Vast majority of NJ voters do not support using standardized test scores to evaluate teachers. Weve known this for a while. What stories like this fail to point out is the concern parents have about standardized testing on their students education and general well being. This article says most residents sympathize with teachers on the issue of evaluation reform. While this is true, the missing part of the story is the effect on students of longer, harder, more expensive tests. And the Commissioners comments at the very end of this article are not encouraging. He seems to think if he just slows it down for a year or two, he can ramp it back up with little push back. We beg to differ. In a poll released this week by Fairleigh Dickinson University, 74 percent of voters opposed the current education evaluation system, which punishes teachers based on their students’ performance on standardized tests. This shows that most residents sympathize with teachers on the issue of evaluation reform. The main arguments against the system is that it ignores other crucial factors in a classroom setting such as economic background, size and the dynamics of the student population. The same survey also revealed that 42 percent of voters feel that there should be incentives or rewards for positive student performances, while 20 percent still agree with the current system, according to northjersey. Gov. Chris Christie revealed earlier this month that as a result of opposition of the evaluation the test scores would have less weight in evaluations. According to northjersey, Mark Biedron, president of the state Board of Education said, “I think the Board of Education and the community in general supports [evaluations],” he said. “The question is what system do you use and how much of it and frankly how much do you weigh on tests?” According to the State of New Jersey Department of Education, currently the 2014-15 Evaluation Component Weight Changes consist of 10 percent Median Student Growth Percentile, 20 percent Student Growth Objectives and 70 percent Teacher Practice. These numbers cover up to 20 percent of classroom teachers across New Jersey, and are for teachers of grades four to eight in Language Arts and Math. Other teachers are evaluated 20 percent by Student Growth Objectives and 80 percent for Teacher Practice. The website reveals that changes are pending “as the result of conversations with teachers, administrators, and other education stakeholders.” According to northjersey, teachers feel that they have had to alter standards in their classrooms to accommodate what the standardized testing asks of students. The changes will not hold teachers less accountable, however. “I don’t think anything can be hard or fast or set in stone. There are some in the education community who think it’s a real metric that can be used, others that think it’s a false metric,” Sen. Kevin O’Toole said according to northjersey. According to Christie’s spokesman, Michael Drewniak, the changes “should in no way be interpreted as backing off our desire to improve teacher accountability and instruction.” They are a response to appeals from teachers, unions, parents and lawmakers, according to northjersey. Education Commissioner Davis Hespe said, “We are going forward as planned,” he said, according to northjersey. “It’s just that we’re going to use it as a lesser extent until everyone is comfortable with how it rolls forward.” newjerseynewsroom/state/74-percent-of-new-jersey-voters-oppose-using-student-testing-to-evaluate-teachers
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 12:44:10 +0000
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