUDENT test scores. Those aren’t MY actions – they are the students’ and oftentimes, the students’ “lack there of” – that is why you seeing such resistance…not to mention the fact of the dubious reliability of the tests themselves as well as research that shows evaluating teachers based on tests scores does not produce measurable improvement.
Make the tests reliable and meaningful for the kids – then we can talk.
ronald
December 28th, 2010
9:06 pm
And teachers- No one is going to take you seriously as long as you stand behind your silly teacher’s union. The only reason they encourage teachers to make ridiculous demands is so that you will have strife and conflict with parents and Congressmen. Without strife and conflict, the unions would fade away into obscurity. And that would be a good thing…
Teachers- Speak for yourselves and don’t be a parrot for what your union cronies tell you to say.
say what?
December 28th, 2010
9:14 pm
As long as there is a parent effectiveness report card i am with it. It should be based on the child’s homework grades and if the parents sign off on it each and every night. Parents get graded if they meet all six of Epstein’s typologies. If they rank “C” or below then you get NO child tax credit, no tax write offs. If you receive TANF (which has a personal responsibility plan that “requires” a child succeeding in school and graduating on time) then the PRP sanctions go into effect with NO excuses. That should cover many if not all parents in GA.
Otherwise the GA legislature needs to sit on the sidelines with this one. They can push that the PRP requirement be met as that law is already on the books since 1996.
SP
December 28th, 2010
9:16 pm
Really! Well if they are so worried about teacher report cards……. Then how do you explain all the furlough days……… If they want change, then they are going to have to stop robbing the people that can make this happen
Just Wondering...
December 28th, 2010
9:22 pm
Ronald – you are aware that there is no true (collective bargaining) union in Georgia? I’ve been teaching 10 years, and I don’t belong to anything.
As a right to work state, union membership cannot be required for employment. As state employees it has been determined to be likely illegal (although there is no law on the books – this is based on a written legal opinion from the 70s) to engage in collective bargaining.
We’re not making any demands – we’re saying that the report card is a misguided effort. Seriously, what point is it going to serve? Are you going to be allowed to change teachers? Likely not. Is it going to attract better, brighter teachers to the profession? Likely not. Will it be based off valid tests? I doubt it? Will it make some test maker money? Without a doubt. Will it result in more bureaucracy and a nicely paid central office job? Likely so. You tell me why you think it’s a good idea.
You said, “Everyone else in every other industry on the planet is judged and paid according to how effective they are.” I had to laugh, as that is so not true – I’ve worked in the private sector and seen it for myself. But on that thought, you said judged on how effective they are – except the test show how effective the STUDENTS are – not the teachers. Make it a meaningful test for the kids – make it count – make it reliable – and then we can talk. I’m ok with having my test scores released as long as the students names ARE on them as well – let’s all get our names in the paper…what do you think of that?
teacher&mom
December 28th, 2010
9:25 pm
@ronald….please identify the teachers union in GA. Who is the president? Can you give an example of the last time the union in GA participated in negotiations with the elected officials to determine salaries, evaluations, job conditions?
Cause I’d love to locate the “teachers union” in GA and join before the next legislative session.
Maybe you should stop parroting Neil Bortz and Fox News.
Former Middle School Teacher
December 28th, 2010
9:26 pm
You can’t talk to people like Ronald, they have been told by Fox News that all teachers belong to Unions and we all receive tremendous pay, benefits, and protection from dismissal. The facts won’t matter it doesn’t fit his dogma.
teacher&mom
December 28th, 2010
9:28 pm
I’d love to find this mythical teacher union and sign on the dotted line
ScienceTeacher671
December 28th, 2010
9:31 pm
@Dr. Craig Spinks/Augusta: “By the way, before we publish teacher report cards, let’s improve the validity, reliability and rigor of the student, school and system report cards we have now. What do “A”s and “B”s on students’ report cards, an AYP-designation on their school’s report card, and an AYP-designation on their system’s report card mean if the Iowa Test of Basic Skills scores of the honor roll kids, their school and their school system fall well below national norms???”
Hear! Hear!
