21st Century School Teacher

Teachers to Be Measured Based on Students’ Standardized Test Scores By JENNIFER MEDINA Published: October 1, 2008 www.nytimes.com

"New York City is beginning to measure the performance of thousands of elementary and middle school teachers based on how much their students improve on annual state math and reading tests."

It does stand to reason, as we become a nation obsessed with testing, tracking teachers and their students' test scores will follow. 

"To avoid a contentious fight with the teachers’ union, the New York City Department of Education has agreed not to make public the reports... nor let them influence formal job evaluations, pay and promotions."

That's a relief!  Likely, as administrators gain more power to let poor performing teachers go--as in Michelle Rhee's plan B--administrators will have a harder time looking past teachers that have below average test scores. 

I know that the district that I worked in followed teachers' testing scores--which seems natural.  Administrators want to know how effective their teachers are--it's a measure of success. 

One problem that I had with the process in the state that I taught in is that the state does not let the teachers, school or district see the actual tests that the students have taken.  The school scores are public record, but teachers and students can't question the results--that is unless it is the 10th grade exam that determines graduation. 

It seems to me that teachers need to see how students performed on the test if they are to make informed decisions about how to change their practice.  It has also always bothered me that the scoring process is off site, and that teachers that I know are not as qualified as I am are scoring the exams that my students have taken.  (Even so, there have been few test scores that I have questioned).

But if states are going to start to evaluate teachers based on their scores, they should be prepared for the backlash that will occur when students don't perform as their teachers expected.  I'm sure you've had the experience of a student that you knew was going to do well on a state test that ended up barely squeaking by, or possibly didn't pass at all.  Testing methodology, relevance, and assessment protocol will surely come into question. 

I've been tracking my scores for 9 years; most of my student pass the reading and writing exam consistently--you'd better bet that if my evaluation was on the line I'd want to see that test and know why the student didn't pass!  If merit pay is attached to test scores, as it looks like is in our future, things could get worse...    Interesting stuff; teachers should be paying close attention.

      D.C. List Shows 90 Teacher Vacancies Rhee's Office Puts Number at 42, Says Shifts Will Be Made
by Bill Turque… Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, September 29, 2008

Turque points out that several schools in the D.C. area are understaffed, and suggests that this is due to the 270 teachers that were let go over the summer. Well, that makes sense…  Apparently, 200 teachers were not able to get the certification that they needed to teach under NCLB.  They were unable to pass the ever popular PRAXIS, some missing the mark by just one point… So, they were let go. 

I’m not sure if Michelle Rhee should be blamed if teachers can’t pass the PRAXIS in their own content area.  In fact, I believe teachers have more than one try at the exam, and know well in advance when their certificate expires or what certification requirements need to be met to teach the content area they are assigned to. 

 Teachers in D.C. have to bear the burden for not having enough educators on staff—some teachers currently have class loads of over 40 students.  Other teachers have to teach during their prep periods…  Seems to me that this isn’t Rhee’s fault, rather it’s a symptom of legislation (NCLB) that creates hardships as such.  Finding highly-qualified special education teachers is a bear—across the country.  And teachers that don’t have proper endorsements for their subject areas have to go back and take exams like the PRAXIS.  I obtained a K-8 certificate with a Masters in Education.  But under the NCLB legislation, I am only highly qualified to teach social studies and language arts, as that is where I had been teaching before the law was passed.  So if my principal wanted me to teach math, let’s say, I would have to pass the PRAXIS in math, or I would need to take 45 credits to get a math endorsement…  The burden that NCLB put on our education system as a whole should be receiving more press.

It is unfortunate that Rhee is getting the blame for this one.  Rhetoric could sink this ship...  I'm going to keep an eye on D.C. 

Rhee's 'Plan B' Targets Teacher Quality Strategy Might Include New Evaluation Process, Linking Licenses to Classroom Performance  by Bill Turque--Sept 8

Apparently talks with the union regarding teacher-pay have not progressed to a vote in D.C....  What does that mean for Michelle Rhee, D.C. Chancellor?  It looks like Plan B. 

"It would make the District school system one of the few in the country to link the licensing of teachers to their classroom performance, rather than their academic credentials. New rules, scheduled to go into effect this week, would grant State Superintendent of Education Deborah A. Gist the discretion to create an advanced teaching credential specifying the bench marks instructors would have to meet to keep their jobs."

