The Massachusetts Teachers Association is taking a militant stand against the state’s plans to tie teachers’ licenses to student test scores. If you live in the state–the most academically successful state in the nation–please help fight this insulting and educationally retrograde move against the state’s teachers.
Worcester School Committee Tracy Novick blasted the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Read here to see what’s happening.
Here is an announcement from MTA:
“In our Reclaiming Public Education forums we have been talking about issues that are critically important to our members, and we are beginning to plan actions. We are facing one such issue now: the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s “performance-based” licensure proposals.
How would you feel about the prospect of losing your license to teach – not just your job – based on your evaluation and/or your students’ test scores? Several versions of just such a proposal were outlined in a document called “Design Principles and Policy Options” released by DESE on October 20, one day before the first of several DESE-controlled “town halls.” These town halls are part of DESE’s plan to propose a “performance-based” licensure system in the spring and implement it by October 2015.
Members who attended the October 21 town hall in Springfield noted that the session was tightly controlled and that educators were invited to express their views on “the pros and cons” of the various plans, but were not invited to say, “No. It is an outrage to suggest tying licensure to performance.” Despite DESE’s constraints, we are urging members to register here to express their views loudly and clearly. Please review the Design Principles document carefully before attending. Here are the remaining dates and locations:
Thursday, 10/23 – Central MA (Worcester Technical High School) 4:30 pm-7:00 pm (Capacity of 75)
Saturday, 10/25 – Boston (Simmons College) 9:30 am-12:00 pm (Capacity of 90)
Wednesday, 11/19 – Metro Boston (Malden High) 4:30 pm-7:00 pm
Thursday, 11/20 – Southern MA (Bridgewater State University) 4:30 pm-7:00 pm
Click here for more information on the proposals and MTA’s messages about them.
It is time to organize! Besides registering for a town hall, get the word out. Please engage at least two members in conversation about these proposals. Building reps, this would be a great time to hold a 10-minute meeting to make sure our members are informed.
If you attend a town hall, please send a report to MTA’s Beth Shevlin (eshevlin@massteacher.org):
Who was there? What questions were asked? How many people spoke out against the proposal? How well were you being listened to? Were your remarks being recorded?
Our response to these plans will not be limited to the DESE-controlled town halls. Stay tuned for more organizing efforts to come. For now, speak up and spread the word!
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This more than INSANE. It’s Orwellian.
Reblogged this on Crazy Normal – the Classroom Exposé and commented:
We can’t win this war against the billionaire oligarchs and corporate pirates without educating the public so they really know what is going on so talk, talk, talk to everyone—use social media, the old fashioned phone, e-mails, snail mail letters …
Teachers need to squawk loudly. Protests used to be one of the best ways to do this. Are protests just too passe nowadays? Do they make us look too blue collar and, hence, contempt-worthy in the the eyes of the ruling knowledge-worker elite?
Terrifying.
I thought we had momentum swinging the right way…
I always want to know where the accountability is for the ones so demanding of “accountability.”
“They” won’t stop until there are no more people entering the profession of teaching, except TFA and TNTP and Broadies running the show. Why on earth would anyone go into teaching anymore? There would be no reason at all – just a 2 year commitment from the Kopp recruiting firm, and then their grades won’t matter, cuz they will be gone in 2 years time. Get rid of all the teachers, yes? How about we get elect some new officials?
Yes, that’s pretty much what happened in New Orleans in the wake of hurricane Katrina. They fired all the teachers en masse and then full steam ahead for charter schools and school privatization.
Donna, EdWeek reports that teacher education enrollments are down. This is an expected result of the unrelenting attacks on teachers. One might expecat that this would create shortages. In fact it oppens the door wider for marketing on-line programs as a cost-efficient solution and personalized learning–so-called– from any “provider” eligible for “competence-based” alternative certification.
I read Arizona is handling the shortage by importing teachers from the Philippines?
I think lawyers should be at risk of losing their license every time they lose a case.
Every time they lose an objection.
Every time they open their mouth.
