Teachers shouldn't be judged by test scores alone

03-14-2011

Opinion by David A. Sanchez/San Francisco Chronicle

David A. Sanchez is the president of the California Teachers Association, which represents 325,000 educators in California public schools.

There are those who think the best way to determine teacher effectiveness is by looking only at students' test scores. The simplicity of this approach can be seductive, but it is inherently flawed. This approach only makes sense if you assume all children come to school with the same abilities, have the same educational resources and opportunities and return home to the same support systems. As a kindergarten teacher for more than 30 years, I can confirm what you already know to be true: Every child is different. The fact of the matter is student achievement and teacher effectiveness aren't simple to measure, and the results of one test are not going to offer a complete assessment of either. Many different measures must be used in order to determine true effectiveness. (more...)

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Teachers shouldn't be judged by test scores alone

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