Advocate for the Right Tools in Teacher Evaluation
The blog post that follows is lifted (and slightly modified) from a lengthy comment I put on the Accomplished California Teachers Ning site, which is our members-only online platform. A Los Angeles teacher asked me to elaborate on a prior comment I’d made suggesting that I think teachers need to fight against the use of value-added measures in teacher evaluation.
Okay – you asked for it!
It's important to have the right tools for the job.Before I post the particulars, please note: standardized tests are well-designed diagnostic tools when applied to individual students, let alone teachers. They are mainly designed to give an indication of school, district, or state level performance. They may have some value at the individual student level, but even that breaks down if you get to the subtest level (see J. Cizik, 2007). So, if I had my way, any debate on this issue would begin (and
Okay – you asked for it!
It's important to have the right tools for the job.