Maybe a governor should be fired based on an incarceration rate of those citizens he/she leads! If he/she is a good governor by a given year and month (thinking what teachers were given under NCLB) then he/she should have a zero incarceration rate as evidence of his ability to lead. Anything short of this and his/her head should roll!
Does this apply to charter schools, or does the state pay unlicensed teachers for some irrational reason?
We have boat loads of unlicensed teachers in Newark Public Schools. Their inexperience and lack of knowledge is celebrated.
ARE celebrated
I am not defending this action, but after reading the September Teachers College Record from cover to cover, meticulously and with a highlighter, I see this action (and so many actions) in line with converting our schools to assessment factories of long-term outcomes that are narrowly defined by PISA and OECD. Right? “Education as an internalization of a cultural tradition” now replaced by “a model of investing in the development of globally useful human capital and competencies,” thereby negating any other attribute a teacher might bring to the table besides the seeming ability to cajole students (or train them or whatever) into high performance on these narrow accountability measures (for all “STAKEHOLDERS,” to use a word I can’t stand in education jargon. . . in fact I’d dare say that use of this word as a qualifier in the involvement of community folks in their schools instead of more human words like “people involved,” or “community members” started us down this path of converting our schools into these new havens for globally-minded capital training centers).
Unless we have politicians clearly outlining what they think the purpose of public schools is, we will continue to see measures that don’t make sense to people still viewing schools through the old (and more appropriate, I might add) lense.
It’s kind of like at church: the first question asked in a dedication ceremony or church marriage or baptism would be do you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior etc? And once that question is answered, a lot can be presumed and assumed about the purpose of that community. But we don’t have a question like this one that we ask people when they enter into the discussion about public school (whether by laws or policies or mandates) to make sure they even have the same purpose, mantra or vision for what a public school is.
So if you have accepted that the new global economy requires a new definition of public schools as global economic practice centers for racing to the top, then an action like this one in Mass. makes sense. But if you think public schools should be places that nurture individuals and are responsive to the needs and values of communities, then how can you expect to even talk about what should happen?
What is the question that ties us together in our quest for success in public schooling?
(all quotes from the journal are from pages 1-9)
Are lawmakers operating under the uncontested consensus that “increasingly abstract and context-indifferent standards and outcome metrics; single-mindedness to the narrative of market efficiency; centralized governance and hard mandates” are the norm and should be the norm? Because if they are, then the conversation needs to happen about whether or not that is where we want our schools to go and be and do. My guess is many of them don’t even realize that they are following that script.
Most politicians can give very clear answers from an economic standpoint about what they think. It’s time for them to be able to give very clear answers from an education standpoint about what they think schools are supposed to be. Without emotion over unions or pay grades or even children. . .but what is the purpose of the school to begin with? And what are we doing to enable that purpose?
I don’t think there is a clear agreement or that many politicians can even articulate what they think that purpose is, nor have they reflected on how actions support or don’t support that purpose. It’s getting to the point where it IS black and white. Actions either support the notion of schools as places to nurture individuals in light of community, or they support the notion of schools as preparation centers for the global economy. What is the venn diagram here? Surely there is one. But there are also the separate points and it’s getting clearer and clearer that you either support one or the other.
Why we aren’t looking back to why public education was left out of the constitution to begin with is puzzling and troubling gives evidence of the fact that many of our elected leaders need to hit the books!!!!!
Joanna,
Is the rest of your post after “(all quotes from the journal are from pages 1-9)” quotes from the article?
Thanks,
Duane
only where there are quotation marks. The rest is all Joanna.
I wish we could spend time and money and energy helping kids learn instead of figuring out who to blame and fire. If a kid isn’t good at reading or math then why is it necessary to blame anyone. Just give him some help.
Ah, but it depends on WHY he should be able to read or do math. Is it because of his or her place in the global economy? Or so he or she can have a fulfilling life?
These are the questions that must be answered for there to be strong policy.
The plan is awful. Another commentator already wondered, should licensure of attorneys be based on their trial record? Size of their awards? The analogy is altogether fitting. And so it would be for doctors or nurses if their licensure were based on their cure rate—or likewise for psychologists, physical therapists, social workers, probation and parole officers, or anyone else in an educational, health or service-oriented role.
