The Tennessean
(7/17, Gonzalez) reports that the Tennessee Department of Education
has released a new report which found that the state's new teacher
evaluation system "'systematically failed' to identify bad teachers and
provide them more training." Moreover, the report "found that
instructors who got failing grades when measured by their students' test
scores tended to get much higher marks from principals who watched them
in
classrooms. State officials expected to see similar scores from both
methods." The paper quotes the report, "Evaluators are telling teachers
they exceed expectations in their observation feedback when in fact
student outcomes paint a very different picture. This behavior skirts
managerial responsibility." The piece notes that the student
performance-based evaluation system is part of the state's obligations
under its Race to the Top grant.
The AP
(7/17, Johnson) reports that as a result of the study, state education
leaders are "considering changes" to the system, noting that the report
"said about two-thirds of the state's teachers should be allowed to opt
for a smaller portion of their evaluations to be based on such data.
... The recommendation seeks to address concerns raised repeatedly by
teachers since the evaluation measure was first enacted as part of
Tennessee's federal Race to the Top grant application in 2010." The
piece notes that Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman "didn't discuss
specifics, but he said his report - which is due to lawmakers next month
- will also deal with value-added testing data." The Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel (7/17, McCoy) runs a similar report.
Evaluations are the test teachers must pass to continue teaching at that particular school. I have been subjected to evaluations during my student teaching experience. Because this is a randomly done evaluations every quarter I believe it did not paint a clear picture of growth or areas that needed to be improved upon. It is my opinion that evaluations should not be done my "outsiders" that are not familiar with the teachers work ethics. Also the specifics of the evaluations are created my non-educators which can be misleading.
Teacher Waldon, I have had similar experiences when dealing with the licensing program analysts that come out to review our early childhood programs. It has been my personal experience that many of the evaluators have no previous experience in the field and therefor their judgment at times has seemed unrealistic and even ludicrous at times even personal rather than based on the state guidelines for early childhood programs. There is no doubt some reform that needs to be done. It is hard to respect and validate a source that doesn't seem credible. I share your concerns.
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me how those who have no experience in our field can tell us if what we are doing is right or wrong
ReplyDeleteIt is true that evaluating teachers randomly not knowing their personalities or work ethics might be difficult. It is just impossible and unrealistic to evaluate someone and get a clear picture of that person and his working environment.
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