Ouch!  Sounds like this could be messy...  But I have to admit, I don't think this is a bad idea. 

"The contract is the way that I would prefer to go," Rhee said. "But if we can't get to agreement on the contract, there's another very clear way that we can get there. . . . The bottom line is we are going to bring accountability in a very significant way to the educator force in this school district."

Why shouldn't teachers be held accountable for making gains in their classrooms?  As long as teachers are provided with adequate 21st century resources, showing gains in academic performance should be easy-shmeazy...  (I'm not one to easily run scared). Come on in and inspect all you want!    Now someone once told me that there are two kinds of bosses, those that get what they expect and those that get what they inspect...  And really, I'd prefer to work for someone who has high expectations and then prove them right. 

But unfortunately, our education system is heavy with dead weight--it is time for a bit more accountability--and I'd like my pay to be attached to that accountability, too--Thank you very much!  Seems like it would be in the best interest of the D.C. union members to take Rhee up on Plan A because Plan B gets the same result, potentially without the big bucks to soften the blow...

I'm going to continue to follow this spectacle--Rhee is a true strategist--let's see if she comes out on the winning team :)  Go Michelle!

On the Republican Convention: McCain Is Wrong About School Vouchers By Bruce Fuller posted on nytimes.com discusses MCain's stance on education...


Although I don't want to get all political on this blog, it is worth noting where the candidates stand on education.  This particular post on nytimes.com suggests that McCain is fused to "President Bush’s ideological hip." when it comes to education.  Hmmm...

"He is eager to expand taxpayer financed vouchers to aid parents who send their children to parochial schools, to “shake up schools with competition,” as he said Thursday night in his acceptance speech. And he aims to further centralize elements of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind initiative, rather than rethinking how Congress can narrow achievement gaps without micromanaging the daily work of teachers."

So basically, more of the same Bush agenda...  yada, yada...

The post goes on to cite a recent Gallup poll... "just two in five Americans support school vouchers. On No Child Left Behind, four in five believe they should be revamped by Congress, to de-emphasize standardized tests. Mr. McCain’s speech alleged that Mr. Obama wants schools answerable to “entrenched bureaucrats,” rather than to parents, yet it’s the Republican candidate who still supports Washington’s maze of rules under the No Child Left Behind legislation."

Below is an overview of both candidates' plan for education take directly from their websites--read and decide for yourself, which plan do you support?

Obama's plan for education:

Barack Obama's Plan Early Childhood Education Zero to Five Plan: Obama's comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood education plans, Obama's plan places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.

Expand Early Head Start and Head Start: Obama will quadruple Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding and improve quality for both.

Affordable, High-Quality Child Care: Obama will also provide affordable and high-quality child care to ease the burden on working families.

K-12 Reform No Child Left Behind: Obama will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Obama believes teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. He will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama will also improve NCLB's accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.

Make Math and Science Education a National Priority: Obama will recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession and will support efforts to help these teachers learn from professionals in the field. He will also work to ensure that all children have access to a strong science curriculum at all grade levels.

Address the Dropout Crisis: Obama will address the dropout crisis by passing his legislation to provide funding to school districts to invest in intervention strategies in middle school - strategies such as personal academic plans, teaching teams, parent involvement, mentoring, intensive reading and math instruction, and extended learning time.

Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities: Obama will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve one million more children.

Expand Summer Learning Opportunities: Obama's "STEP UP" plan addresses the achievement gap by supporting summer learning opportunities for disadvantaged children through partnerships between local schools and community organizations.

Support College Outreach Programs: Obama supports outreach programs like GEAR UP, TRIO and Upward Bound to encourage more young people from low-income families to consider and prepare for college.

Support English Language Learners: Obama supports transitional bilingual education and will help Limited English Proficient students get ahead by holding schools accountable for making sure these students complete school.
Recruit, Prepare, Retain, and Reward America's TeachersRecruit Teachers: Obama will create new Teacher Service Scholarships that will cover four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher education, including high-quality alternative programs for mid-career recruits in exchange for teaching for at least four years in a high-need field or location.

