Teacher evaluations: Is there really enough time for reliable classroom...
A middle school teacher I admired for her innovation pulled me aside once to tell me she was leaving the district. Her tendency to stray from the script put her at odds with the new principal. When I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Georgia teachers: Prefer to be judged on student work rather than on student...
A survey of Georgia teachers found more support for using student work to judge them than test scores. (AJC file photo) The Professional Association of Georgia Educators queried its members regarding...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pencils down and dukes up: Two views of the growing anti-testing campaign...
Two views of the growing organized resistance to standardized testing: From the Chicago Teachers Union, which is distributing an anti-testing petition today: As part of its “Pencils Down” campaign...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Where are the voices of teachers in DeKalb mess? Here is one and he’s not...
A DeKalb teacher sent me this piece, noting that none of the blog commentaries on the crisis in DeKalb have come from teachers. I suspect teachers all over the country will agree with his comments...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Race to the Top teacher evaluations with strong reliance on test scores...
As expected, House Bill 244 passed both the House and the Senate, incorporating the educator evaluation system piloted by Georgia’s Race to the Top districts into state law. With the Senate vote this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Seeing teachers as technicians ignores what else they give students:...
Spurred by federal policy, many states, including Georgia, are moving to teacher evaluations that consider student progress on tests. But a rising chorus is challenging the reliance on testing to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bill Gates: We’re fumbling evaluations when we rate teachers on how students...
In a Washington Post op-ed, Bill Gates says there should be a fairer way to evaluate teachers. While he is all for accountability, Gates cautions against using student test scores as the primary basis...
View ArticleTeacher’s parting letter strikes a nerve with equally frustrated peers around...
A letter penned by a retiring Syracuse, N.Y., social studies teacher is getting a lot of reaction since it hit the web this week. Westhill High School teacher Jerry Conti sent this letter to the Board...
View ArticleClik here to view.
State moves away from using test scores to assess schools but moves closer to...
Since we are talking about standardized testing related to the teacher letter in an earlier blog today, I want to share a good AJC piece by my colleague Nancy Badertscher. I recommended some experts...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Florida teachers file lawsuit today to stop evaluations that rely on test scores
The controversy over basing teacher evaluations on student performance now moves to a courtroom in Florida after teachers there filed suit today contending the review process violates their rights....
View Article