The Value Added model used for calculating teacher performance (or lack thereof) is a complete farce.
Its just a tool used to put teachers on the defensive; for the right, and their right-wing publications, to use in their war against the common good for the sake of the exceptional dollar. Without even going into debunking pseudo statistical science that that sprung up to support the assertions, that Value Added is the missing link in the broken education supply chain, I can simply point to the lack of interest in using this model to effectively evaluate Virtual Charter schools and non-public schools receiving public funds. These entities receive public funding in the form of “vouchers” or “scholarships,” as proponents like to frame their benevolent actions. Anyone with an ounce of sense would see they are just “kickbacks” for past, present, and future support.
Elections aint getting any cheaper, y’all.
The rush to testing anything and everyone may have been well intentioned at one time, but it has long since been perverted into a tool to dismantle unions rather than a measure of student achievement. These tests could have been used to frame the discussion around addressing student deficiencies and providing professional development to teachers to address these student centric issues, but we’re not there, are we?
The proponents of incessant testing say they are “concerned” about the students. . . not the adults. . . but they lead all their discussions these days about the adults.
- About destroying teachers unions
- About ending tenure
- About giving students choices out of their failing “schools” (no mention of failing students)
- About weeding out those “bad” teachers (Once we get those bastards gone our scores will skyrocket, right?)
Why isn’t anyone spending any money on finding ways to reach “students” who are lacking necessary skills?
Why aren’t we addressing any student deficiencies???
Because that’s not the point.
Fixing the problems with the system we already have doesn’t put any more money in a charter school operators pocket, or pay any of Rupert Murdoch’s legal bills over his corporation’s hacking of murdered school girls’ voice mails. Fixing students and the system we have doesn’t support the Republican agenda of destroying the middle class in the guise of saving it.
Breaking up unions and kicking teachers out on the street sure helps out that cause though!
Stealing pensions from people near retirement, and laying off as many middle class state workers as you can, and then using that money to buy big private contracts with campaign contributors helps a little more!
And if you can do all that and pass an Ethics Reform bill under the banner of openness which lets you negotiate all these things away from prying public eyes?
You can’t get a better deal than that anywhere but Louisiana, folks.
Crazy Crawfish 