AJC: Teacher Evaluations

The AJC just published an article about Georgia's teacher evaluations.

First, I hate AJC's new format. The comments are placed in alphabetical (by commenter) order so you cannot follow the conversation.

Let's see. I am going to be judged in large part by how well my students do. The longer I teach I find a larger and larger group who refuses to do any work and then are appalled that they fail the test. And what am I (the teacher) going to do to fix it? That is the cry from the administration, the parents, the students, the district, the state, the federal government.

Add to that, that this year all of my classes will take the Georgia Milestones (the new name for the new test measuring the new math course for the new teacher evaluation). That would be the Georgia Milestones that will measure the student growth on which I am to be evaluated. The same Georgia Milestones that do not count for students this year because they will not be scored in time.

And of course, since they will not count for the students, the students will put forth their best effort on the test.

Wait, if they won't come back in time for the students, how will they come back in time for the teachers?

Keep them engaged - unless I can figure out how to do all my teaching in 144 character segments via twitter, I have no idea.

I teach the shrinking minority who want to learn and encourage the others to go take online classes. I mean, if you can finish all the parts of a year long course in 2 weeks, you obviously have gotten the same thing out of it that you would in a year-long course, meeting every day, and doing the course work as required.