In effect, the MA plan penalizes those who take on the hardest cases or work in the most demanding environments, and the harm is not lessened with measures like “added value”, which are borrowed from private industry and inherently difficult to apply to teaching/learning. The plan also encourages cheating, shortcuts, and the worst-possible pedagogy, which is teaching to the test. In short, singling out teachers for this kind of results-based licensure is politically-driven, punitive, and in the end counter-productive.
There’s no question that bad or unqualified teachers should be removed from the classroom. But the process for doing so shouldn’t be based on some (phony) method concocted by private educational foundations and the testing industry.
The plan is awful. Another commentator already wondered, should licensure of attorneys be based on their trial record? Size of awards? The analogy is altogether fitting. And so it would be for doctors or nurses if their licensure were based on their cure rate-or likewise for psychologists, physical therapists, social workers, probation and parole officers, or anyone else in an educational, health or service-oriented role.
In effect, the MA plan penalizes those who take on the hardest cases or work in the most demanding environments, and the harm is not lessened with measures like “added value”, which are borrowed from private industry and inherently difficult to apply to teaching/learning. The plan also encourages cheating, shortcuts, and the worst-possible pedagogy, which is teaching to the test. Conclusion: singling out teachers for this kind of results-based licensure is politically-driven, punitive, and in the end counter-productive.
There’s no question that bad or unqualified teachers should be removed from the classroom. But the process for doing so shouldn’t be based on some (phony) method concocted by private educational foundations and the testing industry.
When will this stupidity stop?!
“school district operational flexibility”
I keep hearing this term from conservative legislators. It associates with flexibility, operating efficienctly under limited resources, etc. My gut says it comes from ALEC and equates to less money for schools. Anyone have some insight here?
No insight other than to follow your gut instinct.
As goes Massachusetts so goes the rest of the nation. This is scary beyond measure and all teachers should make their voices heard.
Shhh…don’t let Governor Cuomo get wind of this…
The intention then is what? To decimate the pool of licensed teachers and replace them with malleable and compliant TFAs. I can’t imagine any person choosing teaching as a profession when, after years of blood, sweat, and tears, and thousands of dollars invested in education and licensing requirements, can, in one fell swoop lose all of it.
Teachers are being culled without restraint. A modern day witch hunt.
That is what I figure. Poor kid of mine is a 2nd year teacher. Maybe next year they will fire her, before she gets to the 4th year and has a shot a tenure. She should look for another profession. Insurance agent perhaps.
The Rhees of the world cannot seriously believe the nonsense that comes out of their mouths. At the bottom of all the think tanks is how to keep money in the 1% family. How to keep the wealthy wealthy. I guess they have not figured out a way to get kids to sign up for Police for America, or Firemen for America, but….the teachers….lets get rid of them, fund jobs for the elite kids of elites, for 2 years while TNTP and TFA rake in the cash, open up those charters for more cash, ka-frigging-ching. Its never the truth they tell; its always some perverted twisted nonsense doublespeak, when what they really mean is…they want schools to be privately owned, for profits, with a constant churn of “their” “teachers” and they seem to be so masterfully disgustingly deviant in their approaches and their goals. If they can’t get rid of tenure with backdoor 11th hour regulations, they come after it with a lawsuit, they come after it in Newark, NJ any way possible, now they are going to make it harder to get a license – I SUPPOSE FOR ANYONE BUT TFA AND TNTP – and make it harder to keep your license once you get it. Wow. What a bunch of scumbags. I don’t know how they live with their own consciences.
Wonderful and inspiring post, Donna!
Your last sentence, however, is the only one I strongly disagree with.
Are you actually assuming these people have consciences?
All of your posts were so informational and interesting to read. I truly believe that school systems could be in their last years of having career educators on staff. I think that states will require school boards to let go of good teachers when value added scores are down. PARCC testing is intended to drastically lower test scores along with the developmentally inappropriate new Common Core curriculum. Local boards will lose control and will be unable to keep their valued and favorite teachers. When I do my linking in the spring, I have to take 100% accountability for the teaching of my students. Last year I had one of my students miss 55 days of school, and I had to take 100% responsibility for the child’s test scores. The child did not pass the state test. I could not help it that the child’s parent did not value education. I tried very hard with that student, but 55 days of school is too many days to miss in a school year.
