Ohio releasing teacher score

Have you seen this? It makes me ill.
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/201...publishing-ohio-teachers-value-added-ratings/

 

Sigh...

 

SMH

 

Love it.

 

I am an Ohio teacher. It saddens me that our politicians still think that a test score accurately measures a teacher's performance. What don't they get?
I am all for being FAIRLY evaluated. I just sigh when I read comments from people who are teachers who say we are whining. What don't they understand????

 

And 50% of student test scores will factor into our evaluation! Yay! Because teacher competency is the ONLY thing that affects how well a student does on a standardized test....

 

I think all of us are fine with assessment as long as it's fair. Half of my VAM score comes from their test scores. They compare their 3rd grade scores to their 4th grade scores. Two completely different tests tested in two completely different ways. Supposedly they have come up with a formula to make them equal. I just don't get it.

 

Don't know what that means...but, I'm sure I agree with you!

 

SMH - Shaking My Head

 

Thanks...I'm still learning the lingo!

 

I hit Google regularly when I see a new one.

 

I know, ChristyF - my kiddos next year will be judged by their "growth" between the 2nd grade IOWA test, and the 3rd grade iLeap test. I'm am definitely NOT for more testing, but wouldn't a pre and post grade level test be more fair for testing growth?

 

That's my thought, too. Truly test the growth they make in the time I have them.

 

I could see using the scores from the benchmarks given at the beginning and the end of the year. But that would actually make sense it would not reach the goal of getting rid of teachers.

 

Many teachers would say that doesn't work either, because students can come in 3 grade levels behind. They say they had a very low class.

 

This is why I'm grateful my principal is moving me from the alternative classroom to a social studies classroom. If I were to be evaluated based on those 8 kids' test scores (EOGs and MSLs) I would be crying! Too many variables: did they have their medicine this morning? Are they even going to show up for the test? If they didn't take their medicine, will the bubble in the answers to form the shape of kitty cats playing in the meadow?

My kids did improve. They actually completed classwork/homework assignments which is a dramatic improvement over what they were doing before I got there. Albeit, only because they'd have to sit by themselves in the cafeteria or lose out on free time at the end of the day if they didn't do their work. Can't make them care, but I can take away rewards if they don't put effort into completing assignments.

 

Do you know if this is the same for special ed teachers, Bumble? I'm just curious. My dad is a sped teacher in OH and he says nothing has been explained to him about how all of this relates to sped. It seems ridiculously unfair that it would be the same rating system for a gen ed teacher and a sped teacher...but you never know what they come up with!

 

Haha, my district just released a new District Performance Plan that rates testing growth for all these sub-groups....ELLs, minorities, SPED, etc. All of the groups have complex criteria on which they're being judged.

Do you know what it says in the plan about Special Ed? "TBD" :lol: Nobody wants to touch SPED with a ten foot pole! How can I be held accountable for my kids having terrible working memory?

 

Our evaluations changed this year so that 40% of our evaluation is based on student growth which includes the state exam scores. We choose a group of kids early in the year and specific areas of focus, and then we follow those kids very closely with periodic reports to admin. We try to get a good cross section and then we do our goal statements based on the benchmark tests/state exams/classroom observation. For example, a goal statement may look like this: Those students scoring a 1 in sentence formation will improve by two points, those scoring a 2 or 3 will improve by at least one point, and those already scoring a 4 in this area will maintain the 4 and improve by at least one point in one or more of the other writing strands.

Not all students met the goals, but approximately 96% showed growth. At least this method acknowledges that not all kids will pass everything. But, if we focus on growth, then the kids feel successful and we are able to show concrete evidence of their growth. This dovetails nicely with RtI because we can use that data to support our goals and prove the growth.

 

And value-added data is calculated based on a formula used for cattle breeding, I'm sure very accurate.

I don't think parents will understand the process ( educators don't even understand it). So saying its for parents I believe is ridiculous.

 

From article:
"*Ohio’s value-added ratings do not account for the socioeconomic backgrounds of students, as they do in some other states.
*Value-added scores measure students’ progress only by their performance on the Ohio Achievement Assessments."

Socioeconomic background is, and always has been, the most reliable indicator of how a child will perform in school...

So who, in their right mind, will want to teach in an inner city school?

 

"Ohio releasing teacher score"

....Of course they would!
What better way to continue to demonize teachers?

The administrators get to point to it and say, "See? It's not our fault."
The parents get to point at it and say, "See? It's not our fault."
And the students get to point at it and say, "See? It's not our fault."

:|

 

In my district, it is. I was strictly co-teaching last year (my building moved to an all inclusive model), so my co-teachers and I had to determine what percentage of instruction we were responsible for with the general ed students and the special ed students. So essentially, that half of my evaluation is determined by not only my SPED students but also the gen ed students that I teach in inclusive classes. It was up to us (the teachers) to determine what percentage of those scores would impact our evaluation.

HOWEVER, because the evaluation system is so new...we are going with either building scores or district scores for next year. They are hoping to tie individual student scores to individual teachers in the future.

I will be doing some co-teaching next year, but also one resource class. So who knows how that one will work!

 

I think politicians need to stop dealing with education laws and ways of assessing teachers. They clearly have no clue on how to properly assess anything- including laws- this is a very flawed way of assessing a teacher. What saddens me is that parents are going to use this "tool" as a way to get their child out of a certain teacher's class- I don't think most parents will understand this label on a teacher or how it was determined (or how much more we give to each of our students besides one standardized test- which in itself there are many flaws).

