Prospect of teacher ratings sparks debate, criticisms
Since teacher ratings are of such great interest on the blog, I wanted to share part of an e-mail from a teacher to me and the legislators considering this idea, state Rep. Edward Lindsey’s response to the e-mail and then the letter that New York Chancellor Joel Klein wrote to his teachers explaining why he agreed to release effectiveness ratings there once the courts cleared the way.
I think all three give a pretty good summary of the pros and cons of this highly explosive issue. I think it is fair to say from the hundreds of response to the blog and personal e-mails to me that this is not an idea that Georgia teachers will easily endorse.
And teachers have not done so in Los Angeles where the LA Times released teacher ratings this summer that led to protests in the streets. Teachers are fighting release of similar effectiveness rankings in New York where the media want to see them and the school system wants to provide them under the rationale that parents deserve more information about their children’s teachers.
First, the e-mail from the outraged teacher, who also posted to the blog in shorter form:
This is one of the most ridiculous and insulting ideas in a long line of such that I have come to expect from this country’s politicians and put forth with some measure of support by the less-than-critical news media. I would suggest that this announcement smacks more of political grandstanding than of any substantive desire to improve our abysmal education ranking and that the AJC gives every appearance of serving as the mouthpiece.
As noted in my entry to the blog, teachers have long been subject to annual performance evaluations. Therefore, all your proposal would accomplish is to make these evaluations a matter of public knowledge, unless you intend to add yet another evaluation into the mix. What can possibly be gained by doing such a thing, other than spending taxpayer dollars to study how best to evaluate/report and develop a means of doing so? Will your proposal provide for the means for parents to request the “passing grade” teachers for their children? Will your proposal provide for the means of improvement of the “failing grade” teachers? Will your proposal provide a quantitative and verifiable means to help the students of this state? If not, then of what value is the public report card? If someone with less than stellar performance has remained on the job year in and year out, that is hardly their “fault.”
I would suggest that the one(s) not actually performing the duties of a job would be the administrator(s) incorrectly administering the evaluation instrument or following through with steps to negate the unsatisfactory results. Will your proposal provide for releasing the information contained within the performance evaluations in all prior years of the teacher’s employment so as to explain why someone with such a record has continued in the position
Does not the release of such information constitute a violation of privacy in some form or another as related to employment (public release of private evaluation information, for example)? So many lawsuits have been filed against former employers for giving bad references that few are now willing to say more than that an applicant was employed at the business during a specific time period. Yet the state of Georgia is now planning to release possibly detrimental data to the general public regarding its employees? Do you not feel that you will be exposing the taxpayers of this state as well as of the employing county to lawsuits by publishing such information?
Have you entered into any dialogue at all with the Georgia Department of Education on this topic? After all, is it not the purpose of that body to oversee matters of education in the state of Georgia? If, however, the legislature is now to address these issues, should not the DOE be disbanded? There would seem to be no reason to have such a department when the legislature will be addressing matters of education. Would not such a move serve to address some of the budget shortfall we are now facing in Georgia? Think of the money that could be saved by getting rid of unnecessary employees (all of them, apparently) in that department.
Surely, surely in these lean budget times there are more pressing issues of time and money that the lawmakers of this state should be addressing other than teacher report cards. However, if you feel that this is indeed a worthy pursuit, then I, as a taxpaying citizen of the state of Georgia, would ask that you also push for public report cards for members of the medical profession, the local police and fire forces, our county and city commissioners, any and all other individuals who are paid by local and state governments (including lawmakers in the state house, their staffs, employees of the governor’s office, local school boards, school administrators, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, secretaries, para-pros, coaches, etc., and every single person affiliated in any way with the Georgia Department of Education, elected or otherwise). As all of these people are paid in one way or another by taxpayer dollars (through mandated health care or checks from some level of government), I feel that we taxpayers are “entitled” to see the rating of each of these employees as well.
Do you not feel that citizens of this state have a right to see a report card on every government employee (including yourself) in this state, not just the teachers? Or, perhaps, have you come to understand that the state of Georgia really does have more important matters to address than those which already have a means of correction in place?
And Rep. Lindsey replied:
You have given me quite a stream of consciousness to consider. As I discussed with Ms. Downey, the teacher report card is one of many reforms being seriously studied and should not be viewed in isolation. We need to look at many areas of education including the curriculum in the pre K program, the number of standardized test being given, improving teacher quality, enhancing parental involvement, the high school graduation rates, the technical school program, and the hope scholarship. There is no one single bullet here and all issues need to be on the table.
I also emphasized to Ms. Downey the importance of teacher input on any reforms being advanced. That is what I am doing here now. The one thing that I will not accept is that the status quo is acceptable. My constituents in general and our next generation in particular deserve better. I believe I clearly know where you stand on teacher report cards; however, I also note from your e mail that you did not offer any constructive reforms that you believe would help move the ball forward. I look forward to hearing from you again with any such ideas.
And here is NY Chancellor Joel Klein’s letter to his teachers on why he agreed to release effectiveness ratings, pending the outcome of a court challenge by New York’s teacher union. The court has not ruled yet on the release:
Dear Colleagues,
As you have likely heard or read, several media outlets recently issued Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests to the City, requiring the Department to share the Teacher Data Reports we provide schools and teachers in grades 4 through 8 each year. These reports use a method called “value-added data” that seeks to predict student performance based on factors outside of a teacher’s control (high levels of poverty, for example), and then determines whether a given teacher’s students exceeded or fell short of these predicted examination scores (teachers may always access their reports at http://schools.nyc.gov/Teachers/TeacherDevelopment/TeacherDataToolkit/GetYourReports/default.htm).By controlling for factors beyond a teacher’s control, it is the fairest system-wide way we have to assess the real impact of teachers on student learning. And while the City’s particular value-add method is not etched in stone, this is why the State passed legislation this spring, endorsed by the teachers’ unions, committing to using value-added data for all teachers. It is also why value-added data is increasingly being used throughout the nation as part of a comprehensive system of teacher evaluation.