Buddy
December 28th, 2010
9:51 pm
If the government is going to issue a ‘teacher report card,’ I demand a ‘parent report card’ as well.
Sped Teacher
December 28th, 2010
10:14 pm
This is ridiculous! I would love for these “fine” lawmakers to come visit my classroom and observe some of the behaviors that we have to deal with on a daily basis. I think they are clueless and would be appalled at the disrespect that occurs in the classroom. I will not tell you how to do your job, so don’t tell me how to do mine…unless you have walked in my shoes, you have no idea what you are talking about! Everyone thinks they are an expert when it comes to education, but I guarantee people would change their tune if they actually tried it for a day. I love what I do, but it makes me sad that people want to degrade us so much. Yes, there are some things that need to be changed in our schools, but don’t automatically assume that it is the teacher because in most cases…it isn’t. I understand that it is easy to blame teachers, but please don’t. We are working very hard; we want our students to learn as much as you do. We get to school early, leave late and take papers home at night and on weekends. I brought a lot of paperwork home with me to work on while I’m off (without pay) during our Christmas break. A personal story….I was at dinner with my husband and some of his clients (from Korea). They found out that I teach and they were in awe; they were praising me just because they I teach school and they had never stepped foot in my classroom. They told me how teachers are honored in their country and that everyone respects them. What a difference we are seeing in our country. We just need to ALL work together and quit putting divisions among ourselves.
Frustrated teacher
December 28th, 2010
10:17 pm
This is what I e-mailed both Representative Lindsey and my own representative. I would be shocked if someone responded:
I recently read Maureen Downey’s blog on the AJC in regards to teacher report cards. She made it clear that our legislators were interested in hearing from their teacher-constituents in regards to this new idea that Representative Lindsey is planning on investigating during the upcoming legislative session. I have only been teaching eleven years, but I have earned our county’s TOTY title and am a National Board Certified Teacher. Though I have received many accolades and have enjoyed my career for the past 11 years, I am considering leaving the teaching profession because of this new push for grading teachers based on student scores and paying teachers based on student scores. I can teach and I can work with these students, but I cannot be their only parent. The students that I teach come from broken homes and have a general malaise for learning that is a direct result of socio-economic level and society in general. I am not sure when this feeling began, but recent students are interested in getting only what they can be given–not in earning their own grades or taking charge of their learning. I am frustrated with the way legislators, state and local administrations all want the dog and pony show are not interested in how or if students actually learn, because it is all about high-stakes testing where the teacher becomes the victim.
Steve
December 28th, 2010
10:23 pm
My mother taught High school for 30 years, both of my sisters are teachers, and my wife is an excellent teacher (20 years). I find that the majority of the people that provide general, “fire them” comments on this issue have never taught in a classroom, never had to contend with egotistical administrators, nor try to teach kids that could give a rats-a@@ about being there. When a child isn’t taught by his parents to make school his top priority, it isn’t. When parents don’t monitor their children’s homework, it often isn’t done; when grades and progress reports aren’t discussed in the home, they aren’t effective in the school. And, when children aren’t held accountable for their academic performance by their parents, there is only so much a teacher can do.
Master Teacher
December 28th, 2010
10:35 pm
I have been teaching for 12 years. I recently moved to GA from TX. What GA considers innovative now, we were doing 10 years ago in Texas. Frankly, I’m sick and tired of being the scapegoat for mistakes made at the state level. I teach in a Title One Middle School. I have always felt “called” to teach in challenging environments. I am good at what I do, and I get good results. This is amazing, considering that our CRCT test is not aligned with the state standards or the GA frameworks. What that means for you politicians out there who know nothing of education, if I teach to the test, my students aren’t getting what they need to learn how to think critically and problem solve logically. If I teach to the standards or the GA frameworks, my students could fail the lower level grammar test you call the CRCT. If the system is this screwed up at the STATE level, is it any wonder this trickles down to the teacher level? Thank GOD I am a Master Teacher with experience. I can teach everything kids need to know and do it well. But a new teacher just starting out? What do they do? They teach to the test. And therein lies the problem.
