The correct quote of research conclusions regarding the influence of teacher effectiveness relative to other factors states that “of all school related factors, teacher effectiveness is the greatest determinant of student outcomes followed closely by principal effectiveness”. While it is difficult to absolutely quantify the effect of various factors on student performance, most researchers have concluded that non-school factors including socioeconomic factors (primarily poverty levels) have approximately an 80% influence on student outcomes while school related factors make up the remaining 20%. That puts teacher effectiveness at a far cry from being the greatest determinant of student outcomes!
While improving teacher effectiveness is highly desirable for improving student performance, it is not the dominant factor. It follows that an evaluation system that makes a teacher's career so overwhelmingly dependent on student outcomes is a huge mistake and can produce many unfair unintended results. Louisiana's Act 54 of 2010 which makes 50% of a teacher's evaluation and therefore career dependent on student performance is counterproductive to say the least. In addition the Louisiana COMPASS evaluation plan allows an “ineffective” rating on VAM to totally invalidate the principals' observation portion of a teacher's evaluation and therefore is a violation of Act 54. It improperly magnifies any errors coming from the highly erratic and inaccurate VAM, and in those cases becomes 100% of a teacher's evaluation.
One of the principals who read my blog on flaws in VAM sent me an email informing me of another serious flaw involving what are called “connections” students. These are students who have failed the 8th grade LEAP but who state policy allows to move to a high school campus in hopes of getting them back on track for graduation. It seems that LDOE policy requires that if a high school teacher is teaching 10 or more of these students, the teacher may be included in the VAM portion of the evaluation system. This principal fears, with much justification, that if such students fail the 8th grade LEAP in the current year, their high school teachers could have their VAM score dragged down to the “ineffective” level. These teachers had nothing to do with moving such students up to the high school level, and may be providing minimal instruction related to the 8th grade LEAP, yet the teacher's job is being put in jeopardy by factors over which he/she have no control. It seems the examples of VAM flaws are quite numerous rather than highly limited and correctable as suggested by Superintendent John White. But that's on top of the false assumption upon which VAM is based. There is a new slogan going around in Louisiana educator circles. It is stated simply: “White lies”.
White continues hiring non-educators
to top administrative positions in LDOE.
Long time
investigative reporter Tom Aswell who publishes the blog,
LouisianaVoice, recently uncovered the fact that
Superintendent White had hired motivational speaker/utilities
lobbyist, and all around flimflam man, Dave Lefkowith, to head the
“Office of Portfolio” which includes administration of the Choice
Course program. (See the October 10th post in the LouisianaVoice)The
salary for this non-educator, with no credentials whatsoever will be
$144,999 to recruit private companies to teach just about any course
they can sell to our public school parents and students. This is the
massive course privatization program authorized by Act 2, which is
scheduled to go into full operation next school year. Private
companies and individuals will be allowed to raid the MFP of all
school systems in the state with little or no accountability for
results. An email response to several questions I posed recently to
BESE President, Penny Dastigue confirmed that choice course providers
can be paid up to 90% of the pro-rated amount for one Carnegie unit
of credit for some high school courses even though the students do
not have to attend any particular number of hours of instruction and
do not pass the end of course test. Such a rip-off would raid
critical MFP funds while leaving the local school system and parents
holding an empty bag. This program which is an open invitation to
fraud and abuse using our tax dollars is just the kind of rip-off
that Lefty Lefkowith is really qualified to run. How long will
our legislators allow this madness to continue?
Have you submitted your name and address to my Defenders of Public Education data base yet? All you have to do to get special emails about upcoming votes of BESE and legislators is to send me a short email at louisianaeducator@gmail.com telling me your preferred email address and either your home address or the name or number of your state Representative and Senator. I am not interested in your private information, I just need to know who your legislators are so that we can do some targeting of legislators when key votes are coming up.
Thanks,
Mike Deshotels
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