THE GREAT DISTRACTION OF TEACHER EVALUATION
THEMES IN THE NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 5-8, 2011 BY UCLA IDEA | HTTP://BIT.LY/QQNEHA
07-08-2011 - This week, the 3.2 million-member National Education Association voted to accept, in principle, the inclusion of test scores in teacher evaluations. The NEA cautioned that currently available tests are too flawed to use for evaluation purposes and the union pledged to help create better student assessments (New York Times, Education Week, Boston Globe, Atlanta Journal Constitution).
The NEA decision likely reflects an effort to remain relevant in the national discussion about school reform and not fall victim to powerful campaigns that accuse teachers of being opposed to reform. An Illinois chapter president called the vote a chance to “get off of defense and start playing offense.” He added: “It is time for us to talk about what makes for effective teaching and teacher evaluation” (Education Week).
This new position on teacher evaluations is controversial among teachers. Although some do believe that student tests give leverage to inform and motivate teachers while ridding the profession of “bad apples,” there is little evidence that using student tests to evaluate teachers is an effective strategy for building a robust and highly