The toxic environment of our profession is intended to make sure that very few people go into education. With fewer people in our profession, it will be even easier to take everything over. There will be more segregation than ever before.
No young adult will spend $100,000 on a Bachelor’s degree to start out making $33,000 per year. On top of that, with 3 years of low value-added, the beginning teacher will lose their license and have no way to make a livelihood.
I read posts the other evening talking about Christie running for President. Everyone knows that he has been brutal to teachers. Please add Governor John Kasich to that list of governors who hates teachers. I am sure Kasich will eventually be trying to run for President. I still remember how mean Kasich was when Senate Bill 5 did not pass in Ohio. He said that it did not matter, because he was still out to get Ohio teachers – and he would get them. What goes around comes around – John Kasich would be a dictator, not a President.
I understand and agree with 100% of what you wrote.
And I certainly understand, and completely empathize with what teachers are enduring and why that would make you, or anyone else “sad”.
But it’s time to move to The Next Stage, after the grief and sadness and FIGHT BACK!
First Step? Pinpoint the elected officials who caused all of this to happen. Be VERY specific. Call them out publicly, as often as possible, with very SPECIFIC details as to what they’ve done wrong, whether as one of the leaders or drivers for such a reprehensible set of policies or as just a “go along” legislator who really had very little knowledge of what he was voting for.
And do this again and again and again and LOUDLY!
Tell the local media. Tell churches. Tell PTA boards and their members. And if the state PTA doesn’t like what you’re doing, quit the PTA and start a PTO!
Let them know you’re evolving beyond the sad little victim, crying on the playground, hoping that the bullies will somehow suddenly realize that they were wrong and maybe they’ll take pity on you, start to feel some compassion…maybe even apologize and stop doing it?
Oh yeah, right. Sure. And how many times have we witnessed a bully doing something like that?
In reality—whether it’s the mean, maladjusted, playground predator who makes the lives of other kids a living nightmare, or the ambitious, ego-obsessed, megalomaniacal, vicious sociopath for whom “winning” is “all that matters” and who considers avarice the highest of virtues and any type of compassion and humanity a “weakness” in his pursuit of MORE!—bullies couldn’t care LESS about your needs, your life or your feelings.
You’re only there as a “thing” to be used for whatever they might need: money, information, connections, or anything else that they believe will enhance their power, prestige, influence and of course, wealth.
If anything, as many of us know, the fact that the bully has made you cry, or ruined your day, or made you feel worthless, is often, for the bully, just an “added bonus”.
Bullies like to see their victims cower, sob, beg, plead, ask for mercy…as they implore you to JUST STOP!
And if anything, such servile behavior only inspires more contempt from the bully. Some even enjoy it because it feeds some sick, sadistic need.
The ONLY thing that will change ANYTHING is putting FEAR into the hearts of these politicians. Let me know it’s NOT “just the unions”. And let them know more and more are joining us every day. We’ll “one term” them. We’ll run primary election challengers at them who will make the record you’re trying to cover up THE CENTERPIECE of their campaign to oust you!
VOTE OUT THE PRIVATIZERS! VOTE OUT THE PRIVATIZERS! AND FINALLY, VOTE OUT THE PRIVATIZERS!
Let them know that the backlash has begun…and unless they recant, revote and change NOW, they’ll be packing their bags later!
Some things Massachusetts citizens and teachers should know about the “Reclaiming Public Education” forums” and agenda for licensing teachers and principals.
The Keystone Center being engaged to “facilitate” this Massachusetts initiative (or a fee as yet unknown) is a COLORADO based corporate-funded non-profit. It pretends to be a neutral ground for discussions in a public arena. It does not take much research to see there are good reasons to question the “neutrality” of this outfit, to say nothing of the CCSSO’s role in this effort to modify teacher licencing…a major policy initiative from tech companies and on-line profit seekers.
