Wednesday, February 22, 2012

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I am glad to say that the UFT is stepping up measures to allay the fears of thousands of teachers like myself. They have made it a point to reiterate their position that only 20%  of the  new teacher evaluation is guaranteed to be tied to standardized testing. They even released a framework for how evaluations will be measured.
I believe the UFT when they say they will fight for more authentic measures of learning to be used as measures of growth. While I trust them, I do not trust those they will bargain with. The interjection of the line concerning value added growth measures being able to outweigh other aspects of the framework will continue to concern teachers...especially those who teach special needs students. I am trying to be cautiously optimistic, but having been burned so many times in the past by the politics of Tweed, it is a difficult feat.

Until negotiations are completed there remains a knot in my stomach. I have confidence that our union is fighting the good fight. The problem with fighting the good fight is that your opponents are rarely bound to the code of ethics you may carry into battle. In an ideal world good and just always wins but in the shade of gray world that we exist in this is seldom the case.

Please take the time to read the UFT response in Edwize. I believe in trying to see all sides of an issue. For those who maybe strapped for time, I have added the framework mentioned in the article below.

http://www.edwize.org/setting-the-record-straight-on-teacher-evaluations-scoring-and-the-role-of-standardized-exams#more-11225

This is taken from the article, "Setting The Record Straight On Teacher Evaluations:
Scoring and the Role of Standardized Exams" by Leo Casey

Here then is a schematic of the general framework of teacher evaluations in New York:
MEASURES OF TEACHER PERFORMANCE
(60 of 100 points)
MEASURES OF STUDENT LEARNING
(40 of 100 points)
Minimum of 31 PointsUp to 29 points20 Points20 points
Supervisory ObservationsOther Measures such as Peer Observations and Portfolios of Artifacts of Teacher PerformanceFor Teachers of ELA and Math, Grades 4 through 8:Value-Added Growth from State Standardized ExamsFor All Teachers:Growth on Local Assessments, such as Performance Assessments
AND
OR
For All Other Teachers:Growth Measures on “Student Learning Outcomes”For Some Teachers:Different Measures of Growth from State Standardized Exams

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