The Los Angeles Times printed a thoughtful editorial about the teachers’ strike and about evaluating teachers by student test scores.
These days it is unusual to find an editorial or opinion column asking whether the tests were designed to measure teacher quality. They were not. Frankly, the test publishers ought to be yelling bloody murder about the inappropriate use of the tests, but they are making so much money that it’s hard to hear their complaints or to expect them.
I wish more writers would look at the research about the inaccuracy and instability of value-added assessment. I wish they would think a bit about how this high-stakes testing invariably leads to teaching to the test, narrowing the curriculum, score inflation, and cheating.
The one thing it does not produce is good education. If it did, we would see it in all the best private schools. But not a single one of them uses value-added assessment or even standardized tests. That would insult the intelligence of their teachers.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
ISTA wins victory against Tony Bennett…
http://www.indystar.com/article/20120913/NEWS04/120913014/Judge-sides-ISTA-banning-teacher-contract-form?nclick_check=1
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Reblogged this on PEP Talk and commented:
Diane’s comments and the LA Times editorial get at the crux of the issues in using test scores to evaluate teachers.
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Coming from the paper that first published teacher names and lead to the suicide of a teacher, I don’t know what to think. But it is a step in the right direction. Meanwhile, yesterday’s NYTimes editorial (as well as columns and other articles) are froth with misleading information–trying to make it seem Chicago parents hate the union action. Trying to paint this strike as a “money” issue. Chicago papers are doing the same thing. Around the US, people are hating teachers even more than they did before. (But let them. We became the enemy a few years ago, and that’s not going to change.)
I hope an agreement is reached that does include a fair evaluation system. That would be a big win. But I know test scores will be included. To not do it will be a slap in the face to Duncan, and Chicago pols will not do that. But wouldn’t it be great if they did?????
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Leaving one of my tenth grade classes and thought about the students who didn’t even try to complete their homework. How is this a reflection of me as a teacher? I have 40 mins. Out of 24 hours with my students. Those 40 mins. are also spent with 26 or more other students. I can’t call home eveytime a student misses homework, I would be on the phone so much it would leave me no time to accomplish much else. I was in class, prepared and taught my lesson. What happens when that chi, leaves my room, I have no control. His test school evaluate me? No! They evaluate him.
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“His test school evaluate me? No! They evaluate him.”
What a novel idea (tongue in cheek)!
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I think people overlook how many of these policy makers draw their schooling experience from private schools. Have you ever talked about public schools with someone who went to a private school or sends their kids there? It’s funny and would almost be endearing if it weren’t so harmful on the larger scale. They believe that all public schools are like Dangerous Minds, that there are lots of fights, drugs, etc. They see these places as dangerous and the teachers as incompetant. They haven’t had positive experiences at these places because they’ve never been to a decent public school. The public’s perception of public schools needs to change. How can we get these people to see what we do?
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Was Kotter successful? He reached his students, Yet I bet they didn’t pass state tests. Did that make Kotter of Welcome Back Kortter bad?
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