BESE to look at changes for evaluating teachers

Louisiana’s top school board is about to consider several changes in the state’s new method for evaluating public school teachers, including one that would make it easier for new teachers to land job security.

The issue is one of several high-profile topics to be discussed when the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meets on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The panel also will consider whether to revamp the role of counselors in high schools, get public input on funding levels of state aid for public schools and do its first, annual job review for state Superintendent of Education John White.

However, White’s recommended changes in teacher evaluations — the details are still being ironed out — would revamp what teachers have to do to be rated as “highly effective” and how those in high-performing schools are graded, officials familiar with the issue said.

Under state laws passed in 2010 and 2012, half of the annual review for some public school teachers is linked to the growth of student achievement and the other half to classroom observations by principals and others.

In addition, new teachers would have to be rated as “highly effective” for five out of six years to earn a form of job security called “tenure.”

One of the changes that White may recommend would allow teachers rated in the 80th percentile statewide — that means they outscored 80 percent of their peers — to be rated as “highly effective” instead of the current 90th percentile requirement, said Stephanie Desselle, who follows public school issues for the Council for a Better Louisiana.

Desselle said her group would back such a change.

“If you look at 80 and up, they are making a lot of growth,” she said of student achievement. “From my perspective that is totally justified.”

The state has about 55,000 public school teachers.

About 20,000 who teach math, science and other subjects will have half of their job reviews tied to objective tests.

The others rely on slightly different methods.

The evaluations, which began this year, will start being linked to tenure during the 2013-14 school year.

Under a bill last year pushed by Gov. Bobby Jindal, new teachers initially would have been required to be rated as “highly effective” for five years in a row to earn tenure.

That was changed to five out of six years after complaints that the initial requirement was too rigorous.

Allowing teachers in the 80th percentile to be rated as “highly effective,” instead of having to reach the 90th percentile, would also loosen rules for earning tenure.

The plan would not change the rankings for teachers rated as “ineffective,” who are expected to make up the bottom 10 percent of those rated.

Those teachers could face a loss of tenure and dismissal if they fail to show improvements.

Jim Garvey, who is set to become vice president of BESE on Wednesday, declined to discuss details of White’s recommendations.

But Garvey said any such tweaks would stem from multiple conversations with teachers, superintendents and others and would be designed to enhance a review system that will make teachers more effective.

“There is not anything that you get 100 percent correct on the first design,” said Garvey, an attorney in Metairie.

In another area, White is expected to recommend teacher evaluation changes to address complaints from leaders of Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School, the LSU Laboratory School and at least two others in Shreveport.

Critics contend that even high-scoring students whose results drop from the previous year can result in a teacher being rated as ineffective, which they said has shown up in trial runs for the new reviews.

White said in October that the concern only applies to 40 or 50 teachers.

He said special rules may be needed in cases where students score at top levels while teachers are rated as ineffective, including more reliance on classroom observations to come up with a grade.

White has been meeting for weeks with BESE members, educators, teacher groups and others in advance of his recommendations.

A BESE committee is set to consider the issue at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, with final action scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Comments

1) Comment by Scrooge - 14/01/2013

Maybe the geniuses in charge could outsource teachers and get them cheap-say from the Philippines, wait, they tried that already. How does being an attorney qualify one as an expert in educational matters? Has anyone considered that the real problem in Louisiana education might be its political raison de être and the BESE board which is an unnecessary layer of political bureaucracy. But got to have somewhere to put political donors, right? After all, they paid for the privilege, expertise in the field is irrelevant. Unfortunately, this has been going on for decades and Louisiana is reaping what it sowed -butjust wait it's getting ready to be a real cluster

2) Comment by teacherguy - 14/01/2013

Yep...lets make it "easier" to earn tenure...why? Because the ripple effect of teachers jumping ship must FINALLY be reaching DOE...someone is trying to slow the flow. Numbers of college students declaring education as a major in universities are declining dramatically...retirements and defections are being rumored and planned daily. This is a band-aid for the blunt-force trauma induced on teachers during the last legislative session. Give it a little time and there will be even more retirements (death rate) than entrants (birth rate) into the teaching profession than there used to be. You can cut a hospital and create longer lines at the ones still open; you can close a prison and let non-violent offenders back out on the street...but if you attack the teaching profession and make teachers want to quit...what are you going to do with the kids?