The President and CEO of the Keystone Center in 2013 posted her bio on the website. It shows that she was a cabinet-level political appointee of Colorado Governor John W. Hickenlooper. As his Senior Education Policy Advisor and lead policy negotiator she takes credit for the third grade literacy act READ and for reform for the state personnel system.
Prior to that stint she was Colorado’s House Majority Whip (2008-2010), and sponsor of Governor Ritter’s Colorado’s Achievement Plan for Kids that reforms teacher and principal evaluation systems with student outcome measures counting for 50% of the teacher’s evaluation—she proclaims this is “nationally recognized model legislation”
see http://highered.colorado.gov/Academics/cap4k/summary.pdf “
The Massachusetts Education Agency is outsourcing the functions of democratic governance to an outfit that will offer:
1) “a carefully crafted process that brings together key public, private, and civic sector thought leaders and decision-makers who can forge alliances, make decisions, and influence the trajectory of challenging issues and
2) design and execute public meetings…to gather input, share information, OR educate on policy decisions (do meeting registration, electronic polling, synthesis, and disseminate results). This sounds like a perfect opportunity for stacking the deck with preferred participants and then designing a push poll to create the appearance of a consensus.
There is no obvious reason to trust that these activities are anything other than a sham, a cover for the agenda pre-determined and hustled into existence by the CCSSO an organization for the top administrators of state departments of education who survive by acting on the political whims of their respective Governors.
The CCSSO agenda is more of the same policy strategy we have seen before, but with college and career ready standards now set up to determine if teachers and principals are “learner ready” as they apply for jobs.
This initiative seeks control of teacher education, certification, and licensing, eliminating any hint of academic freedom among faculty in higher education who are engaged in teacher education. The aim is also to silence teachers and limit their freedom of action in making decisions about aims, content, and the rest. Criticism of recent and forthcomin policies must be squelched.
Conform or else—the little-known “else” is that students who might want to enter teacher education programs will not be eligible for scholarships if that program does not comply the CCSSO agenda—and that agenda is matched to USDE’s policies, and to the agenda of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and that of a large chuck of the education industry.
Unfortunately this fast-track program for standardized everything in public education is supported by the following organizations: Bill Gates’ notorious Data Quality Campaign, American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association. Also the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. now in the process of merging and with new accreditation policies designed to meet federal requirements for inclusion of on-line teacher education, certification, and alternative licensing. Add the National Association of State Boards of Education, National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, and State Higher Education Executive Officers. – See the CCSS)’s agenda at http://www.ccsso.org/Resources/Publications/Our_Responsibility_Our_Promise_Transforming_Educator_Preparation_and_Entry_into_the_Profession.html#sthash.0boqt1Ss.dpuf
Now, if that is not enough to raise serious questions, look at who is funding the Keystone Center. and why on earth Massachusetts might want to hire this outfit.
Get our your calculators.
