History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
New York City plan to grade teachers with 'value-added' data is destructive
- 10-25-2010
-
Opinion by Diane Ravitch/Queens Teacher
Diane Ravitch is author of "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education."
The New York City Department of Education is rating every teacher in grades four through eight based on their students' reading and math performance gains. Claiming it has no choice under Freedom of Information Laws, it now wants to release the ratings - with the teachers' names attached - to the press. A court will decide the question next month. On the surface, this may sound like a good idea. If students make great gains on tests between one year and the next, doesn't that prove that their teacher is effective? If their scores stagnate or decline, isn't it the teachers' fault? Unfortunately, these assumptions are wrong. Many studies have been carried out to see if "value-added" methodology identifies effective teachers. Based on my close reading, nearly all concur that the methodology is both inaccurate and unstable. (more…)
Send this
Print this
