Somethings you should know about VAM scores, the Department of Education admits they are wrong more than a third of the time. The score also does not factor in important things like absences, behavior or poverty. I could go on and on and point you to experts who say the use of VAM scores is both dangerous and irresponsible too.
I also thought that last year it was reprehensible that the Times Union put out every teacher's VAM scores and did so as their site transitioned from free to pay. The bottom line I believe influenced their decision not informing the public and I warned them about all the inconsistencies before hand.
So now the district has done it too and broken it down by both school and evaluation and student growth score points and left it up, not password protected for every one to see.
I looked over several schools VAM pages including my own and now know who is effective, needs improvement and everything in between and it made me feel a little dirty as if I was looking at somebody's secret.
Our district doesn't seem to respect its teachers that much and that's a real problem that we are going to have to overcome if we want to meet our potential.
I have decided not to include a link because I have to live with myself and I feel like my colleagues business is their own.
I also thought that last year it was reprehensible that the Times Union put out every teacher's VAM scores and did so as their site transitioned from free to pay. The bottom line I believe influenced their decision not informing the public and I warned them about all the inconsistencies before hand.
So now the district has done it too and broken it down by both school and evaluation and student growth score points and left it up, not password protected for every one to see.
I looked over several schools VAM pages including my own and now know who is effective, needs improvement and everything in between and it made me feel a little dirty as if I was looking at somebody's secret.
Our district doesn't seem to respect its teachers that much and that's a real problem that we are going to have to overcome if we want to meet our potential.
I have decided not to include a link because I have to live with myself and I feel like my colleagues business is their own.
Not that I really care about my VAM score, but is it right there somewhere off the DCPS site???? If so, that's outrageous! Is it from last year?
ReplyDeleteThere was a folder on outlook, the DCPS web mail that could be accessed by any employee that contained all of this years evaluations. In the last couple hours they have removed the folder. I looked at my school and a half dozen others before the did so and kind of felt dirty doing so.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a mistake--DCPS has folders on their system where access is restricted to certain classes, e.g. there is a principal only folder. Someone made a huge mistake and DCPS owes you thanks for catching it.
ReplyDeleteI sent you a message on facebook. Please check your "others" folder. I did not see an email link on your blog and I sure wouldn't want to send it via our webmail.
ReplyDeleteCHRIS Guerrieri and Gregory Sampson there is a lot of ongoing debate about VAM Scores and CAST Evaluation, etc. But there is none whatsoever regarding the MOST IMPORTANT EDUCATION MATTER - Replenishment of Teachers. It seems that no one is considering that Teachers with Tenure will eventually retire, some will leave the profession for other reasons, and a few may die before retirement.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine young people staking 4 years to 6 years of university studies for a teaching job that is based on a YEAR TO YEAR CONTRACT. The probability of a teacher receiving an Unsatisfactory VAM Score is very real, especially if that teacher is disliked by a PRINCIPAL, for whatever reason. The probability of a VETERAN TEACHER not having her contract renewed (this is already obtaining in FLORIDA COUNTIES- just google and read cases online) is also real. You guys have been around for sometime and I bet you know teachers who are in these situations. It has become a LIVING HELL for these teachers to land another teaching job, even in other counties. These scenarios spell DOOM for these teachers; their teaching careers are OVER, DONE, DEAD, and CANNOT be RESURRECTED.
So, who is so crazy as to still enroll at University in a Teacher Education Program and rack up tens of thousands of dollars of debts from student loans. Oh well, people may stop pursuing teaching degrees! Then the schools might be staffed with non education graduates - mainly people with power degrees - such as engineers, geologists, physicists, chemists, biologists, medical doctors, computer scientists, and metallurgists. But these highly qualified professionals will have to go back to colleges to do the required 18 to 21 education credits and incur another $5, 000 to $6, 000 in fees and other expenses, or do the Mediocre Alternative Certification Program offered by the Florida Department of Education through the Florida Public Schools Districts at reduced costs.
Then there are other expenses for FTCE Exams, Eligibility Certifications, and finger printing for almost a total of $600. Plus, if its Duval County Public SChools, these new teachers, who they so belittlingly refer to as NOVICE TEACHERS, will have to go through the 3 years of MENTORING and INSULTING of NOVICE TEACHERS (MINT) program. (I started teaching 33 years before joining DCPS and was considered a novice teacher and my mentor was not yet born when I began teaching). Of course, via the Alternative Certification Route they will be guaranteed 3 one-year contracts provided they are able to withstand the Brainwashing Rigors of DCPS and the ULTRASTRESS LEVELS in the Urban Environment Schools.
Next, they will have to, ever so often, download lots of garbage from the web to fill a 3-inch binder, but a 4-inch one is more suitable because of the larger volume of papers. This has be submitted to the FLDOE just before the end of the 3 years,but no one will ever review its contents.
Also, they will have to attend meetings scheduled for the purpose of attending other meetings. And they will attend meetings where the Professional Development Facilitator might be scrambling, with the help of other mentor teachers, to figure out what the meeting is supposed to be about. Then, people from the Ivory Tower will be visiting just to observe them teaching or to find out the situation with their CHAMPS implementation, or some other nonsense. Oh, the list of details is much too long to really discuss; it would tale an encyclopedic volume to do it.
Diploma Presses are already working at high volume but real learning is not taking place. This is a sorry state of affairs for education.
Teaching in America Stinks. Worst job! It would be better to work for the worst retail business - Wal Mart than to be a teacher. And if you compare the hours that teachers have to work with the hours wal mart employees the teachers rate of pay is less, especially those that work at the sorry ass schools west of St Johns River.
ReplyDeleteSorry kids but I'm speaking the truth.