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Friday, September 28, 2012

Pass / Fail : Large federal grants push use of student test scores to grade teachers | 89.3 KPCC

Pass / Fail : Large federal grants push use of student test scores to grade teachers | 89.3 KPCC:


Large federal grants push use of student test scores to grade teachers

The move to factor student test scores into teacher job evaluations in L.A. Unified got a big push Thursday. It came in the form of multi-million dollar grants from the US Department of Education.
The federal agency will give L.A. Unified $16 million to start new teacher and principal training, identify and promote expert educators, and create teacher and principal evaluationa that include multiple measures that include student progress on standardized tests.
Executive Director of L.A. Unified’s Talent and Management division, Drew Furedi, wrote the grant proposal.
“As a former teacher, it was important to me to see how my students were progressing,” he said.
There’s one big roadblock to L.A. Unified’s proposal: its teachers union. United Teachers Los Angeles has opposed using student test scores to grade teachers, saying too many factors beyond their control can affect