Renegade_Master

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and thank you for being a teacher.

I agree tenure is a good thing, to a point. It is a problem when a teacher receives tenure and stops performing, but can't be fired because of tenure.

Also here is what Mrs. Rhee and the union came to agree on and the outcome of the agreement.-" In 2010, Rhee and the unions agreed on a new contract that offered 20 percent pay raises and bonuses of $20,000 to $30,000 for "strong student achievement," in exchange for weakened teachers' seniority protections and the end of teacher tenure for one year. Under this new agreement, Rhee fired 241 teachers, the vast majority of whom received poor evaluations, and put 737 additional school employees on notice.[24] Of the dismissed teachers, 76 were dismissed in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act because they lacked proper teaching certification. Twenty-six other teachers were dismissed because their students had repeatedly received low scores on the District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System. Teachers were observed by administrators and outside professionals for five 30-minute sessions during the year, and the teachers' performance was rated during those sessions. Teachers who received fewer than 175 out of 400 points were deemed ineffective and were dismissed. Teachers who received between 175 and 249 points were deemed minimally effective and given a one-year warning to improve their performance"

In another post here you said you are part of a union and are glad for it. My question is in the regard to the Teacher's Unions. In the documentary "Waiting for Superman" the former Chancellor of D.C. schools Michelle A. Rhee attempted to negotiate with the unions to remove tenure (in order to remove ineffective teachers), raise teacher salaries (based on the teacher's score with a maximum pay of $140,000), and provide teacher bonuses for effective teaching.

What is your opinion of Michelle Rhee's plan?

Do you feel the schools or unions hinder the way a teacher can teach? I.E. preventing the teacher from attempting new methods of teaching or by attempting to teach in a less orthodox means.

Lastly, in your opinion what needs to be done to fix the education system in the US?

Your reply got me wondering the critera for the evals so I did a little digging its called Impact and is a value add system. found here

http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/In+the+Classroom/Ensuring+Teacher+Success/IMPACT+(Performance+Assessment)

copy/pasta

What Is IMPACT?

First introduced in 2009, the system is designed to help staff become more effective by:

Clarifying Expectations – IMPACT outlines clear performance expectations that are tailored to staff members’ specific job responsibilities.

Providing Feedback and Support – Quality feedback is a key element to the improvement process, which is why IMPACT provides staff members with multiple opportunities to engage in conversations with their managers about strengths and areas for growth. IMPACT also provides data that helps instructional coaches, mentors, and other support personnel be more effective in their work.

Retaining Great People – Having highly effective staff members in our schools helps everyone improve. IMPACT helps retain these individuals by providing significant recognition for outstanding performance. To Top

How Does IMPACT Work?

IMPACT ratings for teachers are based on the following:

Student Achievement – We believe that a teacher’s most important responsibility is to ensure that her or his students learn and grow. This is why we hold educators accountable for the growth their students make on our state assessment, the DC CAS, or on other assessments if they don’t teach a DC CAS grade or subject.

Instructional Expertise – This is assessed through five observations – four formal and one informal – each year. Three observations are conducted by teachers’ administrators and two are conducted by independent, expert practitioners called master educators. Feedback and guidance for growth are provided in post-observation conferences and written reports.

Collaboration – Education is very much a team effort, which is why IMPACT also measures the extent to which educators work together on behalf of students.

Professionalism – Teachers are also held accountable for key professional requirements, including following all school policies and procedures, and interacting with colleagues, students, families, and community members in a respectful manner.

IMPACT ratings for other school-based staff are based on criteria specific to their jobs. For example, instructional coaches are evaluated based on how well they support teachers, while custodians are evaluated based on building maintenance and safety.

What is value-added?

Measuring a teacher’s impact on student learning can be challenging. After all, students start the year at different skill levels, and they all face different factors inside and outside the classroom that affect how they learn.

At its core, IVA is a way of dealing with these challenges. It helps us estimate the teacher’s impact on student learning as opposed to the impact of other factors, such as students’ prior skill level, the resources they have at home, any learning disabilities they may have, or their classroom composition.

In short, IVA helps us understand what the teacher did, apart from everything else.

How and why does DCPS use value-added data?

DCPS uses value-added data as part of IMPACT, our system for assessing teacher performance. We do so because we believe that clear evidence of student learning is an essential part of being an effective teacher.

Individual Value-Added (IVA) applies to English language arts teachers in grades four through ten, and to math teachers in grades four through eight. These teachers are in IMPACT Group 1. IVA is restricted to these grades and subjects because they are the only ones for which we have student DC CAS scores from both the prior and current year, a requirement for value-added.

How does value-added work?

First, we calculate how a teacher’s students are likely to perform, on average, on our standardized assessment (the DC CAS) given their previous year’s scores and other relevant information. We then compare that likely score with the students’ actual average score. Teachers with high IVA scores are those whose students’ actual performance exceeds their likely performance. This process is explained in further detail in IVA section of the Group 1 IMPACT guidebook (see link below).

Please note that the value-added calculation process is quite complex, which is why DCPS has contracted with Mathematica Policy Research, a nationally respected research firm, to conduct the analyses. Mathematica’s clients have included the U.S. Department of Education and many other federal, state, and local agencies.

In addition, independent value-added experts reviewed the methodology used to evaluate DCPS teachers, including Eric Hanushek of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, Jonah Rockoff of Columbia Business School, and Tim Sass of Georgia State University.