NGO CONRIBUTORS ///
$50,000+///The Nature Conservancy///
$49,999-$25,000///American Chemistry Council///American Farm Bureau Federation///Richard Lounsbery Foundation///
$24,999-$10,000///The Bobolink Foundation///Copper Environmental Foundation///The Cotton Foundation///The Robert N. and Nancy A. Downey///Foundation///DTE Energy Foundation///Environmental Defense Fund///Family and Intercultural Resource Center///The Fertilizer Institute///Florida Municipal Power Agency///Great Lakes Fishery Trust///Illinois Soybean Association///Indiana Soybean Alliance; Indiana Corn///Marketing Council///The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation///Lake County Schools///National Association of Wheat Growers///National Audubon Society, Inc.///National Potato Council///The Summit Foundation///The Wege Foundation///
CORPORATE CONTRIBUTORS
$ 50,000 PLUS ///3M///Alcoa///Altria Group, Inc.///American Electric Power///Amgen///BASF Corporation///Bayer CropScience///Bunge Limited///Cargill Incorporated///CHS, Inc.///Deere & Company///Duke Energy Corporation///DuPont///General Mills Corporation///Monsanto Company///Office Depot///PG&E Corporation///Pioneer///Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc.///United Technologies Corporation///
$25,000 – $49,000///Aetna Inc.///AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals///Bayer Corporation///Chevron Corporation///Climax Molybdenum///The Coca-Cola Company///CPS Energy///The Dow Chemical Company///Dow Corning Corporation///Edison Electric Institute///FedEx///Kellogg Company///Land O’Lakes///Mars Incorporated///OCP Group///Piedmont Natural Gas///Shell Oil Company///Unilever Bestfoods///Walmart///
$10,000 – $24,999///Alabama Power///American Petroleum Institute///American Transmission Company///Anadarko Petroleum Corporation///Carnegie Corporation of New York///CMS Energy///Colgate-Palmolive Company///Cotton Incorporated///CropLife America///CropLife International///Electric Power Supply Association///Enbridge Energy Company, Inc.///EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc.///The Gabriel Company, LLC///Georgia-Pacific Co.///Google///Hewlett-Packard Company///JPMorgan Chase///Navigant Consulting///Nuclear Energy Institute///PepsiCo///PhRMA///Shaw Industries, Inc.///Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP///SNR Denton///Steelcase Inc.///UL Environment Inc.///Vail Resorts Echo///Van Ness Feldman, PC///W.R. Grace & Co.///Weyerhaeuser Company//
/Up to $10,000///Agilent Technologies///AJW Inc.///Alpine Bank///Amway///City Market///Colorado Grand///Columbia Forest Products///Constellation Energy///D.P. Enterprises///Dos Locos Restaurant///FirstBank of Summit County///Goldman Sachs///Haworth///Herman Miller, Inc.///Hogan Lovells///Hyundai Motor Company///Johnson & Johnson///Kinder Morgan///Latham & Watkins///Lockheed Martin Corporation///Mattie B’s LTD///Microsoft Corporation///New Belgium Brewing Company///Parametric Tech Corporation///Patagonia, Inc.///PerkinElmer///SC Johnson///St. Claire Energy, LLC///USA Rice Federation
Please note– the Reclaiming Public Education Forums are Massachusetts Teachers Association organized and led, and designed to develop union solidarity to take action against predatory education reform. Our forums are not the Keystone ‘town halls.’
Thanks for posting Diane!
Tim McFarland
>
I have been thinking about leaving the profession because the lack of time to help kids. I took my son to a jury hearing about DPS not paying the teachers what they should have for training (The union won for 9 million in back pay. DPS will probably appeal) and I am having him read more about the disappearing teacher from DPS before he makes his career decisions. If they wont give me time to teach the kids at least my own will have enough information before we pay the price of a college education. As for me, this article makes me think to throw it all away and go be happy somewhere else. I am sick of the RIBs done in Feb. They actually tell teachers they are not coming back the following year and expect them to hold their head up and work as hard as ever. It is hard being in a building like that. Mostly, teachers act very professional, but the tension rubs off and the kids know it too. This is one more step headed in the wrong direction and I have had enough. I wish you all the best of luck and I will continue to follow and fight for teacher rights. If teachers organize across the nation, I will be front and center.
It will take that kind of action to stop this nonsense.
‘How would you feel about the prospect of losing your license to teach – not just your job – based on your evaluation and/or your students’ test scores?’
Well, how did I feel about the prospect of losing my career, my license my reputation based on absolute slander? I hired an attorney and it cost me 25 THOUSAND DOLLARS
because the UFT looked the other way!
http://www.speakingasateacher.com/SPEAKING_AS_A_TEACHER/No_Constitutional_Rights-_A_hidden_scandal_of_National_Proportion.html
I did not feel very happy, in fact it was traumatic to be charged with incompetence simply because Supt Elaine Fink said so, especially when I was the NYS Educator of Excellence and a cohort for the National Standards for the period she claimed, and my students were at the top of ALL NYC tests.
But in NYC, when Cortines and Crew and Klein were in charge, no one worried about evaluating a teacher out the door.
https://vimeo.com/4199476
Way to Go Massachusetts Teachers Association!