Prepare Teachers: Obama will require all schools of education to be accredited. He will also create a voluntary national performance assessment so we can be sure that every new educator is trained and ready to walk into the classroom and start teaching effectively. Obama will also create Teacher Residency Programs that will supply 30,000 exceptionally well-prepared recruits to high-need schools.

Retain Teachers: To support our teachers, Obama's plan will expand mentoring programs that pair experienced teachers with new recruits. He will also provide incentives to give teachers paid common planning time so they can collaborate to share best practices.

Reward Teachers: Obama will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them. Districts will be able to design programs that reward accomplished educators who serve as a mentor to new teachers with a salary increase. Districts can reward teachers who work in underserved places like rural areas and inner cities. And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well.

Higher Education Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Obama will also ensure that the tax credit is available to families at the time of enrollment by using prior year's tax data to deliver the credit when tuition is due.

Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid: Obama will streamline the financial aid process by eliminating the current federal financial aid application and enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used, and eliminating the need for a separate application.



John McCain's Education Principles:

John McCain Will Enact Meaningful Reform In Education. Now is the time to demand real, new reform earned through discipline, grinding work, tough choices and leadership. John McCain has dedicated his career in public service to the hard and sometimes unpopular work of achieving meaningful reform.

The Education System Must Provide For Equality Of Choice. Too many of our children are trapped by geography and by economics in failing schools.

We Must Empower Parents. Involved and empowered parents and excellent teachers are the two greatest determining factors in a child's education. If we are to succeed, we must empower committed parents with critical knowledge about their child's performance, and empower them with real and meaningful choices to act upon that knowledge.

We Must Empower Teachers. If America is to truly reform public education and make good on the promise of individual freedom and independence through knowledge, we must ensure that every child has the opportunity to be inspired and motivated to achieve their potential by a strong classroom leader.

John McCain's Education Policy:

John McCain Will Build On The Lessons Of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). There should be an emphasis on standards and accountability. However, our goal cannot be group averages. Instead, our focus should be to inspire every child to strive to reach his or her potential. While NCLB has been invaluable in providing a clear picture of which schools and students are struggling, it is only the beginning of education reform.

John McCain Will Provide Effective Education Leadership. John McCain is committed to high standards and accountability, but he is also committed to providing the resources needed to succeed. He believes we should invest in people, parents and reward achievement.

John McCain Will Work To Ensure That Our Children Have Quality Teachers. The single biggest challenge in turning around a failing school is getting quality teachers into that school. To overcome this challenge, John McCain will:

Encourage Alternative Certification Methods That Open The Door For Highly Motivated Teachers To Enter The Field. John McCain will devote five percent of Title II funding to states to recruit teachers who graduate in the top 25 percent of their class or who participate in an alternative teacher recruitment program such as Teach for America, the New York City Teaching Fellowship Program, the New Teacher Project, or excellent university initiatives.

Provide Bonuses For Teachers Who Locate In Underperforming Schools And Demonstrate Strong Leadership As Measured By Student Improvement. John McCain will devote 60 percent of Title II funding for incentive bonuses for high performing teachers to locate in the most challenging educational settings, for teachers to teach subjects like math and science, and for teachers who demonstrate student improvement. Payments will be made directly to teachers. Funds should also be devoted to provide performance bonuses to teachers who raise student achievement and enhance the school-wide learning environment. Principals may also consider other issues in addition to test scores such as peer evaluations, student subgroup improvements, or being removed from the state's "in need of improvement" list.

Provide Funding For Needed Professional Teacher Development. Where federal funds are involved, teacher development money should be used to enhance the ability of teachers to perform in today's technology driven environment. We need to provide teachers with high quality professional development opportunities with a primary focus on instructional strategies that address the academic needs of their students. The first 35 percent of Title II funding would be directed to the school level so principals and teachers could focus these resources on the specific needs of their schools.

John McCain Believes We Must Empower School Principals With Greater Control Over Spending. Funding cannot be effectively apportioned in Washington, but it shouldn't be a state-level official or district bureaucrat either. The money must be controlled by the leader we hold accountable: the school principal with a single criterion to raise student achievement.

John McCain Will Make Real The Promise Of NCLB By Giving Parents Greater Choice. Choice is the best way to protect children against a failing bureaucracy. But parents must have more control over the money.