Teacher report cards? Whatever. Why don’t politicians just admit they would prefer to do away with public education altogether and be done with the fiasco? What you put teachers through is nothing less than criminal, and I am so sick of it. I second what so many have said before me. Politicians need to come to our schools, spend a week with us. Watch what we do. See how you feel when little Johnny gets up in your face and tells you to f**k off. Come and be amazed, because you will find that the LARGE majority of teachers will teach with everything they’ve got. They will teach with grace and dignity and class. They will work the long hours and do what it takes to ensure students are learning in their classrooms. Come and see how long you survive, Mr. Politician, with a 20 minute lunch and an 11 hour work day with NO breaks. Then go home and grade my 90-100 two-three page essays for another 4 hours, several times a week. See if you make the grade.
teacher&mom
December 28th, 2010
10:37 pm
To Representatives Lindsey and Morgan: May I suggest you read the following book:
http://whygreatteachersquit.com/
If you want to acknowledge the A+ teachers in this state and encourage future teachers to enter the profession, this book may provide some answers. Compare your proposed legislation to the suggestions in the book.
Cobbmom
December 28th, 2010
10:44 pm
Every year we teachers are required to attend professional development meetings. Every year an “expert” who hasn’t been in a classroom for a decade tells us about the latest and greatest innovations. Every time I have asked one of the experts how to implement the latest and greatest in my classroom I receive the same canned response “you know your classroom best, you will figure it out”, translation, “I don’t know how to make it work in a classroom, I’m paid the big bucks to talk, not actually do anything”. One of the “experts” told us we were to spend 90 minutes a week giving one-one instruction to our struggling students. When a special education teacher pointed out that students in special education don’t receive that much attention and what were we to do with our other 24 students while we worked individually with one student, her reply was “no they don’t” and she walked out of the room never to be seen again. She never addressed the issue of the 24 other students.
I can honestly say that the addition of useless paperwork and data collection is driving me from the profession. My SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, passed the CRCT, in fact we had a 99% passing rate, but I’m considered an emerging teacher because my daily lesson plans are only 3 pages long. They aren’t “detailed enough” and I only spend 10 hours a day at school, I choose to spend time with my own children which is a no-no if you want to advance in your career. Meanwhile a teacher who doesn’t even write her lesson plans, yells at her students, and is chronically late and leaves early is teacher of the month twice a year (chosen by the principal) because she volunteers to chair a committee. She isn’t married and doesn’t have children to tend, no wonder she has time to volunteer.
Of course the children who are struggling in my class belong to the parents I’ve never met and I always get voice mail when I call, e-mails are ignored. Their children don’t do their homework, practice their math facts or even attempt to read when they leave the school. But, I’m the only one who is held responsible for their test scores. Meanwhile the superintendent of Cobb Co. schools accepted a $25,000 bonus for the test scores of MY students, during the same week he decided to fire over 500 teachers. He was never in my classroom teaching so why did he receive a bonus for their test scores? I was rewarded with a paycut, a $5,000 paycut.
If teachers are held completely responsible for students, I think we should have more control. It should be a teacher’s decision to suspend a student and we should be allowed to tell parents exactly what we think of their parenting ability. A better solution would be a report card for teachers and a report card for parents (completed by the teacher, NOT bohunkus kissing administration).
SGaDawgette
December 28th, 2010
11:25 pm
This is a joke, right? I don’t know what’s worse: the ignorance of the “representatives” who have the brass to even suggest “teacher report cards,” the “it’s coming whether you like it or not” attitude of the moderator, or the “teachers should be evaluated just like every other profession” posters. Do any and all of these people seriously believe that the teaching profession does not already have an evaluation instrument already in place? Every year every teacher is (supposed to be) evaluated at least once, and some years teachers are evaluated three times. Whether or not these evaluations occur is NOT up to the teacher; evaluation is the domain of the administration. Doesn’t every job have an annual evaluation? Why would you think that teachers do not? The evaluation is already in place. What is NOT in place is the “public” factor. What is the purpose of such a report? What other professions have a public report card? Does yours? Should yours?