In the past we have provided the numeric value-added data to the press with no indication of the identity of individual teachers. I am writing to you today because media outlets, prompted by similar data being published by the Los Angeles Times, have requested the names of individual teachers, not just the statistics.
As it is the City’s legal interpretation that we are legally obligated to provide the media this information, it is our intent to provide the data as requested.
In the time since we informed the UFT that we intended to comply with the FOIL request, the union has sued the City to prevent the release, and we have agreed to delay any release until at least November 24, when a court hearing will be held. So no data have yet been released. But I want to make sure that, as you read about these events in the newspapers, you understand the circumstances and you understand my view on the issue overall.
Our most important task is to ensure that every one of our students has a great teacher. It is critical, therefore, that when we have indications of a teacher’s proficiency, we use that indication to do what’s right for kids. One indication will never tell the whole story, and sometimes it is hard to discern definitive evidence from data alone —such as with a teacher who is “average” according to these numbers, for example. But where teachers have performed consistently toward the top or the bottom, year after year, these data surely tell us something very important. Namely, we need to retain and reward the great teachers, and we need to develop the low-performing teachers. And those who don’t improve quickly need to be replaced with better-performing teachers.
Secretary Arne Duncan last week said it best when he said, “I give New York credit for sharing this information with teachers so they can improve and get better.” More than anything, these data demonstrate that we need a better, more comprehensive system of evaluation than the one we have now. That’s why the State legislature and the unions supported an evaluation system that uses value-added data. Now it’s time that the DOE and UFT together build a new system that gives teachers an honest sense of how well they’re doing and how they can improve.
In the end, this is about real people. On one hand, for too long, parents have been left out of the equation, left to pray each year that the teacher greeting their children on the first day of school is truly great, but with no real knowledge of whether that is the case, and with no recourse if it’s not.
But this is also about teachers. They take on the hardest work there is, and they deserve our respect. If anyone sees these data as an opportunity to scapegoat public servants, that is a mistake. Doing what’s right for children means making hard decisions; it has nothing to do with personal attacks.
We’ve made huge strides for our kids over the last eight years. That’s because we’ve been willing to face hard facts. It’s also because we have made kids’ best interests our shared priority. My hope is that we approach this issue with both of those thoughts in mind, ensuring fair treatment for adults, but always keeping children first.
Sincerely,
Joel I. Klein– By Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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264 comments Add your comment
Career Switcher
December 29th, 2010
12:35 pm
“I believe I clearly know where you stand on teacher report cards; however, I also note from your e mail that you did not offer any constructive reforms that you believe would help move the ball forward.”
If you want to fix education in Georgia, do the following:
1) Give teachers the power to remove disruptive students from the classroom.
Until and unless my test scores and performance are unacceptable, allow me to teach in a way that I believe will most benefit my students. Do not come into my room and mark me unsatisfactory because I started a new unit yesterday and don’t have my word wall up yet or because I did not post an Essential Question! I am a trained professional with as much or more education than many accountants, managers, and even attorneys. Save your “how-to’s” for those who need them and leave the rest of us alone. This would probably be the single most effective way to increase student achievement.
2) Impose serious limits on “committee promotions”—if a child does not meet the criteria to move on to the next grade level, the child doesn’t move on to the next grade level.
3) Put into place special short-term intervention classes for those students who are lacking basic skills. Many teachers’ (4th grade and up) hands are tied when it comes to teaching basic math and reading skills. We barely have time to cover the GPS effectively, and if a child leaves 3rd grade without grade-level reading/calculation skills, most that I’ve seen are never able to catch up. These are the students who reach middle and high school and use up the most resources and cause the most disruptions. If these students could be caught and remediated at an earlier age, everyone would benefit.
4) Acknowledge that teachers at schools with higher levels of poverty will need to work harder and for longer hours than those at other schools. These schools need smaller class sizes, staff for small group pullout, and programs that are proven to teach math and reading skills. Put math, literacy, and graduation coaches to work with students (I’m sure in some schools this is already done), and put the best math and reading teachers to work in the intervention classes.
5) Acknowledge that many students with disabilities are not being appropriately served in co-teaching classes and would better benefit from a pullout model, at least for math and reading. Put special education teachers into place who are also strong reading or math experts.
6) Put into place a second option for high school graduation by offering a vocational college track. This option would rigorously prepare students for Georgia’s technical colleges. Offer more applied (but still rigorous) versions of English, Science, and Math for these students.
7) Draft a bill that makes basic parental involvement mandatory. At minimum, I should be able to teach students who show up regularly, are not overly disruptive, and show up with a pencil and a sheet of paper (although I never mind buying supplies for a child who truly needs them). If not, I should be able to have contact with the parent. There should be a referral system in place, and parents who educationally neglect their children should attend mandatory parenting classes and later face legal action if things don’t improve.
9) Realize that while differentiation works in the textbook, it is not an efficient way to teach, and nor is it possible to successfully implement it with current class sizes. Either give me classes of students whose skill levels are closer together, or give me extra planning time and classes of 15 so that I can successfully differentiate.
10) Planning time is crucial to a teacher’s success. Every academic teacher should have a minimum of 90 minutes of planning per day built into the regular 8 hour workday. This is far less than many other countries and is the bare minimum of what it takes to be able to plan for instruction, grade, contact parents, etc.
11) If you ever again intend to compare the U.S. educational system to that of other countries, do not do so without at least acknowledging why and how they are so successful. Most group students by ability, do not have to put up with widespread apathy, disruptions, and teacher disrespect, students show up prepared and are expected to be responsible for their own learning, and absolute respect for education is instilled at home from an early age. Many times, teachers use traditional ways of instructing, and not as much collaborative learning and fun tasks and projects. We will not achieve improvement in America until we learn to prioritize and value a solid education above all else.
