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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bread Upon The Water who wrote (116574)	7/26/2009 11:11:15 AM
From: slacker711	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 542233

What happens if you grade teachers on class performance, at least in underperforming schools The data can obviously be used in a comparative manner instead of an absolute manner. The kids might not be reading at grade level but how much progress did they make and how does that compare to others that were similarly behind in reading? That sort of thing. Slacker

To: Bread Upon The Water who wrote (116574)	7/26/2009 11:18:41 AM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542233

We have a teacher at my school who is a terrible history teacher- she brings down the API of our school. She's old, and she should retire. If teachers were measured by performance of their students on tests we could be rid of her. I pay very close attention to the test scores now that we have a new easy way to look at ALL students scores, by class, and by subject. No one, and I mean no one, competent at our school would suffer from this type of scrutiny. I have found my far below basic kids improve more, and faster, than anyone else, so I would argue the very poor performers are the easiest area to change- they are often the low hanging fruit. It takes a lot more work to move someone from proficient to advanced, than it does to move someone from far below basic to proficient. So I'm for this scheme.

To: Bread Upon The Water who wrote (116574)	7/26/2009 11:27:47 AM
From: Steve Lokness	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 542233

I'm all for teachers unions--its the only thing that gives teachers any respect any more In Washington State leaders are trying to make some real progressive changes - including paying teachers on how well they do - and are stopped at every turn by the union. My rural town has one school district and that district, like all of them in this economic downturn, faces real hardships. One way to make ends meet was to give all employees a day off without pay. All except teachers - they wouldn't go along. That's bull! Unions don't give teachers respect - they turn people against teachers and that is as wrong as it gets. Unions main achievment is to protect awful teachers. What happens if you grade teachers on class performance, at least in underperforming schools, is that teachers will leave those schools as soon as they can and those schools will have a constant churn of staff. Oh come on. The teachers would be compared in their own school - not in some school across the state that has an entire different make-up of kids. The problem with underperfomring schools is that they get bad teachers that just stay there. Give the teachers an incentive to turn those schools around. In other words just because its free money doesn't mean this is a good idea. You sound like Sanford. Great, give your money back and we'll take it in Washington State. steve