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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Marzano group takes issue with TNTP report criticizing Pasco schools | Tampa Bay Times

Marzano group takes issue with TNTP report criticizing Pasco schools | Tampa Bay Times:

Marzano group takes issue with TNTP report criticizing Pasco schools








 The group that supports Pasco County schools' teacher evaluations has issued a harsh rebuttal of TNTP's recent report criticizing the district's evaluation, training and hiring strategies.

Researchers for the Marzano Center blasted TNTP's methods, interpretations and findings in a 21-page document sent to the Gradebook on Tuesday. They suggest that TNTP failed to identify critical context, made inaccurate policy implications and relied on "factual errors and misleading misstatements." Moreover, the group noted that TNTP did not mention it is a competitor that could benefit from its recommendations.
(We did ask TNTP project managers about that potential conflict of interest at the time of the report. They acknowledged doing such work but said that was not the intent of their review.)
Overall, the Marzano group called the TNTP paper "highly imbalanced" and insufficient to support its "high-stakes claims":
Recommendations based on incomplete reports can cause harm in such high-stakes situations. Educational researchers should hold themselves to the highest standards—making sure that data reported are accurate, without flaws, and able to be replicated. Scientific researchers are under an obligation to provide readers with sufficient information to make informed decisions. These are ethical obligations scientists share with their colleagues in the scientific community, even when findings may contradict the ultimate aim of the organization. Researchers should operate under circumstances where it is their duty to report negative findings, even when doing so does not benefit the organization responsible for implementing the study. 
District officials said they had not yet read the report, having just received it
Superintendent Kurt Browning said he was not surprised by the Marzano response, "or that the response focuses on the part of the review that relates to their product."
"Pasco Schools views the TNTP report more broadly," Browning said. "We see it as a welcome review of what we are doing well and where we need to focus on improvement in teaching the standards and our collaborative professional learning communities; the alignment of our curriculum and assessments to the Florida Standards; and how we hire, evaluate, retain, and release teachers." 

There's more to be said about TNTP's Pasco schools study


There's a mini ed reform storm swirling in the Pasco County school district, as two prominent groups pushing differing teacher evaluation models take shots at one another.
Briefly, TNTP (founded by Michelle Rhee) issued a report (funded by the Gates Foundation)blasting Pasco's teacher hiring, training and evaluation system, created by the Marzano Center.
Next, Marzano (one of two state-approved evaluation providers) fired back, calling the TNTP review inaccurate and imbalanced.
Go figure, but TNTP didn't let that stand as the last word. Partner Andy Jacob took issue with Marzano's characterization of its work, and with the insinuation that TNTP might be seeking business as an offshoot of its time in the district. 
“Our analysis is intended to provide a snapshot of how well Pasco County Schools are transitioning to the new Florida Standards, not a study of any particular company’s products," Jacob  said in an email to the Gradebook. That’s why our report is rooted in the experiences and voices of thousands of educators from across the district.
"We stand by our assessment of the challenges teachers and principals are facing as they adjust to the new standards, and we’re glad it has started a conversation about how to better support them. As a non-profit, mission-driven organization, our sole interest is to help the district understand what it’s doing well—and how it can improve—so that every student in Pasco County graduates ready for success in college and life."
The dispute has amused some teachers and union leaders, who mused on Facebook that it looked like the reformers were about to start devouring each other. 
United School Employees of Pasco president Kenny Blankenship, meanwhile, sent a letter to superintendent Kurt Browning suggesting there was some good in the TNTP review, but adding that he had concerns similar to Marzano's. (That email came before he saw the Marzano rebuttal.)
"USEP has raised, during negotiations with the District, many of the same concerns that TNTP presented," Blankenship wrote to the superintendent. "In particular, we have brought up the impact of PLC meetings on teacher planning and the lack of resources and Florida standards aligned teaching materials. USEP has also raised concerns with Employee Relations about TNTP’s ties to Michelle Rhee which may color the resulting opinions and remedies that they would bring to the district."
He continued: 
We have questioned in the past, the Discovery Education program, which is out of line with the current Florida Standards, emphasizing rote memorization over critical analysis.
One major flaw that I find in the report is that TNTP only looked at a few grades and two subject areas; therefore the blanket statement about rigor is too broad a conclusion.
With only six schools and 100 classrooms studied, the usefulness of the report and subsequent conclusions is very limited. Much more thorough analysis is warranted before drawing such a broad conclusion about the totality of school district’s teaching practices.  
USEP has continuously advocated for better training, stronger curriculum, and more time to 

There's more to be said about TNTP's Pasco schools study