tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post7062143619411228349..comments2024-03-28T11:57:21.902-04:00Comments on CURMUDGUCATION: Brookings Whips Up Some Teacher Eval ResearchPeter Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511193640285760299noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-44588718580598842272014-05-18T14:40:48.729-04:002014-05-18T14:40:48.729-04:00Bringing in people who don't know any teachers...Bringing in people who don't know any teachers has its dangers for sure. It also depends on if those observers are teachers themselves, other admins, or complete idiots, I mean, no - I mean idiots. We once had a Walk-Through by principals and heads of departments downtown as part of our "your-scores-are-low-because-you-don't-know-what-you're-doing" reform-type district. Each year they come on once or twice with their clipboards and check-off lists. One year they claimed the 4th grade teacher didn't have a word wall (they were sitting in front of it, observing), another year the same teacher was blasted for HAVING a word wall (they had apparently gone out of favor in a year), still another was reprimanded for spelling and grammar errors on first-draft student work. One year I was reprimanded for allowing a student with a fever and nausea to lay with her head down for the lesson. But the kicker was the observation of the best science teacher I have ever seen. She was teaching 7th graders via the inquiry method. They had not yet gotten the hang of it and were asking for answers to which she would reply with another question to get them on the path to answering their own question. She was fantastic, eventually producing winners of science fairs and science scholarships, city-wide science awards. These "downtown" people rated her as unsatisfactory because she was not answering the kids' questions point blank. Our principal, who appreciated and understood what she was doing, called her down into the meeting with the big wigs to explain the Inquiry Method of Science Instruction. What idiots!Philly Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06543951612451538559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-65328681954923592472014-05-14T14:46:26.931-04:002014-05-14T14:46:26.931-04:00At my school, many of our teachers with "high...At my school, many of our teachers with "highly effective" VAM scores were getting low "emerging proficient" Danielson observation scores....and many with high Danielson observation scores had low "emerging" VAM scores. (John White said the tougher teacher evaluations were resulting in stronger test scores, hah!) However, the teachers with high VAM scores have been coerced into performing a "dog and pony" show on observation day(s) to simply get an exemplary score for that evaluation measure, and then allowed to go back to teaching the way they always have to secure high VAM scores (because it works). Your article seems to show a reformer frustration with teachers who have the audacity to teach the "old-fashioned" way and still get high VAM scores...um, er....have their VAM scores masked. Lets "bring in someone that does not know the teachers to observe" and get it right. So, are we trying to get high test scores...or are we trying to change the way teachers teach even if the scores are high? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09961903930355372584noreply@blogger.com