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R2T decision may spur teacher quality bill
Written by Todd Engdahl on Mar 29th, 2010. | Copyright © EdNewsColorado.org
[...] Related: R2T decision may spur teacher quality bill [...]
[...] to see state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle begin to interpret the results as a sign to move ahead on real substantive reform of teacher evaluations and tenure. While I still have some skepticism, Race to the Top does have [...]
I assume that Michael’s bill would provide flexibility for measuring the effectiveness of the teachers of our youngest kids (preschoolers, kindergarteners and first graders), whose “achievement” is very difficult to measure accurately, due to natural developmental differences among children at this age and the challenges of testing this age group. It would be a disaster to measure the effectiveness of preschool and kindergarten teachers using standard measures of school readiness, because children’s “achievement” can be quite uneven across developmental domains. Even a very effective teacher cannot teach a 4 year old child to recognize letters, if that child hasn’t developed the cognitive infrastructure to do so. Research in neuroscience is confirming the fact that children’s minds develop at very different rates, particularly in the P-3 years. We really really don’t want to have P-3 teachers trying to force all children to meet some predetermined generalized standard of achievement. It is quite literally impossible to do so, and the unintended consequence of linking the evaluations of ECE teachers to student achievement may be that children, who can’t meet these standards through no fault of their own–or of their teachers–are made to feel like school failures by the ripe old age of 7. I’d love to know if Michael’s bill is going to address these types of issues that require thought, flexibility, and careful planning.