I believe that many educators will agree with much of what I have posted. Interestingly, many of the suggestions would cost very little to implement, and implementing some would actually represent a cost savings over current methods. Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest.
DeKalb Educated
December 29th, 2010
12:41 pm
“you did not offer any constructive reforms that you believe would help move the ball forward.” Hey, Lindsey – got a pen? Autonomy for teachers! That should go hand in hand with accountability. How can you evaluate teachers when you do not allow them to teach – you mandate! Allow teachers to develop their own curriculum. Cut down on mandatory testing – no more than 3 days in a school year. Take the data and analyze it and leave the teachers and students alone. Review HR policies for the entire state to prevent nepotism; no school board members creating cushy jobs for relatives. Complete transparency. Have mentors assigned to all new teachers and don’t abandon them alone in a classroom with 35-40 out of control students their first year as teachers. Require that school admin who write the evaluations on teachers be required to observe a teacher in the classroom at three different times over the year – not once at the end of the year or the day before a holiday. Allow teachers to teach within their subject area – the one they majored in during college – not the subject some stupid admin guy assigned to them because they needed a warm body in a class room with a teaching certificate. There is too much micro-management from the Central Office that takes away from class preparation and evaluation. The Central Offices are too over-crowded with people who cannot teach and are a drain on our tax payer resources. There should be accountability from the School Board down to the teachers. Please let the tax payers rate our school boards, DOE (and politicians) and then we’ll be happy for you to rate the teachers.
HS Public Teacher
December 29th, 2010
12:45 pm
@What’s really going on….
Is that you haven’t a clue. You admit that you simply sit behind a computer and form opinions. If you have that kind of time, why don’t you take your butt into the school and into the classroom and see for yourself, first hand, what is going on?
It is people like you that sit back from a distance and THINK you have all of the answers when you don’t even understand the PROBLEM.
First of all, implying that teachers need “report cards” is insulting. What other profession does this at all? You want intelligent and motivated people to come into the teacher profession, yet you want to treat them like this? What college student in their right mind would do so?
Second of all, what needs to be made public isn’t any teacher “report card”. How about making public the behavior records of the thugs in our schools along with the parents name and address? If you want to ’shame’ someone into getting better, start there!
Third of all, why do you want to rub salt into the wound? Teachers in GA already have been furloughed, had pay frozen, have had to welcome students into an already over crowded classroom, continue to pay for class supplies out of our own pocket, and so on. Now, you want to do this? I guess the teacher shortage in math and science isn’t enough, you want to make the teacher shortage in all content areas?
With all of the obvious things WRONG with education in GA, it is always the teachers that get the screw. Look at the bloated administration cost in the Department of Education, alone. They hired a Czar for Turnaround Schools (what the heck is that?) who is nothing but the son of a retired politican. Look at the bloated administration at every school system central office. Look at the bloated administration at every school.
My high school alone has: 1 principal, 4 assistant principals, 1 scheduler, 1 book keeper, 4 counselors, 1 full time nurse assistant, 1 part time nurse, 4 secretaries, 2 media center people, 1 graduation coach, multiple parent “volunteers”, and I am sure that I am missing others. This is for a school with a student population of under 2000. Note that NONE of these people teach any class at all.
If teachers have “report cards” will these people also have “report cards”????
Enough!
December 29th, 2010
12:47 pm
@ Career Switcher, perfectly said from start to finish.
teacher&mom
December 29th, 2010
12:48 pm
Representative Lindsey:
How do we improve education in Georgia? We start by making absolutely certain that every student and teacher works in a safe and disciplined environment.
Next, we guarantee the students sitting in our poorest counties have equal access to quality materials, supplies, technology, libraries, and school facilities. Take a serious inventory of lab supplies, the number of computers per student, the age of computers, media center budgets, etc. At the same time, investigate how the state and federal government ties our hands in selecting materials and equipment. For example it is easier to purchase “test-prep” materials than a class set of novels. This is shameful. Survey the teachers throughout the state to find out how much money actually makes it to their classroom to purchase supplies. I suspect you will find teachers who have gone years without any money to purchase staples, dry erase markers, paper, etc.
Throw out standardized testing in grades 1,2,4, & 7. Use the money to fund and staff programs that give slower learners the chance to master standards without penalizing them. Fund meaningful after school programs, and/or summer reading programs. Expand the options for our high-achievers. We are leaving too many students behind in the current testing frenzy that requires everyone to be ready for the CRCT in April. Those of us who have taught for 10+ years at the secondary level are stunned at the drop in reading comprehension skills. When you look at their CRCT scores, you find these students actually passed the CRCT. By the time students reach high school, they are burned out by the standardized testing treadmill. We have hit them over the head with the CRCT for so long that they are numb.
Shed more light on CRCT results. Do you realize that the data from the state is shrouded in secrecy? For example, I know which domains my students scored the highest/lowest. However, there are several standards within each domain. I want data that pinpoints the weak areas. It isn’t enough to know that my students struggled with “cells and organisms.” Did they struggle with cellular transport? Did they struggle with the cellular respiration or photosynthesis? I need specifics.
Create a teacher leader network within the state. We need to identify the teacher leaders in our state and give them a voice. Then listen to them. Teachers actually have great ideas for improvement.
Finally, admit that poverty does play a role in student achievement. Then provide teachers with meaningful staff development to address the academic needs of a low SES student. I’ve personally worked with the Ruby Payne and aha! Process, Inc. The training I received created a huge paradigm shift in my teaching.
I’m not sure why you assume we are happy with the “status quo.” In fact most of us are very unhappy with the current educational environment in this state.
