Daily Journal - 4-tier rating system proposed for Colo. teachers; half of score would be based on test results

Daily Journal - 4-tier rating system proposed for Colo. teachers; half of score would be based on test results

I get why it is easy to use a standardized test in an evaluation system. But as a teacher who gets moved to a new grade level every year, it is difficult to master the new content while preparing students for a test - I should be preparing them for the next grade!

There are so many reasons why standardized student tests cannot be a reliable measurement of teacher effectiveness.
From PSEA: Some advocates of teacher evaluation reform suggest that student test scores are an appropriate measure of teacher quality. While contrary to a common perception, it’s essential to recognize that student performance and teacher performance are not the
same thing. The fact that client outcomes and professional practice are related only indirectly has been accepted in other professions: patients’ health outcomes may not reflect a doctor’s performance; nor can the size of a tax rebate say much about the quality of an accountant. Suggesting that one person’s job performance and another person’s outcome are directly related shortchanges both.

Using student outcomes to measure teacher practice is problematic for several reasons:
1) it assumes that the teacher controls all student behaviors that impact achievement, such as attendance, studying, eating well, sleeping well, and not abusing drugs or alcohol;
2) since the focus is on student, rather than teacher performance, it provides no clear information about ways teachers can improve their practice;
3) student outcomes may identify teachers who generate a particular test score, but they cannot be used to develop higher levels of effectiveness among all teachers.