John McCain Will Expand The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. In our nation's capital, we have seen the dramatic benefits of giving parents control of money and choices. The Opportunity Scholarship program serves more than 1,900 students from families with an average income of $23,000 a year. More than 7,000 more families have applied for that program. The budget for the Opportunity Scholarships is currently $13 million. John McCain believes that this extremely successful program should expand to at least $20 million benefiting nearly a thousand more families.

John McCain Will Ensure Children Struggling To Meet State Standards Will Have Immediate Access To High Quality Tutoring Programs. Local school districts can certify education service providers but providers can also bypass the local bureaucracy and receive direct federal certification. Education service providers can then market directly to parents. Title I money will be directed straight to the provider.

John McCain Supports Expanding Virtual Learning By Reforming The "Enhancing Education Through Technology Program." John McCain will target $500 million in current federal funds to build new virtual schools and support the development of online course offerings for students. These courses may be for regular coursework, for enhancement, or for dual enrollment into college.

John McCain Will Allocate $250 Million Through A Competitive Grant Program To Support States That Commit To Expanding Online Education Opportunities. States can use these funds to build virtual math and science academies to help expand the availability of AP Math, Science, and Computer Sciences courses, online tutoring support for students in traditional schools, and foreign language courses.

John McCain Will Offer $250 Million For Digital Passport Scholarships To Help Students Pay For Online Tutors Or Enroll In Virtual Schools. Low-income students will be eligible to receive up to $4,000 to enroll in an online course, SAT/ACT prep course, credit recovery or tutoring services offered by a virtual provider. Providers could range from other public schools, virtual charter schools, home school parents utilizing virtual schooling resources or district or state sponsored virtual schools. The Department of Education would competitively award the funds to a national scholarship administrator who would manage the student applications, monitoring, and evaluation of providers.

The Center for Open and Sustainable Learning published The Open Educational Resources Handbook today on Lulu.com--the first in a three-part series.  It is available for free download, or you can purchase a black and white copy for $19.99 (color is a tad more...)  "The OER Handbook is an introductory guide for educators to the Open Education movement. The handbook is arranged along the "OER Lifecycle:" Find, Compose, Adapt, Use and Share."

The handbook opens with a discussion on the definition of what OER is and why OER is important to educators, then quickly moves to an overview of copyright--the copyright paradox--and how educators can use copyright as an advantage when sharing their work...
Why find, compose, adapt, use, and share?

"OER provide freedom of access for yourself and others. Because you can freely adapt them, OER encourage pedagogical  innovation. Because OER are available free of charge, using them can lower costs to students and organizations. You and your organization may benefit from potential publicity.
When you share OER, you are contributing to the global education community.
When you share OER, you open a new method of collaborating with your students and colleagues. Your OER may be helpful to future educators..."  and so on...

The handbook establishes the beginning of the "OER lifecycle" FIND and provides educators with place to start, explaining how to marry their own work with what may already be available on the internet--including information on how to conduct creative commons searches...The handbook lists repositories, and it even explains how individuals should save files so that they are easier to share and remix...

The handbook continues through compose, adapt, use and share...
I like the idea of using OER to create innovative learning experiences for students, and I think that this handbook clearly outlines the processes involved with creating or using OER.  Definitely worth it to download and read...

The latest greatest on Michelle Rhee (I just can't help it...) She's on my radar, and with schools opening in D.C., the articles and posts just keep coming.  Here are several from today to peruse...  If you haven't been paying attention to her moves, you may want to... If she is successful in turning around one of the worst education systems in America, her decisions will likely fuel similar change in districts across the nation...  She's all about the kids--I admire that...  It certainly is not politics as usual with Michelle... 

Here are some links from washingtonpost.com...  Interesting reading!
 
Better or Worse, It's Rhee's School System Now: Her First Year Has Left a Big Impact V. Dion Haynes, A01 ...the fingerprints of Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee will be found all over Washington...making unpopular decisions....

New chief seeks to fix DC school system where others failed BRIAN WESTLEY
...of Columbia Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee is making bold changes as she tries...38, the Ivy-League educated...

With the Democrats in Denver A17 (Post) ...He offered ongoing teacher contract talks in the District as "a real life example." Chancellor Michelle Rhee's...

Opening Day in the D.C. Classroom A16 ...a retired high school science teacher, and I have just read the latest proposal of D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A....