Georgia Matters
December 29th, 2010
12:50 pm
These teachers want you to believe that they have a class full of students with a class full of parents who simply dont care. Guess what? Thats false information. Kids, especially in early years love school and want to learn. Its middle school and highschool that there is a problem. Why is that I have to ask?
There are a lot of teachers out there who blend in with the kids and simply cant teach. Its not that they didnt get great grades in college but they simply cant teach. Is it the fault of the teacher or lack of skills and communication or both. Those are the teachers we need to remove. Its a terrible thing when our high school students graduate but cant answer the simple match question (if 2 + x = 4 then what is x). Do you know how many of them cant answer that. How many students with a high school diploma cant make change froma $20.00 bill without the help of a calculator or register that gives them the answer? Have you heard any of these kids read out loud? They studder and sputter in almost every paragraph. This is becoming the norm. How many of these kids need remedial classes to get into college? Why is that.
Computers and calculators are used in school before you even teach multiplication tables if they are even taught. They care more about teaching Spanish then teaching proper English. Where are the US History classes? Have they been taken over by Black History Month? Where is World history and Government, once a must for a diploma. Who is writing our kids books now?
Go back to basics in elementary and teach the kids. Standard tests should be given at the end of each grade. Pass or be held back. Teachers who have to many kids failing should be looked into to see why these kids are failing. Set the standards again and you will see better kids, better teachers and better adults.
Dont blame it all on parents, we the parents are not teachers. Thats why we send our kids to school. We are the parents, controlers of after school. Teachers are teachers and need to be kept out of our kids private lives and teach the skills that are needed down the road in life. Trouble makers need to be removed from the class and the school if necessary. But the big key is YES, teachers need to be graded in how they teach and communicate with the students. If they cant communicate and teach then I dont care how many degrees they have, they simply dont need to be there.
schlmarm
December 29th, 2010
12:54 pm
@ HS Public Teacher 12:32 PM, I agree with you 100%. Let’s especially make public the portion of the report card that describes behavior and work habits (self-control, follows directions and school rules, completes homework, completes assignments, etc.) Many of those items stem directly from HOME TRAINING, habits that should have been fostered long before a child walks through the school house doors.
ScienceTeacher671
December 29th, 2010
12:57 pm
@Career Switcher 12:35pm – Count me as one of those educators who agrees wholeheartedly with your ideas.
November
December 29th, 2010
1:02 pm
Dr NO
December 29th, 2010
9:15 am
WOW!! Those letter sure contain a lot of fancy words!!
And most of them empty except for “outraged teacher”
Marueen, you bring up an interesting point in saying “we have part-time legislators making $17,000 per year” and that begs the question……”why are they doing this?”,,,,,,well, I’ll tell you…..it’s probably for the pension they’ll be getting after a lifetime of worthless service.
HS Public Teacher
December 29th, 2010
1:03 pm
@Georgia Matters -
You speak in absolutes. You speak as if ALL teachers are the same. You speak as if ALL parents are the same. They are not.
I challenge you to go in person INSIDE of a classroom and observe for a day. Pick one elementary, one middle school, and one high school. See for yourself what is going on and what YOU think that the problems may be.
I strongly believe that you will come away from that experience with a totally different perspective.
Ragin' Cajun
December 29th, 2010
1:06 pm
Several new(first year) teachers left our school and the teaching profession at the end of the school year. According to friendly conversation……I smell a repeat !!!
HS Public Teacher
December 29th, 2010
1:13 pm
@Georgia Matters:
Honey, you do your job as a parent and provide me with a teenager that has actually been parented well, and I will be HAPPY to be their teacher. As a high school teacher, what do I expect from parents?
1. A teenager that has been taught manners. They should immediately say, “yes sir” or “no ma’am”. They should know that curse words are never acceptable, especially in school.
Sure, a teenager may slip up or even challenge authority. But, when a teacher calls the parent to inform them of what happened, we DO NOT expect for the parent to say that it is our fault. We expect for the parent to take care of business and ensure that the “slip up” or “challenge” does not happen again.
2. A teenager that comes to school clean and wearing appropriate clothes that has been fed breakfest and is prepared for lunch.
3. A teenager that comes to school having completed all home work assignments and has spent study time the night before.
4. A teenager that comes to class prepared with their textbook, notebook with paper, and writing utensil.
5. A teenager that knows how to behave in a classroom. They do not burp or fart in class. They raise their hand to be recognized to speak. They do not chat with their neighbors during the lesson. They remain in their seat as the lesson permits/requires.
You give me these 5 little things and I can almost make gold out of a lump of coal. The problem is that very very parents actually parent. So, teachers must spend our valuable classroom time dealing with these 5 things that PARENTS should have already done!!!!
justbrowsing
December 29th, 2010
1:14 pm
I have experienced first hand angry parents and administrators who feel that their children deserved passing grades when they either slept or did nothing in class. These same students believe that they should earn 50’s when they have done nothing. Their parents believe the same. You want to legislate excellence in an environment where grade inflation is perpetuated, student’s are unmotivated to do more than the minimum, and principal’s abuse the evaluative system when- and somehow on the end of this beleive that the teacher report card will accurately reflect their performance? I would like to know what other options are on the table besides this one.
Career Switcher
December 29th, 2010
1:15 pm
@ Georgia Matters…I think most of us have said time and time again that many of the parents are great, but as the old saying goes, one bad apple can spoil the bunch. Imagine what a third, half or even more in a school can do? I have also previously mentioned that my children have attended schools where the full majority of the parents were great. Sadly, that isn’t the case in many of Georgia schools. If your child has ever attended a high poverty school, you would know this first hand. The school I work in now is more balanced than many others, but yet we often have only a handful of parents show up for PTA meetings. A few months ago, we had not one single parent (out of 800 sets) not show up! Can you imagine scheduling a conference and then not showing or even calling? Can you imagine getting new cell and work numbers and not giving them to the school? Your child, at school 7 hours a day with no way for the school to reach you for months on end? Do you send your child to open house asking the teacher for everything on the supply list even though you just bought them a new cell phone, $100 shoes, and just paid to get your nails done? Have you ever told a teacher to “just deal with him, I got too much to do, and I can’t control him anyways”? Oh, wait…have you ever sent your 7th grader to school pregnant and allowed them to discuss their impending abortion with any other 12 year old who will listen? Have you ever threatened a teacher against giving your child a bad grade, even when they haven’t turned in over half their assignements? It may be hard to believe, but some of us deal with these types of things routinely. We go in day in and day out and try to teach children the curriculum and try to love and support them as much as we are able.
