The LDOE has sent the teacher evaluation subcommittee a
total of four recommendations for changing the teacher evaluation program for
Louisiana. The subcommittee meets tomorrow, Feb. 10 at 1:00 PM and is expected to consider the proposals. These recommendations contain vary little of the changes proposed by
over 200 educators who sent emails to the subcommittee. Here is a summary of
the proposals and my best analysis of the probable results of such changes.
#1 Support for Leaders. This would include two initiatives.
(a) Expand TAP program by recommending TAP Best Practices be adopted by schools (in
part or in whole). Comment: The Teacher Advancement program is presently used in several parishes, and involves the use of teacher leaders who are relieved of some teaching responsibilities so that they can assist other teachers in improving student performance. This was not recommended by
any of the teachers or principals sending recommendations to the subcommittee. Adding more personnel could be a costly unfunded expense for school systems that are already
suffering from numerous other unfunded mandates. In addition, some of the TAP
best practices require teachers to spend many uncompensated hours in meetings
reviewing student progress and planning test prep activities.
(b) The LDOE wants to establish a Fellowship Program to help
principals and other school leaders use the Compass tool. Comment: According to many of the recommendations from educators, the
Compass tool is defective. It needs to be fixed before principals are required
to attend more training sessions often run by persons who have little
experience in managing a school or even evaluating teachers.
#2 Leader Goal Setting: The LDOE wants to recommend to every
principal, specific school learning targets or goals based on historical performance of similar schools.
Comment: None of the 200
educators responding to the subcommittee recommended this change. This is an
attempt by the LDOE to base the entire evaluation of every principal strictly
on student test score improvement. Superintendent White announced last fall
that there were too many principals of low performing schools getting good evaluations. He suggested at that time that he would ask the Act 240
subcommittee to fix this problem. This is apparently part of his solution.
See the 2014 Compass Report (Page 6) where this statement appears:
"The Department will make recommendations regarding principal accountability for student learning
and principal capacity to assist teachers in professional learning."
Even though White apparently does
not recognize it, the job of a principal includes much more than raising
student test scores. Just a few of these critical duties include supporting
teachers in maintaining student discipline, parental involvement, and a healthy
positive learning environment that responds to the needs of all students and
provides arts, PE, extracurricular activities, good role models, career
planning etc. This recommendation if adopted would allow the LDOE to bully all
principals into doing nothing but test prep in their schools from August to
April each year.
#3 Compass and Leader Empowerment: Leaders would consider
multiple measures to determine teacher ratings. Comment:
This was recommended by many of the educators to the subcommittee, but the LDOE
proposal focuses on only SLTs and VAM. That’s only two measures not multiple
measures.
Recommendation #3 would also remove the override provision that required an ineffective
rating if either half of the evaluation was rated as ineffective. Comment: Educators also recommended this. This is a positive
step forward.
Allow the principal to increase or decrease the VAM score by up to one point if student learning target data contradicts the VAM. Comment: This is a step in the right direction but keeps the
VAM as a significant part of the evaluation of some teachers even though both
national statistical experts and local educators do not support it.
#4 Observation and Rubric Support: The LDOE would convene a
workgroup of principals to consider best practices for making the observation
process as efficient and effective as possible. The LDOE and Louisiana
Association of Principals would release guidance on alternative rubric process
and tools and more effective observations. Comment:
This process apparently would not include teachers and there is no suggestion
of altering the rubric for different education specialties and for teachers
whose jobs now are not adequately addressed by the present COMPASS.
This looks like a weak process that may
not change much about the COMPASS. The Principals and teachers on the Act 240 subcommittee have recommended the appointment of a committee of experienced principals and teachers that could
make any changes needed to address these concerns.
Even though there are some positive changes proposed, I do not believe that the four proposals recommended by the LDOE would greatly improve the teacher evaluation process. But in my opinion, they would further force all of our educators to do nothing but rehearse students for the annual state tests. I believe we are killing all the joy of teaching and learning.
There were however six solid recommendations for improving the evaluation system made by principal and teacher leaders at the last subcommittee meeting. If these were adopted instead, I believe the evaluation system could improve and both educators and students would benefit!
They are the following:
1. Remove the override provision
mandating a teacher be declared ineffective if either the qualitative or the
quantitative part of her/his evaluation is rated as ineffective.
2. Suspend the VAM for the
quantitative component of the teacher evaluation, indefinitely.
3. Require student learning targets
(SLTs) be developed only between the teacher and her/his immediate supervisor.
4. Remove all quotas for various
levels of teacher ratings.
5. Revamp COMPASS to allow for
different education specialties, as well as different teaching styles and
techniques. (Note: This was to be done by a committee composed of experienced
teachers and principals)
6. Reduce the amount of time
principals must spend evaluating teachers who achieve effective status in their
first observation.
The LDOE recommendations do nothing to address items 3, 4,
5, and 6.
I believe these are sound proposals and should be voted upon
by the subcommittee before the LDOE recommendations since subcommittee members
introduced them at the last meeting.
Here are the email addresses for all subcommittee members. Please try to communicate your concerns to them by tomorrow:
smccalla@caddoschools.org; patrice.pujol@apsb.org; Carol.price@zacharyschools.org; Theyoncelived@gmail.com; debra.schum@laprincipals.org; burnsj@REGENTS.LA.GOV; lcarlton@ppsb.org; ALarriviere@diolaf.org; Debbie.meaux@lae.org; brigitten@labi.org; desselle@cabl.org; brett.duncan@tangischools.org; mickey.landry@lafayetteacademyno.org; miki.wallingsford@bossierschools.org; maulds@opsb.net; lauren.atterbery@cpsb.org; hdupre@ppsb.org; Andrew.johnson@jppss.k12.la.us; keishawilliams@ipsb.net; appelc@legis.la.gov; hoffmanf@legis.state.la.us; knoel@desotopsb.com; SteveMonaghanLFT@aol.com; judy.vail@cpsb.org; lwall@acadia.k12.la.us;