BEB
December 28th, 2010
11:54 pm
My. my, my
special Ed teacher
December 29th, 2010
12:26 am
You know, its absoultly histerical how people who never in their lifetime, wrote lesson plans or IEP’s, created gallery boards, taught GPS standards, graded unsatisfactory student work(classwork, projects, or homework)and can’t give a grade of a lower than a 50, attend PTSA meetings that were made mandatory after hours and none of your parents showed. There were some very good responses that I personally agree with however, these responses came from individuals who have been in the profession or are currently teaching. Yes, these politicians should make it their purpose to subsitiute for a month and be require to write these lesson plans and deal with what teachers deal with on a daily basis. People are always quick to judge us as educators but fail to look at the real problem. Each educator, went to college or university and obtain training in the United States, not only that we completed teacher programs that were mandated and approved by each individual state agency. Some have even went further and obtain higher level degrees. If Georgia’s problem with education is teachers, then why other states are hiring these same individuals who are graduating from these same colleges and univesities teacher programs doing better than us? obviously the problem doesn’t lie with the teachers it lies with these lawmakers making these ridiculous judgements and ill informed decisions in an effort to stay in office. And just in case these lawmakers do have an advisory commitee who were ex-educator, they are so far removed from the profession. I agree that teachers should have some form of assessment that will evaluate and improve areas that are weak and strengthen areas were that teacher is strong, but don’t based it on my test scores or number students graduated. If the goal is to save money to get rid of the older teachers and hire young naive teachers in a effort to save money than say so instead of playing all these game to force people out. Keep these antics up and surely no one will teach in Georgia. Remember the average life expectancy for a teacher now a days is 2 to 5 years.
membyjan
December 29th, 2010
12:49 am
I am not only a teacher; I am a mother of 4, and a former student of the Georgia education system. I have wondered why the GaDOE made so many changes in the education system. Unfortunately, not all the changes that have been made over the years have been good ones. The sad part is, it is the teachers who have to implement these changes’. It is the teachers who have to reap headaches. It is the teachers who hear the mean spirited comments from everyone- including the DOE and legislation- when those changes don’t work. Yes, we do have some teachers who probably should not be in the system but then what business doesn’t employ those who don’t belong?
Here is my question to House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey and Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan: have you ever considered that the parents and the students are a major reason why education and standardize test scores are not where they need to be? Have you? No, you haven’t! You, along with parents and GaDOE, all want to point the finger at the teachers and say, “It’s the teacher’s fault.” Well, NO it is not all the teacher’s fault.
In order for a teacher to teach, she/he needs to have some help from the parents, the students, and then administrators. If parents were held accountable in the same way the legislators want to hold teachers accountable we would then see a whole different school system and we would see test scores at their highest. Parents are the key…yes the key! It all starts at home! It starts the day the parents bring that new bundle of joy home from the hospital. Parents today expect everyone else to raise and teach their child. But it doesn’t work that way. Parent needs to teach their children at an early age to respect adults as well as to instill the desire to learn. I’m not saying anything I didn’t do with my own children. Over the years, I have received numerous compliments from my children’s teachers on how well behaved they were, what a joy my children were in their class, how they appreciate the fact my children came prepared for class, etc. As a parent those compliments meant a lot to me and reaffirmed that what I had taught my children from an early age had been carried over into the classroom. My children were and are A’s and B’s students, and they passed The CRCT, EOCT, ITBS, and any other standardized test they were given.
Parents need to be held accountable for their child’s actions, not just their own. Accountability needs to begin at home! Here is what needs to be implemented in order for our system to be successful: 1) Homework-parents need to not only make sure their child does it, but they need to go back over it with them and check their work. 2) Discipline-parents need to hold their child responsible for their action in the classroom not hold the teacher responsible for a student’s misbehavior. 3) Supplies-parents need to make sure their child has what they need to do classwork and homework. 4) Attendance-it is the parent’s responsibility to see that their child attends school and makes up any missed work. This also applies to parents of children with special needs. We have 20-30 plus students per class in the elementary level and 150 plus students total per teacher in the secondary grades to oversee; you have one child, possibly a few more, but not on the same level a teacher has every day. The more you work with your child at home, the more successful they will be in the classroom and in the real world. Parents need to realize those in the education profession want to help their child be successful not only now in school but also as an adult, but we as teachers do need your help to achieve that.
