MA Thinking of linking teacher licensing to evaluations

[Sorcasaurus]

Just curious what people think of the direction MA is going for teacher evaluations and licensing. The teachers union is coming out in force against it in a very public way. I'm still catching up on the specifics but thought I'd float it here to see if anyone has an opinion.

States findings:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/edprep/PhaseI-FullReport.pdf

MTA Position statement:
http://www.massteacher.org/issues_and_action/Performance-based%20Licensure.aspx


Broadly, I can see why student and peer reviews shouldn't effect the license renewal. That sounds like a terrible idea on so many levels. I don't see why administrations (principals/superintendents) assessment of your performance shouldn't count? Is it too much of a back door around tenure?

[Warriorbird]

Just curious what people think of the direction MA is going for teacher evaluations and licensing. The teachers union is coming out in force against it in a very public way. I'm still catching up on the specifics but thought I'd float it here to see if anyone has an opinion.

States findings:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/edprep/PhaseI-FullReport.pdf

MTA Position statement:
http://www.massteacher.org/issues_and_action/Performance-based%20Licensure.aspx


Broadly, I can see why student and peer reviews shouldn't effect the license renewal. That sounds like a terrible idea on so many levels. I don't see why administrations (principals/superintendents) assessment of your performance shouldn't count? Is it too much of a back door around tenure?

I'm a teacher and I think peer review should count. We need to be accountable. The best accountability is from people who actually know what goes on. You make it from other people in the subject/state to remove nepotism.

Student performance is a much more complex subject. They're unwilling to tie it to performance versus average, which would be a lot better.

[Sorcasaurus]

I'm a teacher and I think peer review should count. We need to be accountable. The best accountability is from people who actually know what goes on. You make it from other people in the subject/state to remove nepotism.

Student performance is a much more complex subject. They're unwilling to tie it to performance versus average, which would be a lot better.

I don't know if MA does peer review from other districts/states, but that would certainly address my issues with peer review. I was concerned about it being a popularity issue among peers, or personal issues spilling over.

[Ardwen]

My mother was an administrator in Boston's schools for nearly 20 years, I grew up watching what a joke the system was, it was essentially impossible to get rid of bad teachers or principals. In all the years she worked there exactly one teacher was fired, and they were found guilty of drinking and being drunk on the job, a principal and two teachers accused and found responsible of misconduct were all re-assigned, including a principal who was moved to a higher paying district management job after admitting he did indeed sexually harass one of the younger teachers. One of the teachers was sent to a different school after being accused of and admitting using extremely inappropriate language of a racial and sexual nature repeatedly in class, they sent her to a class full of first graders instead of 6th.

[Warriorbird]

My mother was an administrator in Boston's schools for nearly 20 years, I grew up watching what a joke the system was, it was essentially impossible to get rid of bad teachers or principals. In all the years she worked there exactly one teacher was fired, and they were found guilty of drinking and being drunk on the job, a principal and two teachers accused and found responsible of misconduct were all re-assigned, including a principal who was moved to a higher paying district management job after admitting he did indeed sexually harass one of the younger teachers. One of the teachers was sent to a different school after being accused of and admitting using extremely inappropriate language of a racial and sexual nature repeatedly in class, they sent her to a class full of first graders instead of 6th.

I think peer review deals with this stuff quite well. It's the system in place in much of the effective portions of Northern Europe. You just make it conducted with people outside the district. Administrative review can be an effective component too.

Student testing could be somewhat effective if conducted against an average, but nobody wants to do that.