Traumatic lives of students affect teacher’s evaluation
Here is the story of Rebecca Cusick, a fourth-grade teacher in Fall River, Massachusetts, and her “value-added” evaluation score. This assessment method uses students’ standardized test scores to determine a teacher’s effectiveness. Assessment experts say the method is unreliable, but reformers still insist on using it. In state after state, teacher evaluations derived through this method are sometimes labeling very effective teachers as ineffective, and vice versa.By Rebecca Cusick
I am crushed. I got my MCAS [Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System] growth score for last year in an email. My heart sank when I saw the score, my entire year summed up in a number. In the eyes of the state, I am not even “average.” In fact, they probably believe I did my students more harm than good.