A Look Back at Michelle Rhee's First Year... Jahi Chikwendiu

I've been following Michelle Rhee, Chancellor for D.C. schools, because it seems to me that she is a risk taker and forward thinker.  Interestingly, D.C. schools are going to start rewarding middle schoolers (3,000 of the little critters) for coming to school--with $100 cold hard cash for each 2 weeks students attend.  Interesting, I say, because I agree that these are the years that tend to make or break it for many middle schoolers--whether they find their way to high school or to the hard-knock life... 

But it also seems to me that the connections that high-risk kids make at this age, with mentors and role models, is the most likely variable in keeping them in school (I have not read any research in this area--just a gut feeling).  So I'm wondering how cash in the pockets of high-risk kids will translate into appreciation for academia.  It seems that cash in hand is a start, but certainly won't be enough alone to change old habits--and then again...  Like I said, interesting...

"They have a lot of incentives to do the wrong thing outside of school, and what we need to do is counterbalance that," Rhee said.

I'm not sure how many kids who tend to "do the wrong things outside of school" will spend their money, but $200 could translate to some trendy clothes for some kids or drugs and alcohol for others...  What should tax payers be subsidizing?  I'm not sure what the parameters are, but hopefully students are being held responsible for attendance as well as their effort in class...  And ultimately, how will D.C. measure whether this model is a success or failure?

Don't get me wrong, add another $200 to my paycheck a month, and I probably wouldn't miss a day either--but I'm also a pretty responsible person.  Will the cash make the difference?  I'm guessing not--parents, teachers, coaches, and administrators might--so hopefully they can piggyback of off this reward process to help these 3,000 targeted kids make the right choices and keep them in school. 

Kudos for Michelle Rhee--the more I learn about this maverick, the more I like her...  She is making bold moves in Washington D.C.--moves whose ripples may potentially change public education across the country.  I hope she succeeds...  Read about her in "Fixing Washington D.C.'s School System" by Jeff Chu posted on fastcompany.com  and to learn a bit more about the way she's approaching Washington's broken education system--with a wing and a prayer, she may create the kind of reform that the education system desperately needs...  Rhee's priority number one?  Kids... She's closing schools, firing employees, creating big waves--but from an outsider's perspective, it makes sense!  She is one courageous player, and though she is a staunch supporter of No Child Left Behind (can't agree completely with her on this one--saving that blog entry for later), IMHO she is doing right by D.C.'s kids...  Keepin' an eye on what happens over the next few weeks...

Pay Dispute Continues as Classes Near D.C. Teachers Split Along Age Lines by By  Bill Turque--Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, August 14, 2008

The article updates the status of the debate over Chancellor's Rhee's proposal...
Not surprisingly, "The split in the teaching corps largely, but not exclusively, is occurring along generational lines, with younger teachers more willing to accept the risks and older ones often questioning the proposal."  Which makes sense on two fronts--as older teachers near retirement, job security is a plus--and old habits die hard...  So what's the big deal?  Rhee's plan allows teachers to make their own decision--if they want the big pay, their practice is going to be measured...
I hope that teachers get the opportunity to set an example for future districts to model after--if you're an expert teacher, feel the fear and go for it...  We'll see how it all plays out--can't wait!  this is exciting stuff... :)

Tropicana Middle? Minute Maid Elementary School?  Sounds like a joke, right? Two schools in New South Wales are being used as templates for private sponsorship, and if these cash-strapped schools scream success, who knows how far this trend will go… maybe there is a Coors High in our future…

The Australian’s article Schools turning blackboards into billboards highlights two schools. “What was once just the library at Cromer Public School in Sydney is now The Panasonic Learning Common, complete with distinctive signage and product placement.”

“Parents and school communities have welcomed the private investment as a way of giving students the best technology and learning resources otherwise not available. Opposition education spokesman Andrew Stoner said they must tread carefully as there was a danger of going too far.”

Ya think?  I’m not sure if I agree with private sponsorship in public schools or not, but it does seem progressive.  I mean, if I were a school district in need, would I really care if the high school  formerly named South Central became Chase Media Learning Center?  And it sounds like the private sector might be willing to ante up enough monies to make changing a media center, computer lab, or even a school's name palatable…