VAMboozled reports here that the U.S. Department of Education rejected a request by the school district of Charleston to delay implementation of value-added measurement of teachers.
District officials asked for an extra year to phase in the evaluation of teachers by the test scores of their students, but the DOE said no.
District officials thought it was better to wait until 2016-17, when they might have more confidence in the methodology.
The district needs federal officials’ permission for the delay because the federal government gave the district the $23.7 million Teacher Incentive Fund grant to develop and implement BRIDGE, which is the new evaluation and compensation systems.
The evaluations are being pilot-tested in 14 schools this year, and the district promised in its grant application to expand the evaluation in 2014-15 to all teachers in BRIDGE schools, as well as to core academic subject teachers in grades 4-8 across the district.
Padilla [speaking for the DOE] pointed out in her letter that the application required a timeline, and the district was approved based on its assurance that it would meet the grant’s requirements, including that timeline.
McGinley said earlier this week that she wasn’t inclined to move forward with any district-wide evaluation system until she had more confidence in it than she does right now.
Patrick Hayes, a third grade teacher who leads the education advocacy group EdFirstSC, said he didn’t see how the district could stick to its proposed timeline when officials have indicated they aren’t where they need to be.
“It seems to me that the path forward is clear,” he said. “It’s time to let go of the grant.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Yes! Return the money!
Duncan has NO plans to let go of assessments. He wants the numbers. He doesn’t care if the numbers misrepresent.
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In the ongoing saga of tribulations at LAUSD, the replacement of BoE member Marguerite La Motte who passed away some weeks ago will be discussed tomorrow at the BoE meeting. The decision is supposed to be made as to whether a temporary replacement should be appointed by the Board, or if a special election should be called now.
One of the leading contenders for appointment (which puts him a good position to run for the seat next year) is George McKenna. There are other strong candidates as well. But word is going around that McKenna is a supporter of VAM.
Please, LA teachers et al, let us know if this is valid info…and if so, please show up at the meeting to give testimony.
Ellen Lubic
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Error of date of meeting….the BoE meeting is on Jan. 14. Please go to the BoE website for more info.
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deutsch29: you have just made an insightful comment.
To expand on it from my POV: the edufrauds and edubullies will never willingly let go of numeric assessments. Yes, they are addicted to numbers, but not because they are interested in honestly laying bare problems and possibilities [even if in limited fashion]. In their great majority they are even more innumerate [the mathematical equivalent of illiterate] than I am. Rather, they have become deeply enamored of the immense power of mathematical intimidation to mislead the public, derail genuine discussion of ed issues, and [as the old saying goes] “make the better appear the worse cause.” *For the quote, please read Socrates’ defense in the APOLOGY by Plato and how he described those who maliciously slandered him.*
It matters not a whit to them how much they massage and twist numbers—the “bidness” of the “ed bidness” is “bidness as usual” and the bottom line can be literally measured in how much $tudent $ucce$$ they can amass.
I write this only to share my POV with the other viewers of this blog. I have no doubt that you have a greater comprehension of this than I do.
Thank you for your efforts to maintain your personal and professional ethics at a time when not a few numbers/stats folk mistake an admonition for good advice: “Torture numbers, and they’ll confess to anything.” [Gregg Easterbrook]
😎
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How is 24 million dollars for a whole state an incentive? What is driving this?
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The money is poison and it’s a noose around your neck.
Run away from Arne. Run away from RTT…….protect the kids.
The fungus is spreading, but parents are awakening.
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The district should use this as a way to put out PR on what they are doing for the children in the district by refusing the mandates of a federal Education Department that is out of (to) control. They could, very publicly, give back the money and make their case for restoring the practice of making sound education decisions at the local level.
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It is obvious that Duncan does not have the Education of children in mind, only to push this reform agenda down our throats as rapidly as possible before more revolt!
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Agreed, but can they give up the drug? The crack of “federal largesse.” It would be a start.
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Abrasive cycle of unfunded and underfunded mandates. Why do we need the Dept. of Ed?
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We don’t!
When it comes to the working people who vote, Arne Duncan has united all sides against him and the Gates USDOE.
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Seems like such a bad idea to forge ahead when measure is already discredited. They know no one who is evaluated using this system will believe it’s at all valid, right? They’ll then be horribly discouraged and angry.
What a huge waste of time and money. Why not at least give them the extension so it has some credibility?
These measurement systems are experimental, are they not? What’s the point of conducting an experiment and then not learning anything from it?
“This takes longer than we anticipated to do properly”. Arguably, that’s what they just found out. It’s almost the definition of dogma, to forge ahead, facts be damned.
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DOE is having a no-no tantrum. Ugh oh! Arne is feeling the pressure it seems.
Of course he wouldn’t give in to one district. He knows what would happen.
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For those of us fighting this battle Charleston, I think the refusal actually helps. It keeps the issue up front, where a delay can allow things to slide, and teachers to forget.
Thanks to Hayes, we won a great battle, but we haven’t won the war.
It also enhances the us vs the Feds; that’s sort of a big deal here.
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The sooner they implement it, the faster it will blow up and go away.
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Every time I get an email from Obama’s team asking for money, I reply that they’ll get something when Arne is gone.
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Me too!
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Me three and I provide visuals.
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If and when that ever happens, he’ll just be replaced with someone the same or worse. Duncan isn’t the problem – he’s just answering to his higher power.
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I can remember the name of the Duncan’s new undersecretary but he is very pro reform. I am sure his is having a big influence, as he is connected to privatization in some way.
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Just googling around to see who it might be, and I hit on the U.S. Department of Education’s Strategic Plan – which immediately received well thought out, reasoned criticisms. Read them for some good chuckles.
http://www.ed.gov/blog/2013/09/achieving-excellence-and-equity-the-u-s-department-of-educations-strategic-plan-released-for-public-comment/
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Hilarious. I especially like the goal of “increasing evidence-based decision making and investment.” That should be very easy to meet, starting from a base of zero.
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It’s Ted Mitchel ” a champion of Rigor”
Be afraid, be very afraid
http://chronicle.com/article/Key-White-House-Nominee-Has/142591/
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Ted Mitchell. I wonder why Martha Kanter is stepping down????
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I don’t usually respond to my own posts but
http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/site/ataglance/2013/12/martha-kanter-appointment.html
Oh No!! She’s moving on to higher ed. . Hopefully not to poison the students. Reminds me of a family member going for her PSY D. She doesn’t know any better but …the eduspeak she is learning is unbelievable. Lots of blaming the parents/teachers. “RTI is the answer!”
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The promised money always looks like a win, but there are so many strings plus the total cost of implementing programs will eventually cost more than the original funding. By saying NO, you are actually saving money.
My motto: You don’t get something for nothing.
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The Federal government is acting like organized crime in imposing their education agenda. They bribe school districts with money to get them to agree with their policies. It’s a form of strong arming by a very big thug.
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