Bill Turque of the DC Schools Insider writes:
They were dismissed for poor scores on the evaluation system known as IMPACT, which grades teachers on five 30-minute classroom observations and their compliance with nine broad standards. These include ability to express course content clearly, teach students with differing skill levels and manage time effectively. For some teachers, half of their appraisal is contingent on whether students meet predicted growth targets on standardized tests.
Of the 206 fired, officials said 65 were rated ineffective this year and 141 were judged minimally effective for the second consecutive year. Others were let go for licensure problems or other issues.On the DC school district website, IMPACT is described as measuring teachers according to four key measures:
1.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.
2.Instructional Expertise – This is assessed through five formal observations each year – three by teachers’ administrators and two by independent, expert practitioners called master educators. Feedback and guidance for growth are provided in five post-observation conferences.
3.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.
4.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.
Teachers are "graded", much like students, on 1-4 scale.
•Highly Effective: This rating signifies outstanding performance. Under the current Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) contract, WTU members who earn this rating are eligible for additional compensation. These staff members are also recognized in a variety of other ways.
Highly Effective teachers are eligible for performance bonuses of up to $25,000. Repeat highly effective staff members are eligible for base salary increases of up to $20,000, in addition to the annual bonuses.
•Effective: This rating signifies solid performance. Individuals who receive this rating advance normally on their pay scales.
•Minimally Effective: This rating signifies performance that is below expectations. Individuals who receive this rating are given an additional year to take advantage of the professional development opportunities provided by DCPS. Those who do not improve after two years are subject to separation.
•Ineffective: This rating signifies unacceptable performance. Individuals who receive this rating are subject to separation.
I don't know the details of Norwalk's teacher evaluation program. I wonder how it compares to IMPACT? Do you think something like this could/should come to Norwalk?
Posts
Should we fire parents when students don't meet assessment score goals? Seriously, folks, all this sort of fantasy world evaluation will do is create a system in which teachers only want to teach the top tier students. With two decades in the profession teaching in the high school level, I can tell you that I give my students my very best each and every day. How fair is it that my paycheck should be based on their performance? Some kids just plain choose NOT to engage, no matter what we do to make learning relevant, authentic, and an appropriate level of challenge. And so do some parents. I just think the world has gone wacky with the idea of tying teacher evaluation to students' standardized assessment scores. Let's fire my daughter's ballet teacher because after 10 years of lessons my darling child hasn't yet qualified to be a member of the New York Ballet Company. I hope our parents can see the inequity in this movement toward tying teacher evaluation to test scores. By this standard, should we tie all superintendents' compensation to test scores? If we do, will the cream of the crop still step forward to apply for jobs as superintendents in beleaguered urban districts which need the best and the brightest leaders? This is not the answer. Trust me on this one, folks.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the headline of this article, I asked myself if school administrators are required to meet similar criteria. Of course, they should also be required to meet leadership criteria because their responsibilities include guiding teachers to become better teachers.
ReplyDeleteI know that Norwalk either fired or non-renewed a principal about 8 or 9 years ago, and there was another who was given the opportunity to resign or be fired. Both, however, were obvious cases of people who should be released from district employment. Other than that, I don't know of any administrator who has been seriously evaluated and then fired.
12.44, presumably your daughter is not the only student the ballet teacher has. I'm guessing - just guessing here - that the teachers in DC are held accountable for an entire classroom full of kids, not just one.
ReplyDeleteAccording to IMPACT, "we hold educators accountable for the growth their students make on our state assessment." It's the growth that is key. Say you have a kid who enters the classroom reading way below grade level. If the teacher manages to pull that kid up an entire grade level or more over the course of the year - even if the kid exits the year still below grade level - that teacher has done well because real growth has occurred.
And for both 12.44 and 5.06, I'm not as deeply concerned with the quality of the administrators because they don't have the same day-to-day impact on the kids as the classroom teachers do. I understand that a bad administrator can drag down the morale of a building pretty badly, but I've still seen teachers shine under a bad principal. It's sad to see a classroom floundering in the hands of a tired, uncaring teacher.