I am sick and tired of hearing it is the teacher’s fault that our education system is failing our children. As a young child, my parents instilled in me that an education was the most important thing I could do to better myself. I learned all of the important things education had to offer not only from my parents but from my teachers. Why? My parents helped me with my homework, they held me accountable for my actions, and taught me school was a place to learn not to play. My teachers taught me all of the academics: reading, math, writing, English, spelling, social studies, science, music, physical education, and art all in an eight hours school day. The second and third chances I was offered to learn these things came in the form of summer school, not in my parents demanding I be passed on to the next grade where I did not have the foundation to be successful in the next grade. Schools give students so many chances to redo things that should have been done right the first time. School systems need to start holding parents financially responsible when students blatantly don’t do their work or hold back other students with disruptions.
Mr. Lindsey and Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan, my suggestion is this: you need to look at how you can hold parents and students accountable. Teachers give so much of themselves in so many ways and try so hard to make sure their students are successful, but they receive very little support and appreciation for what they do. If you had to pay teachers for the countless hours they put into their job I’m not so sure you could afford us.
If you still feel teachers are the bad guys, I suggest you spend a month in the classroom with us. I suggest you spend time in the Title 1 schools to get a true understanding of what a teacher deals with everyday. Spend time in the classrooms so you can experience the frustration teachers face every day while dealing with students who don’t know the meaning of respect. Then you will see it is not the teachers you should be looking at, but it is the parents and students who need to be given a report card.
Career Switcher
December 29th, 2010
1:53 am
I worked in several areas of business prior to teaching, and I can honestly say that I have never once been evaluated on any variable that was not within my control. I was evaluated on whether or not I was on time, how well I executed my duties, and whether or not I was a team player. I was evaluated on the quality of work I turned out and how efficient I was. Once finished, no one saw the evaluation unless they were a direct supervisor or some type of manager. I was expected to work quickly and efficiently, and yes, the workload did increase whenever economic cutbacks necessitated workforce reductions. It did not, however, increase to a point where I was expected to perform 60-70 hours of work in 40 hours without additional compensation. Nor was I expected to bring my own supplies to work with me. If my job happened to be more difficult and more stressful and required more from me than a co-worker’s, then I was able to negotiate additional compensation of some sort. The company could either pay up or I could go somewhere else and be paid what I was worth, and we both knew it. It made for a more leveled playing field.
And yes, there are bad and unfair managers outside of education, but I can say that in my experience, there are far higher levels of incompetence and just plain stupidity in education “management” (administration and central office) than I ever saw in the business world. This is why so many teachers are so outspoken about the evaluation process. Often times in business, incompetent management will ultimately be discovered and dealt with. I have not seen this to be the case in education—if anything, they are just relocated from one school to another! Sadly, I’m sure there are a small percentage of teachers at many schools who shouldn’t be teaching. I have seen firsthand teachers who can’t speak a grammatically correct sentence and who don’t have any command of the subject that they teach absolutely be left alone while others are gone after seemingly without basis. I think that this is part of what leads to such widespread disrespect of the teaching field in general.
I just wish lawmakers could imagine the unintended consequences of publicly reporting teacher report cards. How would you rate or grade 3 teachers who teach the same grade/content at one school? One handles the advanced and gifted, one handles average, and the other handles the team with all the special ed. and remedial students? Anyone who has ever taught knows that some children merely have to show up to learn, while others require hours and hours of intense remediation and re-teaching just to get the basics. How will the makeup of students be reflected, and what measures will ensure that good teachers will want to continue teaching this group of students? How will the PE or Art teachers (most of whom work nowhere near the hours of math, science, reading, or special ed. teachers) be graded? Will the typing or other non-academic teacher who walks in at 8 and leaves at 3:59 receive a better grade than me or my co-workers (who work from 7-5:30, and then go home and work some more)? All because their students did well on a portfolio, and even after all the extra help, some of mine (some of whom come to me with IQ’s in the low 70-80’s) still didn’t meet the bar?