If none of that sounds familiar to you, then it is not you and your parenting abilities that we are concerned with. If none of this sounds familiar to you, then leave your child right where they are, because they are in a good place. In fact, I would welcome your child in my classroom. In fact, I welcome all children…I just wish I had more parents like you around.
dear hs public teacher
December 29th, 2010
1:21 pm
of what are you afraid? that the truth may come out? that you and some of your lazy brethren aren’t teaching, but just regurgitating what’s written in the text?
This educational system is rotten – starting with the bloated and OVERPAID administration. What results have they provided that earned these salaries and compensation?
This bloated, defensive administration hires and coddles a weak and ineffective teaching force. They teach to the tests, and when that’s not enough, they erase and change the answers.
ENOUGH. Turn this thing on its head. Make it a meritocracy, make it transparent, and make it lean.
That’s what is required, and protecting ANY of the status quo is ludicrous.
long time educator
December 29th, 2010
1:32 pm
@Career Switcher 12:35 Very well said. I agree totally.
HS Public Teacher
December 29th, 2010
1:35 pm
@dear hs public teacher….
Stop trying to bait me (and others).
We seem to agree with some things. My question to you is: In Georgia, why is every effort to ‘improve education’ start with the assumption that it is the teachers fault?
This assumption has not yielded any real evidence of improvement during the last 8 years of republican rule in Georgia and the teaching profession has paid a huge cost – as well as the students!
Rather than continuing to beat that same drum over and over again, might we open our eyes to the slight possibility that it is something OTHER than the teachers?
You bring up the administration. If you really feel that they “coddle” weak ineffective teaching, then logic would dictate that you (or politicans, whomever) would go after the administration, and NOT the entire teaching profession!!!!
ScienceTeacher671
December 29th, 2010
1:35 pm
By the way, if it turns out that a majority of our teachers are incompetent, where will we find replacements for them? There are a number of teachers at our school on provisional certificates, because we couldn’t find fully certified teachers to fill those positions.
And why did Georgia switch from the nationally-recognized PRAXIS to the state-developed Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE)? Were too many Georgia-educated teachers failing the PRAXIS, or was this yet another way to funnel tax dollars to Pearson, or both?
If the former, why could the state not fill classrooms without lowering standards for teachers?
Ragin' Cajun
December 29th, 2010
1:35 pm
Most parents have no clue that these situations occur on a daily basis……they are not aware that we serve as social workers, psychologists, counselors, and instructional leaders during the course of a 7.5 hour day……..we invite you to come to the schools to see what is REALLY going on……
Georgia DOE
December 29th, 2010
1:38 pm
In response to this contentious debate, we’ve decided to assemble a task force called the Faculty Evaluation Council to Ensure Satisfaction (FECES), comprising six hands-off administrators with shadowy careers in the public sector and dubious academic credentials. Together, they’ll work toward the common goal of decoding their vague, incoherent job description and then hiring consultants to perform the tasks outlined therein. Each FECES member will be paid a salary of $245,850 annually, or 10 percent more than the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; they’ll qualify for full pension benefits after two months of service.
Aquagirl
December 29th, 2010
1:40 pm
HS Public Teacher
December 29th, 2010
12:45 pm
How about making public the behavior records of the thugs in our schools along with the parents name and address? If you want to ’shame’ someone into getting better, start there!
I’ll bet this is what peeved “dear hs public teacher” to no end.
Springdale Park Elementary Parent
December 29th, 2010
1:45 pm
@ career switcher: I feel a “school’s contract with parents” is where we’re headed, and I’d like every single suggestion of yours to be in it.
teacher&mom
December 29th, 2010
1:48 pm
I have a question for Representative Lindsey. Could he please supply research and data that support his position that teacher reports cards will increase student achievement? We are told consistently that the only acceptable “reforms” are those that are researched based. I would like the opportunity to review his research and data.
Corey
December 29th, 2010
1:49 pm
Aren’t tests results of the kids indicative of the teachers’ effectiveness? Report cards for teachers will become nothing more than window dressing.
abacus2
December 29th, 2010
1:51 pm
I spend more time documenting what I teach and going to meetings about what I teach than I do teaching! Tell me what you want taught, give me a decent class size and proper funding, leave me alone to teach, and I’ll get the job done.
Georgia Matters
December 29th, 2010
1:53 pm
@ HS Public Teacher
I did my job as a parent by removing them from the public school system. If you read my last paragraph again you will see I said “trouble makers need to be removed from the class and school if necessary”. That should tell you I know there is a problem in schools. I also know that if children are taught at a early age what is expected then they try to perform.
I have seen the schools and the gang members and the kids running the halls and cursing and I have also had it in with teachers who expect homework to be done but will not allow for the taking home of books. I was told first hand that my son could not take home his book because there is lack of books and they might not bring them back. What is up with that. I went to a conference one day and actually saw students fighting in the halls with no adults in site. Why is tha?. It didnt take me long to decide that my kids did not need to watch their backs but needed educated. I removed them in their 8th and 9th grade year. No more.