I agree with most of the above. However, the system in D.C. uses a growth model; thus, it is equally, if not more, difficult to raise scores of "top tier" students in grades 3 to 8.
ReplyDeleteAlso, 206 fired is not even 2% of the 14,000 total teachers in the city. It's not like some kind of horrific purge took place.
ReplyDelete6:17, a classroom full of top tier students sounds like a "problem" most teachers would kill to have!
ReplyDeleteThis is from the 5:06 poster:
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to begin a debate on this, but I should explain my original intent: In addition to having some of the responsibility (by no means all of it) for morale in a school, the administrators must be able to assess quality instruction. While it may seem to be a given, it is not true that all administrators would recognize effective teaching and assessment. Also the administrators also have the responsibility of working with teachers, helping poor performers to improve and helping good teachers to become better. Again, not all are equipped to do this, nor are all inclined to want to do it. Some pick and choose those they are willing to help, and some seem to prefer to keep churning the faculty ranks by firing or encouraging people to move elsewhere. Yes, I'm concerned about being fair to the teachers, but I'm also concerned about doing what is right for the school. We talk about PLCs (professional learning communities) that help all professional staff to improve continuously, but some of those who talk about it don't practice what they profess to others.
The Washington DC public schools have 4,100 teachers not 14,000 as I had originally written. I corrected the number above. Sorry about that.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens when the growth levels out? It might be interesting to see the results. Every child can learn. We should stop pushing the blame onto the parents, society or the economics of the day. They need us ALL to believe in them and help them grow. Some are more challenging than others. They are our clients. They are our future. It is not about one teacher vs another it truly is about doing want is right by each child.
ReplyDeleteI just heard a report that the NYC schools, which tried a program similar to this for a number of years has decided to stop the program. The reason? It showed no real improvement in the students' achievement and wasn't in their minds worth the amount of money it was costing in merit pay.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see great teachers rewarded. Bad teachers evaluated, mentored then fired if they aren't improving. Same for administrators. Yes, good teachers will be good regardless of a bad principal - but how great could that good teacher be with a great principal? Tough conversations we should be having instead of debating micro management techniques. And yes, accountability for parents as well!!
ReplyDeleteDr. Marks said herself, that we need to stop with the excuses. Yes, parents should be involved, but stop using them as excuses when they are not. Good teachers rise to the occuasion when they have students whose parents arent' involved. Non-parental involvement does not mean a child is dumb. Their parents may be working several jobs to keep a roof over their family's head and food on their family's tables. Bad teachers and administrators and judgemental parents who have not had to suffer use these situations as excuses for their laziness or need to feel better than. Case in point is the first poster, 12:44AM. Get over yourselves or else we are going to continue with this same conversation for the next 10 years.
ReplyDeleteGood grief!
I hope someone can explain how/if/when principals are held accountable if they have ineffective teachers. Are the principals evaluated by how they counsel those teachers and how quickly they are able to get rid of the ones that don't improve?
ReplyDeleteCan anyone tell me if the Norwalk's teachers union has ever filed a grievance when a non-tenured teacher isn't renewed?
5:34, you obviously don't have classroom experience, nor are you any kind of educator. Teacher bashing will get you nowhere. Research indicates that the vocabulary that a child comes into school with predicts achievement for that child. If a child comes to school 5 years behind another child who has been immersed in experiences and vocabulary, the teacher has an enormous task ahead. I truly believe our teachers, for the most part, work their tails off to do their utmost for those children who come in already lacking. Parents have a job to do for the first 5 years too. Get over yourself!
ReplyDeleteYou must be one of the bad teachers. A reply like yours would have never come from one of the good ones. Yes, I have classroom experience and had a great mentor and I have a great deal of respect for good teachers. I'm sick of good teachers getting a bad rep. from lazy, selfish and judgemental teachers.
ReplyDelete8:44, you talk about being judgmental and you draw the conclusion that I am 'one of the bad teachers?' That's a laugh! First of all, I can spell correctly and use punctuation correctly. Sorry, but if you are a certified teacher, your spelling and punctuation leave much to be desired. I am concerned that if you are in a classroom that students see your spelling and punctuation as that of a role model.
