AFT Statement on NCTQ’s 2013 Teacher Evaluation Report

AFT’s Weingarten: “Policy must address what is actually happening on the ground, in classrooms.” WASHINGTON—Statement by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the National Council on Teacher Quality’s report, “State of the States 2013—Connect the Dots: Using Evaluations of Teacher Effectiveness to Inform Policy and Practice.”

“Like the AFT, the National Council on Teacher Quality believes that for the Common Core State Standards to succeed, they need to be implemented properly, with alignment throughout the system, including teacher evaluations. But the AFT also believes that high-stakes consequences of student assessments should wait until the rollout of the standards is complete and successful.  We agree with NCTQ that special education teachers need special attention in their evaluations to ensure that all relevant measures are considered.

“There’s a real disconnect between what the ‘powers that be’ want to dictate or proclaim as success, and what classroom teachers and students actually need to be successful. This dissonance is surreal, and it’s why teachers and parents don’t trust policymakers. To really connect the dots between teaching quality and student performance, we must provide teachers with the support and resources they need to improve their instruction and meet the needs of all kids. Policy must address what is actually happening on the ground, in classrooms.

“This report shows that teacher evaluation systems in 35 states and the District of Columbia are driven by tests, requiring that student achievement results be a significant, or even the most significant, factor in teacher evaluations. Yet only 20 states and the District of Columbia require that teacher evaluation results be used to inform and shape professional development for all teachers. We have to stop test-centric evaluations and build systems that will actually improve teaching and learning.”

Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten

Teachers, not formula, deserve praise, LFT says

(Baton Rouge – October 24, 2013) Today’s release of so-called school report cards by the State Department of Education affirmed what should have never been in question: Louisiana students reap the benefits provided by teachers dedicated to the education of children.

On the other hand, as to the value and validity of this political gimmick initiated by Jeb Bush, the report card evokes a quote from Shakespeare. The report card itself is “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” That is the verdict issued by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers.

“These school letter grades won’t and will never tell us what we need to know about our schools,” said LFT President Steve Monaghan. “When Superintendent White said in his press release that changes in the formula used to compute the grades ‘have led to real increases in student achievement,’ he spoke the simple truth. He who controls the formula controls the fate of our public schools.”

In the past, Monaghan said, low-graded school report cards were used to justify seizure of schools by the Recovery School District and to make more children eligible for vouchers at private and religious schools.

“This adjustment to the formula to grade our schools is just the latest in a series of tweaks to the so-called education reforms of the last several years. It’s a cliché, but it’s true; this airplane is being built while fully loaded and in flight.”

Monaghan said that the imposition of a single letter grade on schools ignores the vast differences in school missions, populations and priorities.

“We use the same measuring stick for all schools, whether they are selective admission magnet schools rated among the best in the nation, or alternative schools for our most challenged students,” he said. “Note that these letter grades don’t distinguish among schools that are technology-oriented, language immersion, college prep or career-readiness.”

Just as student report cards reflect achievement in a variety of subjects, school report cards should tell the whole story of an institution’s standing by multiple measures, Monaghan said.

“A child comes home from school with grades in English, math, science, social studies and other subjects,” he said. “That gives parents an idea of where the student is doing well and where improvements are needed. This single grade stamped on a school tells the public very little.”

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers has pushed for the creation of a learning environment index for each school. The index would not simply reflect test scores, but would assess and inform the public of the condition of school facilities, whether the school is safe and orderly, the health and economic vitality of the surrounding community, the availability of instructional materials in the school, teacher and staff retention, and the physical and emotional health of the student population.

“Stamping a label on a school does nothing to improve education,” Monaghan said. “Schools with a high letter grade learn nothing about their achievement. In those labeled F, children are stigmatized, teachers are frustrated and communities are defamed.”