When I attended school there were trouble makers. These students were immediately removed from the class and turned over to the principle. There were boards on the tail ends more times then not. Those students were not allowed to disrupt class. Homework was turned in and if you did not turn it in you got a zero. Grades were actually grades and not extra credit for not going to the restroom during class for the week. Students were given study guides for the materials covered in plenty of time so they could refresh and study. Where is all this today. It does not exist. Dont punish the kid at school because the parent might get mad? How about dealing the punishment and if the parent does not like it, well let him take it up with the judge. See how many parents actually complain about punishment then.
Bad parents are just that, bad parents. That does not take away the fact that the students now run these schools and its up to the teachers and administrators to make sure they have control and have teachers who actually teach and communicate with students so they can learn and grow. Georgia schools so have a problem but its one that can be taken care of.
1. Quality teachers
2. Quality administrators
3. Quality teaching equipment
4. Teaching basics again
5. Remove the problem kids and set a court date for the child and parent. Let the court system take care of that problem. It does not belong in schools.
Dr NO
December 29th, 2010
1:54 pm
“HS Public Teacher
December 29th, 2010
12:32 pm
It is simply insulting.
To state that teachers have “report cards” is to say that we professionals with college degrees are on the same level as our children/students.”
College degree means much of nothing especially when the so-called knowledge isnt applied. I work with many college educated egg-heads who have not the sense to come in from the rain and when the productivity rankings are published they, once again, bring up the tail end of the train.
Your argument is moot.
a practical man
December 29th, 2010
1:55 pm
I am not an administrator, but I would not want this information to become public if I were one. I imagine administrators already have to deal with parents wanting their children to be in particular teachers’ classes. With the “rating” out, how much more do you think administrators would have to deal with their parents? How are they going to respond to the question, “why was my Jonnie placed in Mrs. X’s class, who is only ‘average’ instead of Mrs. Y who is ‘above average’?”
Let’s start with the school level data.
Dr NO
December 29th, 2010
1:57 pm
Once the firings begin then the remainder of these lackluster teachers will fall in line.
RAISE THE AX!!
Dr. Craig Spinks /Augusta
December 29th, 2010
2:03 pm
“Teacher report cards” is a relatively new concept, at least to me. But, because it’s new, does that mean it’s a good idea? A computer-search of ERIC and Google turned up no evaluations of TRCs. But Google did identify a Wall Street Journal story from 8/21/10 dealing with the topic. Should we consider for widespread implementation a concept which has not met rigorous evaluation by disinterested experts? How ’bout a pilot study by out-of-staters? Would money funding such a pilot be better spent on things which have been proven to relate positively to student learning? Of course, asking questions is easier than developing and implementing solutions to our problem of lagging student achievement.
Incredulous
December 29th, 2010
2:05 pm
I hate to respond to trolls, but…. Dr No. don’t you mean that worked FOR college educated people that constantly reminded you that You were bringing up the tail end of the train?
Dr NO
December 29th, 2010
2:09 pm
Incredulous
Uh no, nada, fraid not, wrong again, you lose, get the picture? Or you need addl explanation.
Veteran teacher, 2
December 29th, 2010
2:11 pm
Here is a relatively cheap alternative. Let’s put cameras with streaming video in every classroom. I am told that this would cost about $50,000 per school. That is far less than is what is spent on testing. Think of the advantages. First, the public sees that most teachers use every minute for instruction. Second, all disruptions and other discipline problems are documented on video. No “He said, she said.” Thirdly, those students absent three times a week have no excuse. They can watch the entire class. (To those not in classrooms currently, you might be amazed to know that many students think that being absent is an excuse for missing work and lack of preparation for tests. They think that someone else is supposed to do everything for them. The parents of this type of student are usually even worse!) Lastly, there would be ample documentation available to get rid of ineffective teachers.
teacher&mom
December 29th, 2010
2:14 pm
@Dr. Craig Spinks….when in doubt, check the Gates Foundation. I’ve copied and pasted the following from the Colorado Legacy Foundation:
The Colorado Legacy Foundation has secured $1.9 million in grant funding to support efforts by the state and local school districts to improve educator effectiveness.
“For the first time, a new state law requires Colorado to identify what makes an effective teacher and principal,” said CLF Executive Director Helayne Jones. “It also requires that at least half of every public school teacher’s and principal’s evaluation is based on their students’ academic growth. The need for resources to assist this work is urgent, and we’re pleased to be able to bring those resources to the table.”
In total the grant funding secured by CLF comes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ($1.75 million); the JPMorgan Chase Foundation ($51,000); the Daniels Fund ($70,000); and the Donnell-Kay Foundation ($30,000).
The sizeable infusion of funds means that CLF is well positioned to offer substantial assistance to the Colorado Department of Education and to school districts to implement Senate Bill 10-191 (commonly referred to as the “Educator Effectiveness Bill” passed in May 2010), which requires CDE to develop a system to evaluate public school teachers and principals at least once each school year based in part on their students’ academic growth from year to year.
CDE’s efforts to implement the Educator Effectiveness Bill are strengthened by also rolling out new academic content standards and providing supports to educators in all public schools to teach to those standards. A portion of the funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant will be used to support that work as well.
Is Representative Lindsey working with the Gates Foundation on this legislation?
Incredulous
December 29th, 2010
2:14 pm
Dr nono. So, when these college educated people pulled you aside and showed you concrete data indicating that your performance was lackluster and then gave you a specific set of areas for improvement; you responded with what? Please help me understand how you were able to effectively self correct.
TopSchool
December 29th, 2010
2:21 pm
Get the point…Evaluations need honest ethical administrators…What the governor does with the APS situation will set the STANDARD for future issues with EDUCATION in Gerogia.
If this problem is not handled properly in the public’s eye…the issue of a “report card” for teachers is ridiculous.
This is trash politics to keep your eye off the target.
Hold those in the legislature responsible for making sure the criminal is charged for the crimes they’ve committed in our public schools. FRAUD, FALSIFIED DOCUMENTS, MISUSE OF EDUCATION FUNDS…THESE ARE THE ISSUES AT HAND.