From a scientific standpoint, there are many flaws in how to use one test (which can change every few years), only 2 years of data in some cases (I teach my 3rd-6th graders that you should have at least 3 data points- if elementary students know this how can politicians not know this!?! The more data the more accurate results (usually)), and finally in no way is this a controlled experiment where there's only one independent variable (teacher's teaching ability). Perhaps this would be a great science lesson to high schoolers on how to design an experiment???

 

My thoughts exactly... I'll take on responsibility for my teaching if administrators, parents, and students will do so as well. :thumb:

 

I take responsibility for my teaching in spite of parents and administrators not doing so.

It is my job to inspire students to want to take responsibility for their learning.

 

:thumb:

 

That's all well and good. I'm sure that most of us want to feel the same way. The problem, though, is that we're not all starting off with a level playing field.

I've had students in high school who were reading on a first grade level. That's really hard for me to fix. Even if I do get that student up to a 2nd or 3rd grade reading level, which is tremendous, do you think it will matter? No. What these assessments will see is that I didn't get that student up to grade level. And for that, I will fail, despite my very best efforts, great intentions, and skill.

I have busted my butt to help all students learn and grow, but sometimes it's just too big a gap to matter when it comes to these ridiculous assessments.

 

I disagree. If you are moving kids 2-3 grade levels it will matter. If you are moving them 2-3 grade levels that highlights a problem for the teachers these students had before you.

Everyone has situations that you describe, I certainly do.

I simply will not use parents, administrators as an excuse. This is why I do not like grouping and sending kids to other teachers for "RTI". I am responsible for the students in my class and I will do the best with the time I have with them. Another reason why I give no homework, I have no control of the situation when they are outside the school.

 

But you will blame other teachers?

Just because a student arrives in your classroom at a low reading level doesn't mean that the teacher in the previous year did not do his/her job.

 

If a student is reading at a first grade level in high school, and they move up 2-3 grades though, do you REALLY think that will matter on a standardized test designed to assess a *high schooler*? At that point, I'm not so sure the performance on the test would accurately assess the actual growth that the student made.

 

No I didn't blame other teachers. My point was clear. I take the responsibility for the students in my class...period.

I won't blame things I simply can't control.


If students are jumping 2-3 grade levels with certain teachers, then people might want to take notice and ask why...maybe they will learn something.

 

What I am saying is that if you have data that says you have a student in high school reading at a first grade level and you consistently move these students 2-3 grade levels....you have nothing to worry about. You should be proud.

If I was the teacher in the 6 earlier grades and did not move the student more than 2 months in growth...I would be concerned.

If I had a 9th grade class and every single student was reading at a 1st grade level and at the end of the year every student was reading at a 7th grade level AND everyone failed the state test.

I would be a bonafide teaching ROCK STAR. It would not go unnoticed.

 

The problem is value-added scores won't take that into account. It will be their performance on the grade-level test. It works the other way too, sometimes tests hit a ceiling and can't measure high enough to show growth-that's what I run into with the young kids. The parents aren't going to see your data from your assessments-they are going to see this search engine that says "look up the value-added score of your child's teacher".

 

A better question should be why are students moving 2-3+ grade levels in this class and literally going backwards or stagnating in the previous classes.

What skill set is this teacher bringing that is moving kids so much.

Too many people are so focused on the score. Like I tell my students, do what you know how to do, work hard, participate, question, have behaviors of great students..etc and scores take care of themselves.

 

Ha.

HA.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.

Good luck with that. We'll see if it actually happens when your assessments roll out. I predict that you'd actually be deemed "ineffective" and you'd either be placed on an improvement plan or terminated outright.

What you're talking about is what SHOULD be the reaction to a teacher who helps her students make great gains. What I'm talking about is what ACTUALLY DOES happen when a teacher fails to bring students to grade level in spite of great gains.

 

If I were you I would quit your job and move.

I have never worked with anyone in administation(teachers) who even consider firing someone in this situation...not even close.

What you are describing has nothing to do with assessments/evaluations in ANY way....it has to do with dysfuntional administration. If I worked with a principal who acted like this was a failing teacher and wanted me fired..I would transfer..immediately.

You clearly work in a district that has no faith in you as a teacher or other teachers in your district.

I can say without a shadow of a doubt I would have ZERO issues if I was able to move 30 students SIX grade levels in 1 year.

You see it as pure black and white and this is never the case. You clearly already see yourself failing.

 

This isn't about my district. This is about state legislation (in many states) requiring a significant portion of teacher evaluations to be based on student test scores. Many of those scores do not account for gains--they account only for grade-level performance.

 

It is about your perception of how it will unfold.

What I am telling you is that if a 9th grade teacher moves 30 students SIX grade levels and they all fail the sate test...it will not go unnoticed you will look like a rock star.

You laughed and said that teacher would be fired..I call 100% BS!

What percent of your class after the first week of school do you look at and say "you are too far behind and are going to fail?"

 

Can you please link where they have defined the scales?

I am honestly interested in knowing how and what highly effective-effective...etc looks like on the scale.

I suspect there isn't any such information yet and scared people are jumping the gun.

But, I could be wrong.