Two of the most controversial issues in public education - Common Core State Standards and the Value Added Model of teacher evaluation – will be on the table when the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education holds committee meetings on Tuesday, October 15.
Concerns to be expressed about Common Core State Standards
With the full implementation of Common Core State Standards and the tests that come with them looming, BESE’s Academic Goals Committee will ask for a status report on implementation of the new standards.
Included in the agenda item by BESE Member Lottie Beebe are “the technology requirements of school systems and the implications of halting the transition to Common Core State Standards.”
At a Baton Rouge Press Club meeting earlier this week, Louisiana School Boards Association Executive Director Scott Richard questioned whether Louisiana schools are prepared for the technological requirements of Common Core testing.
Students will be required to take every portion of the tests online, including all computations and “scratch work.” Richard told the press club that many schools lack enough computers for the tests. Others, he said, do not even have enough electrical outlets to handle the testing load.
Sharing Richard’s concerns, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers has listed several objections to the way Louisiana is implementing Common Core State Standards:
- LFT believes the Department of Education and BESE have done a very poor job of preparing our teachers for Common Core standards.
- LFT believes that the state has shirked its responsibility to prepare local school systems for Common Core standards
- LFT believes the state is setting children and schools up for failure by imposing rigorous new standards too quickly.
- LFT is concerned about the role played by corporate interests in the development and implementation of Common Core standards and testing.
The committee is slated to begin its meeting at 2:30 P.M. on Tuesday. However, rules allow it to begin up to one-half hour earlier than scheduled. It may also begin later than scheduled if earlier meetings run over their time limit.
Credibility of VAM may be explored
Ever since the legislature subjected many Louisiana teachers to an evaluation scheme called the Value Added Model, questions have been raised as to the validity of the method. A full airing of the Value Added controversy could begin at a Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting on Tuesday, October 15.
Three items on BESE’s Educator Effectiveness Committee will consider different aspects of VAM, which is used in the evaluation of teachers in graded, tested subjects. About one-third of the teachers in the state are in that category.
The board will consider forming a committee of statisticians to probe the complex mathematical formula that underlies the VAM and determine if it really is an accurate, appropriate and fair evaluation instrument.
Some experts say that the model, which was originally created to enhance the profitability of sweet potato farms, is inappropriate in an education setting, and that it can have a margin of error approaching 30 percent.
Supporters claim that by crunching enough numbers associated with standardized tests, predictions can be made about students’ expected academic growth and the effectiveness of teachers in reaching goals.
The committee will also discuss Superintendent of Education John White’s authority to waive VAM scores for certain teachers.
A number of teachers, especially those who teach high-achieving students, say they received low VAM scores because the goals set by the formula are unrealistic. It is much more difficult to raise scores for a student who is already achieving at t top level, they argue. In some schools, teachers whose students made excellent grades and scored highly on achievement tests were judged “ineffective” because their students did not meet their VAM expectations.
Superintendent White reportedly granted waivers of the VAM scores for a number of teachers. Whether or not the evaluation law allows such waivers will be the subject of discussion.
A third –VAM-related issue on the committee agenda will consider the training offered “to provide a detailed explanation of the Value-Added Model (VAM) formula and sample computations, as a means to provide stakeholders with a better understanding of VAM results.”
The committee is slated to begin its meeting at 1:00 P.M. on Tuesday. However, rules allow it to begin up to one-half hour earlier than scheduled. It may also begin later than scheduled if earlier meetings run over their time limit.