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February 29, 2012

Rise & Shine: Bloomberg defends Teacher Data Report release

by Philissa Cramer, at 7:22 am
On Teacher Data Reports, day six:
  • Mayor Bloomberg said the reports help parents make good choices. (Post, WSJ, NY1, Capital NY)
  • Many parents say the Teacher Data Reports haven’t changed how they think about teachers. (NY1)
  • Ratings for charter school teachers were released. (GothamSchools, SchoolBook, Post, Daily News)
  • The Post says it’s inappropriate for Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch to back shielding teachers’ scores.
  • The Daily News says any politician who opposes the ratings’ release is caving to union demands.
  • Michael Goodwin: The data are flawed, but the UFT still shouldn’t have tried to stop their release. (Post)
  • In letters, teachers weigh in on the reports and news outlets’ decision to publish them. (Daily News)
In other news:
  • The city has begun detailing its plans for schools set for “turnaround.” (GothamSchools, SchoolBook)
  • A bill would give district parent councils control over co-locations. (GothamSchools, SchoolBook)
  • The ROTC teacher at Graphics HS was arrested on sex abuse charges. (Times, Post, DNAInfo, NY1)
  • The Queens school board rep wants parents to push the city for safer school bus service. (Daily News)
  • Connecticut’s top court said it was wrong for the state to dissolve Bridgeport’s school board. (Times, WSJ)
  • A national study found lots of community colleges place too many students in remedial classes. (Times)
Print Print
  • Vote NO!

    From  the  Post’s  article  on  Charter  school  TDRs:

    “As for individual instructors, former Harlem Children’s Zone Promise
    Academy I teacher Monica DeFabio scored the lowest among the two dozen
    teachers for whom there were multiple years of data.
    She ranked in
    the 3rd percentile for fourth-grade math in 2010, but the error margin
    put her as high as in the 22nd. She also rated in the 5th percentile for
    fourth-grade English, but with an error range as high as 31 — which is
    considered average.
    She has since moved to a Success Academy charter school, whose director, Eva Moskowitz, had nothing but praise for her.
    “Monica DeFabio is one of the most talented teachers I’ve ever seen,” she said.”

    Apparently,  even   Eva  Moskowitz  has  an ” issue”  with  VAM  assessments  of  teachers.  Yet  under  the  new  teacher  evaluation  law,  every  public  school  teacher  in  the  state  will  be  evaluated  using  this  metric.   Fair  minded  citizens,  and  people  concerned  about  education  should  pressure  lawmakers  to  kill  this  proposal  before  a  tremendous  amount  of  damage  is  done  to  public  education  in  NY  state.

  • SickofBloomberg

    When the general public stops judging the educational system based on personal bias and the information generated by yellow journalism like the Post and Daily News and instead informs itself bydoing legitimate research, the ludicrous policies of the reformers and politicians will be exposed for the swill that they truly represent.

  • Peter Lamphere

    The real question is why our union leadership is acquiescing to the push for test-based evaluations.

    http://socialistworker.org/2012/02/28/bitter-fruits-of-race-to-the-top

  • Guest

    Im wondering if anyone had the chance to listen to South Bronx School’s interview with Leo Casey yesterday night.  Leo was on for well over an hour and answered many questions in what I thought was an informative interview.  One thing I came away with was that the City/DOE and the Union are miles apart in terms of hammering out and agreeing to the

    “other” 20 percent part of the 40 percent assessment.  Leo stated that the Union’s “line in the sand” is NOT to have that other 20 percent be “standardized exams” while the city is asking for the “other” 20 percent to be standardized testing.  It seems to me that there is a reasonable possibility that no agreement will ever come to fruition.  Here’s the question I have for anyone who may be in the know:  Let’s fast forward to the future.  No agreement is hammered out.  Can and will the governor again threaten to step in and impose his own evaluation into place?  Is there a deadline anywhere for the city and union to sign, seal and deliver this new evaluation? 

  • Flerplunk
  • Transformation Teacher

    Interesting that deputy chancellor Conforme, who was suppose to visit Lehman today cancelled last minute this morning…Then about an hour later we see that out EIS is out for “turnaround” and that we have been added to the April 26 pep agenda.

  • Tim

    That was fun while it lasted. To whom does the “Anyone But Quinn” camp turn now?

  • Flerplunk

    I think they stick with Liu on the grounds that (1) he himself hasn’t (yet) been indicted and (2) the criminal cases are all dirty tricks driven by (a) bloomberg, (b) “the 1%,” and/or (c) “the establishment.”   

  • Nycdoenuts

    The only deadline I’m aware of is for this fiscal year. If an eval system isn’t in place, the state takes away a scheduled 4% school aide increase (i think).

    I heard the show too, and I also came away with details about the eval system that I hadn’t previously heard. I agree that it was an informative interview.

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