I read a blog from Edutopia this week, which discussed teacher evaluation, and the issues that are arising surrounding this issue.
I was blown away when I first heard about how the LA Times used a "value-added" formula to rate teacher effectiveness, based on students growth on standardized test performance, and then published the results in the newspaper and an online database. Almost every teacher I know agrees that while standarized tests can give some information about skills that students have/haven't mastered yet, they should only be viewed as a "snapshot" of a child and is certainly not the best measure of their learning. However, the reputation of teachers and their effectiveness are being tied to these tests, and this model looks like it will be here to stay.
What really struck a chord in me, about this blog, was the assertion that, if we want to raise the bar in public education, we really need to find out what is working and what isn't with the way we are teaching and give teachers the support and feedback they need, without using it as a shaming tool.
With the adoption of the Common Core Standards, and the "Race to the Top" initiative, states have also agreed to rework their teacher evaluation systems, and those states will be moving to a system that ties a percentage of a teacher's effectiveness rating to their students' performance on standardized testing and locally created testing. Our district is going to be negotiating our contract this spring, and the new teacher effectiveness measures and system are going to be part of what is negotiated.
While I agree that students should be making progress towards standards and that teachers need to be accountable for their students' learning, I feel like this value-added model and the idea of publishing it in the newspaper could turn into a very slippery slope, very quickly. Teachers should be supported in the areas that they could improve, without it being published in the newspaper - especially since the "value added" model has many critics who say it isn't an accurate portrayal of who the child really is.
I really think this is going to shake things up at schools across the country. If we can really figure out some of the qualities/strategies/skills that are involved in solid and effective teaching, I think that would be great. But its certainly going to be a challenging task, met with plenty of opposition!
Here are some more interesting articles about this subject:
http://www.workers.org/2010/us/education_0916/
http://californiawatch.org/watchblog/panel-debate-measuring-teacher-effectiveness-5085
http://rye.patch.com/articles/how-will-race-to-the-top-affect-classrooms-in-rye-and-blind-brook
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