3) Comment by public_educator - 14/01/2013

"Critics contend that even high-scoring students whose results drop from the previous year can result in a teacher being rated as ineffective, which they said has shown up in trial runs for the new reviews. White said in October that the concern only applies to 40 or 50 teachers." So, we have 55,000 teachers. Define high-scoring as the top 5% of students, and assume an equal proportion of teachers teach them. Then this concern applies to 2,750 teachers which even Mr. White should know is a little more than 40 or 50.

4) Comment by crabby - 14/01/2013

Wow, this story makes it seem like the state is owning up to the fact that they implemented an evaluation tool that doesn't work. I think the person who designed it specifically said it shouldn't be used to make personnel decisions. What other insanity do we have to live thru as Boobie destroys this state in order to realize his dreams.

5) Comment by Iamhopeful2 - 14/01/2013

"But Garvey said any such tweaks would stem from multiple conversations with teachers, superintendents and others and would be designed to enhance a review system that will make teachers more effective." Mr. Garvey's statement show his lack of knowledge of the truth. There has been no input. Example - the Superintendents' Advisory Council met Tues. Jan. 8. I attended along with a full hous of other interested parties. John White presented two documents along with PowerPts attempting to explain the "tweaks" he is recommending to adjust COMPASS and the School Performance Score calculation.( which is constantly changing in order to skew the results and prevent a valid determination of "progress." This was the first time most of these Supers had seen these documents. White claimed one had been FAXED a few days previous but most supers said they hadn't seen it. Was there input and collaboration at that meeting? Well the Chair Supt Faulk informed the audience that there would be controversial subject matter discussed at the meeting and he expected them to keep order. After two hours of gobbledygook rhetoric from White and near the end of the meeting, Mary Patricia Wray, atty for LFT asked out loud if the chair was going to take public comment - this was well after the two votes to accept the proposed changes - Chairman Faulk said loudly and immediately "Absolutely not." This is contrary to public meetings laws. I visited the LDE office after the meeting to acquire copies of the two documents approved by SAC. They would not proffer them. I immediately filed a FOIA. The response after several email requests was from the LDE atty saying they would not send them and that they were not classified as public documents because they were "drafts." I wrote all superintendents with my complaint and indication that I would have to file a lawsuit if they did not not draw their illegal action(no public comment.). No one has responded. I will also file a FOIA lawsuit along with several other blatant instances of non compliance. White, BESE and crew believe they are above the law. The media will not report this nor will they interview Dr. Schneider who is perfectly willing to have her work reviewed and debated. The problem is that White cannot debate her as he cannot explain the complicated VAM metric and doesn't want the truth about SPS revealed publicly. However our state superintendents do know what is going on and are not acting to stand up for their teachers or students! C

6) Comment by Concerned_Parent - 14/01/2013

????? Removed for a violation of terms of use????? No profanity, no personal attack, no antisocial behavior......I guess the TRUTH is a violation of terms of use.

7) Comment by Concerned_Parent - 14/01/2013

****Comment Removed for Violation of Terms of Use****

8) Comment by Headscratcher - 14/01/2013

The larger issue is that the measurements themselves are mostly meaningless. If DOE bothered to actually release the full "formula" for value-added, they would be laughed out of the Claiborne building. The "student learning targets" used for grades and subjects that do not have standardized tests are equally laughable. Each teacher sets his or her own targets, in conjunction with the school principal. There is no way, and will be no way, to compare those "results" from school to school or district to district. Or even classroom to classroom, if the principal chooses to use different models. And yet we will base half of someone's evaluation on such flawed measures? And we wonder why anyone that can retire is making a move to do so. It doesn't matter to the children of privilege currently calling the shots at DOE. In their little world, all will be made right by hiring more five week wonders from TFA.

9) Comment by spqr - 14/01/2013

It matters little what these non-educators who make policy decide. The number of teachers who will quit and/or retire this year will be incredibly high. Too many of the people in charge are not veteran classroom teachers. They are largely ignorant of reality.

10) Comment by cbelse1 - 14/01/2013

I'm guessing all those teachers who said last spring at the capital that this would happen don't look so stupid anymore. What Mr. Garvey fails to mention is that it's easier to get something 100% right on the first try if you take your time and don't rush through it-- something that any good teacher imparts to his/her students.