Hold those in political positions accountable for the current APS issues…
And just say “no way” to their …attempts to put the spin on the REAL FACTS
The APS administration needs to be carefully scrutinized…Leaving any one of those unethical leaders in charge will surely allow the corruption to continue to fester.
Cleanse the APS system that has created the most DAMAGE to the state of Georgia. The Governor needs to show us what he is going to do with APS administration that has disgraced our city to the entire nation.
http://www.TopPublicSchoolCorruptionAtlanta.com
Sade
December 29th, 2010
2:27 pm
Where will we find the time and the resources to complete all of the above?
Dr NO
December 29th, 2010
2:30 pm
You may want to consult a physician about that head injury.
Another Good Teacher Bites the Dust
December 29th, 2010
2:36 pm
So now teachers are being subjected to Report Cards. Sounds like a winner. Who will grade us? The students that we are trying to control and teach. What will they say to us when we enter the classroom.
Sit down teacher and shut up or we’ll make sure you get an F. I’m going to tell my mama and my daddy on you.
This stupidity just gets more stupid. OK Let’s set about Miss Bones over there. She wears too much black. Make sure she gets most of the D.A.M.F.’s. That will surely get her an F and out of here.
This should be hilarious!
Hud
December 29th, 2010
2:36 pm
If and when the performance ratings are made public I’m guessing people will be surprised at the number of very high ratings. In my experience as a manager in a government agency almost every employee, practically everyone with a pulse, receives “outstanding” annual performance ratings. To rate an employee less than “outstanding” is to invite a huge amount of time consuming grief for a manager (or a principal).
I’d also guessing most of the teachers will be surprised. The really good ones probably think they’re in a select performance rating group. Wait till they find out that almost everyone, even the slugs, is rated as a top performer.
Incredulous
December 29th, 2010
2:38 pm
Dr No, would you recommend that I consult an educated egg head physician that is certified and licensed in Neurology, or should I see someone like yourself that can really ” git er dun”?
Another Good Teacher Bites the Dust
December 29th, 2010
2:46 pm
Part 2
Good morning class! My name is Mrs. Smith and I am your teacher. I am so happy to be here with you today. Paper ball hits; chair turnovers, running, darts. Belches as several finish their McDonalds breakfasts. Sit down please.
Shut up lady before we sic that report card on you. We run this show, not you!
Another one bites the dust!
the sky is falling
December 29th, 2010
2:47 pm
One thing that would help is mandate a percentage of money that must go to the classroom. Make it so high that systems would have to cut all these advisors, directors, teachers on special assignments, etc…. What frightens me about Mr. Deal taking office is that he wants local systems to have flexibility in spending. That really equates to less in the classroom and more bureaucracy.
( Just look at what systems have already done with the RTTT money- they hired administrators)
I also think that teacher report cards will not have the intended effect. It will drive the good teachers to areas that they know they can succeed (or leave the profession) and no one will want to work with the at risk populations. Teachers are already evaluated throughout the year, so why add more? Would that be pulling away money from actual classrooms in order to implement these report cards?
Why not try something different? Why not dismantle the department of education? Why not give each school complete control of their money? Have teachers and parents on advisory boards to run the schools. Let schools decide on curriculum and materials. It would have to be more cost efficient and extremely popular with voters wanting to cut out big government. Let the state money follow the child and parents can choose their public school.
Another thing- better sunshine laws for school systems. Make them put check ledgers online and detailed minutes of all meetings and discussions. That would be another thing very popular with voters.
There are so many things that could be easily done to improve education in Georgia if someone would just listen to the folks in the trenches. Most of us are not just working for a paycheck, it is our calling. We want to do what is best for the children, but a lot of times we have to do that with both hands tied behind our backs and blindfolded….
Another Good Teacher Bites the Dust
December 29th, 2010
2:52 pm
Part 3
She needs to be removed. I don’t give a darn what her report card said last year. She gave my Johnny an F. He only missed 14 days. She should have spent more time after school catching him up. She only sent us five letters and she only called once a week. Charlie got an F too and so did April. The other 30 passed, so what! She’s not doing her job!
Another one bites the dust!
Ed Johnson
December 29th, 2010
2:52 pm
Via E-mail
December 29, 2010
“The one thing that I will not accept is that the status quo is acceptable.”
–Edward Lindsey, State Representative
Dear Ed:
Indeed, the one thing you must not accept is the status quo. I certainly do not.
So please consider how you and Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan are promoting the status quo, although perhaps unintentionally. You see, an aspect of the status quo calls for maintaining certain ways of thinking, some of which have become deeply institutionalized, so endure on the premise that is the way the real world works.
One of the most enduring status quo ways of thinking calls for figuring out how to do something to somebody in response to perceived problems. It is much like the adolescent who, when questioned about his or her inappropriate behavior, will look to others to blame, so as to avoid having to acknowledge his or her contributions to the problems. In short, this status quo way of thinking demands fixing the problems “out there, with them” because the problems cannot possibly be “in here, with us.” (An aside: In this regard, today’s superintendency of Atlanta Public Schools portends a case study the Georgia Legislature might take up and learn from.)
Another enduring status quo way of thinking calls for deflecting being informed of a problem when the informant does not also offer a solution (or even when the informant does offer a solution). This happens especially when the informant is deemed to occupy an inferior position in a social hierarchy. It is a status quo way of thinking steeped in condescension and the belief that those at the “top” know what is best for those at the “bottom.” After all, those at the “top” are the successful ones, and those at the “bottom” are the failures. Therefore, it is not the business of the “bottom” to come up with workable solutions; the “top” must bring solutions to the “bottom” to get their buy-in to accept the solutions.