Many parents are not well versed in educational matters and don’t realize how many variables factor into test scores. When a parent sees that I have a C and the other teacher has an A, what will happen? It will be just another thing for students and parents to blame non-achievement on. Schools will constantly be asked to move students (no one will want their child with a sub-par teacher) and those students stuck with the “C” teacher will want to blame any and everything on that teacher. Anyone who works at a Title 1 school or a school with a more diverse population will see teachers leaving in droves (remember what happened in Clayton County during the first SACs investigation?). I have spoken to teachers in higher SES counties, and they are apalled at some of the things that we (in lower SES districts) are asked to do. You would have to be insane to stay at such a school and risk a lower grade, lower pay, and parental and community scorn when you could simply move on to a school with a higher SES status. What about those like me? I could transition to teaching HS business, marketing, computers, or economics. I would imagine any one of these would involve less pressure than teaching mathematics to remedial students (some of whom are working on a 2nd grade level). I truly enjoy working with remedial students and have been told that I have a knack for explaining things at a level that they can understand, but do you think I would risk my family’s livelihood to continue to do what I do now? After all, I am sure the real purpose of these report cards is so that they can be used for pay-for-performance purposes. It is simply absurd to even consider publishing teacher report cards, particularly when teachers have no control over so many variables involving their students.
SouthGeorgia NBCT
December 29th, 2010
2:40 am
Rep. Lindsey has zero credibility with me, a normally-republican votiing teacher. In 2009, he voted (vote no. 216) to add language to the LAW that allowed the General Assembly to default on paying teachers the “not less than 10 per cent salary increase” (language from the law) for acheiviing national certification. This vote will have cost me almost $10,000 by the end of the current school year.
So, if the teacher accountability movement becomes law, how long will it take legislators to change the law if the results don’t suit them. They have already proven that they will do so. They will ignore research in favor of political and personal agendas. They have already proven they will do so. When will they default on bonds? On other state contractual obligations? When a shark gets the scent of blood . . .
Teacher for Life
December 29th, 2010
5:27 am
So once all those pre-test scores, reading, math, science, social studies, and atendance rates for each individual child are made public; people will be able to cross reference teachers and students. Also publish parents and/ or guardians names, number of times parent cones to meetings, interventions, unpaid overtime, time spent calling parents and unpaid tutoring. Everything must be transparent.
It is the only way to be fair. Students names and scores for each teacher should be made public; that child’s entire history; it should not be hidden. That way, students and parents are accountable too. It will make the process more meaningful.
So when a teacher gets a class of 9th graders whose overall grade point average is 54 like what has been assigned to me this semester by my TFA principal, then you will have the proper perspective when trying to compare that teacher with one who has all classes of average and above average 9th graders. And, all the kids get to see their names in lights next to their teacher. It’s the only way to be fair.
Teacher for Life
December 29th, 2010
5:32 am
Typo…number of times parents come not “cone”…
Transparency for all! It is the only way to be fair! Don’t hide those students names, test history or scores and post them with that teacher’s report card! Let it all come out!
Teacher for Life
December 29th, 2010
5:46 am
@ Career Switcher… They do it in Economics too. The TFA teachers got the average and above average students. They gave me, “the over 10 years of experience” teacher the class with attendance issues, trouble with the law, baby mommas, behind one grade or more and GPA’s averaging “F” students. Transparency for all! I will find a way to level that playing field teachers!
Give me a break
December 29th, 2010
6:41 am
What about teachers who teach refugee kids who have 6 weeks worth of English and are then required to take tests? What are we testing, except language (and middle-class culture)? My kids don’t know English, or else they wouldn’t be in my classes. Duh.
Kendall Lockerman
December 29th, 2010
6:50 am
Ironic that Lindsey is such a hound dog for education. A literate, educated electorate would never have put him and most of his colleagues in office.