ReplyDeleteBTW, when someone quotes research, I don't think that's the sign of a lazy or selfish teacher. I would like to think it's the sign of a thoughtful practitioner who understands the obstacles and works hard to overcome them. I am curious what your pedagogical skills are to impart knowledge to your students in the classroom, since you feel you are qualified to judge 'good' from 'bad' teachers. Would you care to share them?
Here's a shocker . . . once again, divisiveness plagues a thread on this site. We can't even have a debate about how to factor in student baseline differentiation.
ReplyDeleteI don't know whether it's a sign of the times, or a sign of the fractured psyche of our public schools.
Research shows that the students who are not exposed to language between birth and age 5 will never catch up to those who are. This is the gap that needs to be resolved with universal quality preschool for all. Early childhood educators, the administration and even legislators know this. So why isn't something being done about it?
ReplyDelete3:07, why don't you see the argument for what it is. Teacher bashing will always be an argument for me. If a person is qualified to evaluate a teacher, that's justifiable. I am just tired of the general public stating 'they' know who is a good teacher and who is not. Yes, education has some laggards, but Norwalk does have many outstanding teachers. Our teachers are trying their best under very difficult times and circumstances. Let's not make things worse for them by creating 'experts' here who are empowered to state things like 'you must be one of the bad teachers.' No apologies from me.
ReplyDeleteThis is 3:07-- to 6:50, I see your point.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm just frustrated by, as you say, all the self-annointed experts and the teacher bashing.
Thank you, 7:10
ReplyDeleteMoina, can you get the details on Norwalk's teacher evaluation system and post them. I know Mr. Mellion speaks of it often. Norwalk, like D.C., rates it's teachers under a 4 tier rating scale also. Can you find out what the breakdown is among our 800 or so teachers on that 4 tier rating evaluation scale and post that too?
ReplyDeleteI'm curious why the evaluation system and the breakdown requested should be a topic here. Where else do parents (?) request that information for professionals? My interest would be to question the superintendent to see her take on the evaluations as a whole. I might ask for percentages of teachers who are proficient as opposed to those who are not. Then I would want to know how the superintendent will hold principals accountable for the teachers who are below proficient.
ReplyDeleteWould parents even consider doing this for doctors, dentists or other professionals who deal with their children?
Yes I would
ReplyDeleteActually 6:20, this post "200 Ineffective Teachers Fired in DC" is exactly what the Norwalk poster at 5:14 is asking, but for Norwalk. This is not a question that only interests parents. Washington D.C. and the Washington Post provides its community with this information, Norwalk should too.
ReplyDeleteThen I think the hospital should publicly post surgeons' success rates, deaths of patients in surgery, etc.
ReplyDeleteHow about ob/gyn doctors? Number of successful births, stillborns, babies born with deformities?
Oncologists? Number of patients who died from Cancer, number of patients over radiated by accident?
Don't we want all professionals to post success or failure rates?
Can you also post the superintendent's recent evaluation by the BOE? I'd like to know the criteria upon which she is rated, the scale for performance, and then I'd like to know the performance ranking she was given on each of the criteria. Fair is fair.
ReplyDeletePublic schools use public money and everyone should be held accountable, superintendents, boards of education, principals, central office, and teachers and it should be public, transparent and measurable.
ReplyDeleteSo, 9:12, the fact that doctors, dentists and others who use your hard earned money as well as your very costly medical insurance, should not be held accountable and transparent? Doesn't make sense to me. Full family medical insurance now runs about $20,000 or so, not including co-pays. Do you pay that in your taxes for education?
ReplyDeleteTo poster 7:31AM, I am not the poster above, but in addition to taxes paid for education, the state of the school system has a tremendous impact on home values, which in many cases accounts for the bulk of a family's net worth. There are reasons why a similar house would be worth a significant more in Darien, per se, than in Norwalk -- the state of the school system being an important one. So, to say that family medical insurance costs more than taxes for education is completely missing the point.