A third enduring status quo way of thinking calls for always taking action in response to any perceived problems. It amounts to always seeking to come up with something, anything, that will “move the ball forward,” as you say. In the language of quality improvement, this status quo way of thinking is called “tampering.” Tampering, irrational, does not allow admitting that perhaps the ball need not be moved at all, that an effective solution simply might be to stop doing something. For example, the idea of stop putting problematic reforms and issues on the table will make no sense to the “Take action, move the ball forward!” status quo way of thinking. Negative consequences to democracy and civility really don’t matter when tampering.
The forgoing few status quo ways of thinking attest to a kind of institutionalized cognitive laziness, if you will, that tends to seek simple solutions to complex problems, including complex social situations around teaching and learning.
Now, depending on your degree of willingness, you will accept or reject the following short list of resources offering “constructive reforms” (your term) of status quo ways of thinking:
“[O]ne can conclude that the fundamental attribution error is an error in thinking, on behalf of the observer [e.g.,politicians], which often leads to a misattribution of behavior in a given situation.”
–The Fundamental Attribution Error
http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/The_Fundamental_Attribution_Error
“Until senior managers [and politicians] become aware of the ways they reason defensively, any change activity is likely to be just a fad.”
–Teaching Smart People How to Learn
http://pds8.egloos.com/pds/200805/20/87/chris_argyris_learning.pdf
“Current conditions call to mind the parable of the drunken man crawling under the streetlight while searching for his keys. A Good Samaritan stops to help; after minutes of searching, she finally asks, ‘Are you sure you dropped your keys here?’ The man looks up and gestures toward the other end of the street, saying, ‘No, I dropped them down there—but the light’s better over here.’”
–The New Stupid
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec08/vol66/num04/The-New-Stupid.aspx
Sincerely,
Ed Johnson
Advocate for Quality in Public Education
Atlanta GA
(404) 505-8176
edwjohnson@aol.com
Cc: Alishia Thomas Morgan, State Representative
Bcc: Distribution List
Dr NO
December 29th, 2010
2:59 pm
Why consult a physician…there are plenty of very intelligent teachers who could offer the same services for less…just ask them.
Career Switcher
December 29th, 2010
3:18 pm
@ Georgia Matters 1:53…I wholeheartedly agree with you concerning discipline, etc., however, you need to realize that if I were to follow your suggestions concerning discipline and grading that I would be out of a job very quickly. These decisions and mandates do not come from teachers, and teachers are often powerless to do much about them. Your comments and suggestions should be addressed to administration and central office. The day that I look my principal in the eye and state that I am giving a 0 and it will stand and that I am demanding a disruptive student be dealt with will be the first day of the end of my career. You see, that is the dirty little secret in education…you do not go against the status quo, and if you do, you will no longer be employable. I have seen those who speak up or disagree with administration quickly branded trouble makers and be given teaching assignments outside their area or even several subjects to teach at once. I have seen them be given higher loads of unruly students in their classes, and bad, undeserved evaluations.
There are loads of factors that go into grading and discipline that many don’t realize…such as passing students to bump up graduation rates and the fact that discipline stats have to be reported to the government. Schools with higher numbers of referrals are on the radar. The school’s answer is to reduce referrals, even though the underlying behaviors are still there. In my opinion, misinterpretation of federal law (the you-can’t-suspend-IEP-students-for-more-than-10-day rule) has resulted in reduced punishments across the board. The county comes in and tells us that we are in violation because more than x percent of black males or special ed. students were suspended for x number of days, and whammo!…you can probably guess what happens then. You see, if we don’t write students up for bad behaviors, then that really means they didn’t happen, right? So, the pressure to not write students up can get intense. Thankfully, it is not as bad at my current school as I have seen it before, nor is it as bad as some other teacher friends say it is at their schools.
@ Veteran Teacher2….I would absolutely welcome a camera (with audio recording, please) in my classroom. I would love to be evaluated based on what happens over time instead of what happens once a year during my 20 minute evaluation (although my evals. are good). I would also love the power to be able to show parents what happens. As a matter of fact, I would like to go even farther and say that it would be great to have live video/audio feed into each classroom at each school. That way, if a student is absent or a parent would like to check in, they could. Those of us who do our jobs would welcome it, and those who are subpar would be forced to get better. Discipline issues would be greatly reduced, because most kids are genuinely good kids. Most would fear repurcussions if they knew they couldn’t fib their way out of trouble with mom and dad. Maybe that is the solution to our problems!
Another Good Teacher Bites the Dust
December 29th, 2010
3:19 pm
There are so many smart and intelligent people writing in to this website. I appreciate your posts. This constant teacher witch hunt is making the profession non palatable.
Still, we will get up in January, 2011 and give it our best. There are very few bad teachers out there. The problem is having so many students who don’t perform well in the same place. They have to be mixed up all over the city. If you don’t mix them then it looks like you have low performing schools when you don’t.
My hats are off to all the teachers who go out there everyday and still teach to the best of their ability despite all of this mess. Everyone is trying to make a name off the back of teachers.
Thank you Dr. Trotter, Science Teacher 671 and Mr. Ed Johnson for giving me the determination to go in there and try it again despite all of these would be educators who themselves can’t teach worth a darn and would cringe at the idea of having someone give them a report card on themselves.
Thank you too Top School.
Career Switcher
December 29th, 2010
3:26 pm
@Veteran Teacher2…Oops! I didn’t fully read your post, you did mention streaming feed!
Young teacher
December 29th, 2010
3:34 pm
Sorry to disagree but EVERY teacher in my school gets a satisfactory rating. Most deserve it but there are a few bad apples. If you’re all doing the great job that you say you are, ratings shouldn’t pose a threat. A friend in LA complained about the ratings until they appeared and she was rated tops. Now, she thinks it was a wonderful idea because there is affirmation of her work. The same thing would happen here. Good teachers would get the credit they are due and bad teachers would finally get unmasked. Rep. Lindsay, not all teachers are afraid to be rated.