Dan
December 29th, 2010
7:01 am
As a spouse of a teacher who teaches honors level classes at one of the consistently top ranked high schools in the state, it seems rediculous to start issuing report cards to teachers.
When you are in a time when a student can get out of school suspension and then come back and take tests and exams that were missed during that period, we have lost focus on responsibility for actions. Where is the accountability in the student and the parent. The fact that the Hope scholarship pays for kids to take remedial college courses tells you that there are issues. Don’t get me wrong, I believe bad teachers should be fired for their actions and not teaching curriculum but it seems there is entirely too much pressure on the teachers from administrators and parents who always point the finger at the teacher. PARENTS AND STUDENTS HAVE RESPONSIBILITY IN THE EDUCATION PROCESS!!!
If you truly want to start report cards, then there should be risk/reward tied to it reflected in the teacher’s salary. Teachers do not get paid enough considering the level of responsibility that they have now. Reward the good ones.
And by the way, who is grading the administrators? I have heard many stories about administrators not doing their jobs but then are not held accountable because there is no one looking over their shoulder or a students grades that supposedly do not have a reflection on how well they are doing their job.
Teach2Learn
December 29th, 2010
7:17 am
@Maureen – you hit a nerve with this one. Kudos!
ScienceTeacher671
December 29th, 2010
7:18 am
So let’s summarize:
(1) There is no program in place for measuring teacher quality, and developing such a program will take money from a state budget and/or an educational system that is already underfunded.
(2) There is no evidence that “teacher report cards” are effective at improving education, and some research indicating they do not improve educational outcomes, as measured by test scores.
(3) No one seems to know what the implications would be if we were able to fairly evaluate teacher quality, taking all variables such as student quality into account. Would high-quality teachers earn more? (Where would we get the money?) Would low-quality teachers be fired? (Where would we find teachers to replace them?) Would parents get to choose their childrens’ teachers based on the teachers’ scores? (No, we can’t put an infinite number of children in Mrs. Jones’ classroom, and if we did, it’s likely that her wonderful score would drop precipitously.)
(4) There is no evidence that I am aware of showing that teacher quality is the major problem in Georgia, and at least some evidence showing that policies passed by the General Assembly (such as committee promotion and single-track diplomas) or the GaDOE (curricular changes, sub-minimal performance tests, etc.) contribute heavily to Georgia’s lagging educational quality and high dropout rate.
(5) There is also a great deal of evidence showing that educational quality varies significantly from district to district, and even within districts in the state, depending upon socioeconomic and cultural factors which have nothing to do with teachers, but which may influence which teachers are willing to teach in those areas.
I would like to see Reps. Lindsey & Morgan address these points, thoroughly and in detail. If they refuse to do so, perhaps the AJC could?
Jezel
December 29th, 2010
7:49 am
As usual, the Ga. legislature is barking up the wrong tree in an effort to get votes. How about allowing the public to grade the legislature on the effectiveness of their legislation and then get refunds when their programs fail. The Ga lottery for the HOPE schlorship should bring a nice rebate.
The best jockey in the world cannot win the Kentucky Derby on a mule…no matter how good a rider he is. A teacher is only as good as the students being taught…the ones mom and dad send out each year. The reason Ga. scores so low in education is because the value of education…as it is perceived in the home…is deemed unimportant. SO…if you want to improve education…have report cards on parents, reduce the number of administrators by about 90%, hire more teachers to reduce class size and allow teachers power to discipline and remove unruly students. But then…how could the legislature grand stand on education. Surely you have not forgotten the results of Roy Barnes attack on the teachers.
Teacher for Life
December 29th, 2010
8:32 am
@Science Teacher671… Very intelligently stated. Problem here is the teachers are the most intellectually gifted. That is why there is so much jealously among the populace. No matter how hard we try, we still can’t turn rocks into gold. Our brains have not changed in thousands of years. Kids either learn because they have to or because they want to. That fire has to be started at home. It is our job to keep it burning and hopefully give it enough fuel to last a lifetime.
