Friday, April 25, 2014

TENNESSEE REPEALS TEST BASED TEACHER EVALUATIONS; WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR IN NY?

I just read Diane Ravitch's piece on the Tennessee State Legislature and Governor Bill Haslam rapidly reversing course and banning the use of student test scores for teacher evaluations.

This is the commentary on the bill from the Tennessee Teachers Association on Twitter:

TN Education Assoc. @TEA_teachers Apr 23
It is now officially prohibited by law that TVAAS (student test scores) may not be used in teacher licensure decisions in any way. Huge, huge win for teachers.
 
In addition, the great state of Washington refuses to tie teacher evaluations to student test scores even though they have just lost their waiver from the retaliatory provisions of No Child Left Behind.  Every child is supposed to be proficient in reading and math by 2014 according to that federal law.  In essence, the state of Washington told President Obama and Secretary of Arne Duncan to go ahead and make their day.
 
Hey NYSUT/UFT: What are we waiting for?  States are fighting back! Tennessee is a conservative southern state. 
 
This is liberal New York with our self described "progressive" governor who is in some trouble politically and is up for reelection in the fall.
 
Now is the time to push to end teacher evaluations based on student test scores!
 
 
 
 

2 comments:

John Lawhead said...

Tennessee is also the state where VAM was pioneered. Jim Horn's book Mismeasure of Education tells the story. http://www.infoagepub.com/products/The-Mismeasure-of-Education

Anonymous said...

We will do nothing.