TIME's Nov 3rd Article Substitutes Sensationalism for Substance

Don’t Substitute Sensationalism for Substance

The terms “bad teachers” and “grossly ineffective teachers” are used repeatedly in the TIME Magazine article about Teacher Tenure. They evoke images of cruel or incompetent teachers that are very sensational. But there seems to be no consistency as to what constitutes a “bad teacher” or a “grossly ineffective teacher”. In fact, one of the leading conservative commentators, Michael McShane of the American Enterprise Institute, asks, “How do you define ‘grossly ineffective?”

The most commonly offered definition revolves around something called “VAM” or “value-added model” of analyzing batches of student test scores. So, it would all seem to come down to test scores. And that’s a mine field all by itself. Those folks most qualified to talk about test scores and the applications of data derived from them have significant cautions for us.

The TIME’s article reported that the “American Educational Research Association found a ‘surprisingly weak’ correlation between teachers’ VAM scores and their actual skills, as evaluated by surveys and expert observations.” Washington state has recently brought online a teacher evaluation protocol that does not use test scores but focuses upon observation reports grin trained professionals about the teacher’s demonstration of relevant skills.

Recent research reveals some serious questions. The TIME’s article reported that, “… the American Statistical Association released a statement questioning whether VAM ….adequately measures a teacher’s total value to a students education.” There are dozens of necessary teacher skills that reach out to students in need, but which have no impact on student scores.

If test results on the same kids very wildly, can they be very reliable? The Dept. of Education “found that VAM scores varied wildly depending on what time of day tests were administered or whether the kids were distracted.” We should be cautious about making decisions about students, based upon these scores; let alone extrapolating scores into teacher evaluations.

We are talking about a system of evaluation which is under more and more scrutiny and is being reconsidered. “Dept of Education ‘announced that states could delay using student test scores in teacher evaluations for two years.’”