Teacher for Life
December 29th, 2010
8:35 am
Hmm… Jealousy. My proofing is off today.
ricardus
December 29th, 2010
8:44 am
Report cards for teachers would be okay if teachers could issue report cards on legislators and the governor.
catlady
December 29th, 2010
9:01 am
I have to laugh at some of the posters here, who seem to be under the impression that teachers are not already formally evaluated. Well, they are. We are evaluated every year by one instrument and every month by another. In addition, there are those “informal evaluations” that we get from the reading coach, math coach, principal, assistant principal, curriculum director–anyone who takes a notion to pop into our rooms and check out what is happening. So please, spare the teachers your “we all get evaluated in our jobs” schtick. Do you get a written evaluation monthly, and even sometimes weekly? Then hush.
What does your work involve? For example, does your “work material” ever fight against being improved? Do your work product inputs harm others? Actively seek to encourage other inputs to abandon their work? Do the forebears of your work material refuse to help you improve them? Do your materials ever come to work missing some parts, or not show up at all? Does your boss make rules that make your job more difficult? Do your superiors continually cut your pay, but demand higher production with these recalcitrant work inputs? If you cannot answer “yes”, then forget about using a “business model” to evaluate me.
Let’s devise a process of evaluating our legislators. Let’s publish the results. You know, try it out on them first.
Dr NO
December 29th, 2010
9:02 am
ugateacher
December 28th, 2010
8:15 pm
You couldnt ignore me if ya tried, HONEY!!
Tony
December 29th, 2010
9:04 am
This is one more attempt to gloss over the real problems associated with teaching children so the legislators can feel good about doing something about education without actually tackling the real problems. “We now have a situation where 50 percent of low-income students who enter ninth grade are not graduating. That is atrocious.” This quote points to one of the REAL problems – poverty.
Second, by pointing fingers at teachers instead of shoring up funding for schools, the legislators will divert attention from the budget issues and focus attention on the report card. While all the educators get up in arms over the teacher grading issue, they most likely will not pay attention to the budget issues. School funding and teacher pay will be ransacked once again.
There are too many variables that affect learning for us to waste precious time and resources on grading teachers. It’s high time that our politicians figured this out and stopped with the smoke screens.
Lee
December 29th, 2010
9:06 am
For the umpteenth time….
Make HOPE a Reimbursement Program.
Advantages:
1. Eliminate grade inflation pressure at the high school level.
2. Eliminate paying for the “go for a year and flunk out” student.
3. You can tailor it in multiple ways such as implementing a progressive reimbursement methodology (i.e, 100% reimbursement for an A, 90% for a B, etc.)
4. No jumping through hoops to qualify as with other suggestions (SAT scores, income cutoffs, etc). If you get accepted into a Ga public college, you qualify for HOPE.
5. One bad semester does not kill a student’s HOPE. Yes, there are programs that are more difficult than others. The prospect of losing HOPE should not be a factor in the student’s decision to pursue an Engineering degree at Tech or a Chemistry degree at UGA, for example.
Disadvantages:
None that I can think of. Really…
Dr NO
December 29th, 2010
9:07 am
The sooner the firings begin the better. This bloated Dept Of Education pig needs to be slaughtered. To many Para-Pros (whatever that is supposed to be), Admins, stupid teachers and just loafers have infiltrated the system and need to be flushed out. A
APS is a PRIME EXAMPLE as is Bev “cupcake” Hall…she should be kicked out on her large rump with not benefits whatsoever.
Lets toss this PIG in the fire and roast it!!
Dr. Craig Spinks /Augusta
December 29th, 2010
9:11 am
THANK GOD for the many competent teachers and administrators in our state’s public school system! THANK GOD for the many conscientious students, parents, elected officials and media personnel who are concerned about the quality of public education in our state! Let us not lose sight of these folks in our discussions. All are indispensable in the effort to improve our schools.
The ESSENTIAL QUESTION we face is this: How can these folks come together to press individual public schools, local school systems and the state DOE to provide first-class educational opportunities for all our kids? Continued finger-pointing and the disunity this produces will thwart the drive toward world-class performance in our better-performing schools and hasten the slide toward third-world status among our poorer-performing ones.