ReplyDelete10:06, you are missing the point. The income levels in Darien are much higher than Norwalk. Do you really believe that all districts with high poverty levels are doing such a bad job because their test scores are lower than the Dariens of the world? Research clearly indicates that poverty and achievement are highly related. If you want your property values to be that of Darien, you would have to move there.
ReplyDeleteI am NOT stating that our test scores leave no room for improvement. BUT Norwalk's poverty levels are increasing. Ask teachers if the students in the classroom in Norwalk are getting harder to teach or easier to teach.
This post is getting off topic, 'points' are all over the place, thread is about teacher evaluations and what is happening in D.C. One can bet that no one on this post except for teachers and administrators know what the Norwalk teacher evaluation looks like or how our Norwalk teachers are doing. Moina Noor asks that question at the end of her post. How does Norwalk compare with IMPACT?
ReplyDeleteInteresting question, 10:06. I can tell you that I am feeding and clothing more of my first grade students than before.
ReplyDelete1:47 Thank you for doing that for our children!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure - I love working for Norwalk schools because there is such potential for good education to be accomplished. If we can begin to work together! I do what is needed (as many teachers do)to help children be successful.
ReplyDelete8:23, shouldn't you be asking the question, 'WHERE ARE THE PARENTS?'
ReplyDeleteFeeding and clothing our children? That is not a teacher's job! Still another parent who doesn't realize that parents have to take responsibility! Would you like the teacher to take the tests for the children too? When are parents going to demand, no DEMAND, responsibility for those parents who pawn off their responsibilities to the school system?
Thank you to the teacher? To the teacher, you are enabling this behavior from parents. Sorry, but more children will expect this treatment. Stop enabling and do something about the parents! Report them! This is negligence on the part of parents!
Re: Teacher Evaluations in Norwalk Facts
ReplyDeleteIt's a 4 point scale (distinguished, proficient, basic, and unsatisfactory) based on a rubric with four different "domains" with subtopics under each such as planning, classroom environment, professional responsibilities, instruction and assessment, etc. Even though there's a rubric, the evaluation process, including the rubric, is very, very subjective. For example, two evaluators sat in on a lesson I did with my co-teacher. Same lesson, same students, same time, no one out shined the other, but different evaluations and different scores. Evaluators can choose to see and write down what they want. Nothing else gets taken into account, at least at my school for our evaluations, besides the lesson right in front of the evaluator that day. (I have no bone to pick either - according to my evaluations, I'm distinguish, so no bias here!)
To answer the question regarding administrators' evaluations: a self written reflection document (at least for the elementary principal and assistant principal)
To the teacher understanding enough to know that it is not that some parents are putting all responsibility on the teachers/school systems, that some just don't have the money or the time from working many jobs just to provide necessities. I, too, do similarly. I don't speak on it. I just do it. You cannot fault the children for situations in which they were born. Does it get draining? Sure it does; however, we, who work with children, cannot afford to let our hearts grow cold.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, let us look in another directtion.
STATES CURB DOUBLE DIPPING
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/07/13/36doubledip_ep.h30.html?tkn=ZPRFLot13%2F9NlxQieIx7B8MP9%2FrkfpKn1mIw&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
This post is not intended to be teacher bashing. There are excellent teachers out there and we know who they are. This is an all-in-one to political candidates (particularly those in charge of political appointments and/or hiring for very crucial positions as there are too many immature, selfish people being appointed) to stop the double-dipping in all areas. Most retirees who were professionals during their careers should be drawing from their retirement plans. Give non-retirees a shot. Grow the economy!
With all this back and forth about education, how on earth are we to implement anything with no money to fund the bright ideas?
"THE AMERICAN TEACHER" (A Film)
ReplyDeletehttp://fest11.sffs.org/films/film_details.php
Again, my post above was honestly not intended to bash. We just need to get a handle on things maturely. It would be interesting to compare and contrast the films "Race to Nowhere" and "The American Teacher" "The American Teacher" makes the claim that American teachers are grossly underpaid. This is not the case in Norwalk. Is it?