Teacher accountability in your state?

My state, Louisiana, has instituted the same kind of bullcrap system. Say whatever you will about any of the various accountability systems out there, they're all 100% bogus and none of them have any validity because in the end, we the teachers are being held accountable for how the kids we teach are raised.

All politicians want is for people to see that they have a 100% pro-education voting record, so they'll vote yes on any idea that claims it will help education, no matter how stupid. And *NO* politician wants to take a stand and say "Hey parents, its your fault". That's career suicide.

Public school is a circus. Get in the ring or get out.

Ah men!!!

I know that some states are making it really easy to get a teaching cert. You basically just need a college degree of some kind and they'll shuttle you in.

It doesn't really matter though; the attrition rate for teachers right now is at 25% percent in 3 years and over 50% after 5 years. That number has been steadily increasing too.

Zero problem with accountability BUT...how do you measure it?

I work in a city school and student growth would be great for me but if I worked in a strong academic district that would be terrible (think of schools that didn't make AYP because they were already 99% in graduation, not much room to go up from that). Test scores for me would be terrible when the majority of my students start off at basic to below basic levels in math and reading but would be great for the academic district.

Want to observe? Observe away, but don't mark me down because you had a different teaching style or 1 kid out of 34 isn't doing the work or, gasp, I had to repeat directions to that class of 34 which meant I wasn't communicating effectively.

Teachers do need to be held accountable and I firmly believe that most of the teachers would do well because I, naively perhaps, believe that most teachers are there for the right reasons.

Fact of the matter gents is that we are in an anti or at minimal very critical of public education time hence all the vouchers and charters and Teach For America or Teaching Fellows or alternative license programs that only apply to those who did not get a teaching degree. I have to believe in what coachcb says that there will eventually be a saturation point and things will swing the other way for my own sanity, just don't see it any time soon.

And as a side note, working in city schools in the south with all these alternate programs has become akin to the peace corps, I have been here 5 years and have seen a revolving door of teachers who have got in "to try something different" "give back" "because they couldn't find anything" or "to do something while they decide what they want to do with the rest of their lives." I have seen some good teachers come through these programs and a limited few that have stuck it out and are great for our students but I have also seen music majors thrown in Biology classes, psychology majors put in Math, and an art major teaching Chemistry...no way that is best for our students. But, once again like cb, I'll just keep plugging away and doing what I think I do best with the kids.

Testing should be used as diagnostic tool, not as a performance evaluator. As it is now testing is being used by politicians to prove that we can teach to a test. That's all that we are doing. In Texas we now have End of Course testing being phased in. If a kid doesn't pass the EOC he may not get credit. The politicians are still making the rules. As teachers we don't know what material is on the test, or what we should teach.

Simply way to address the entire situation. Those students that want to go to college put them on a 4X4 plan where they take 4 years of core classes. Those that want to pursue a technical degree or be certified to work, i.e. plumber, welder, electrician; have them take a minimum number of courses then their tech classes. They then would be able to graduate with a certification and join the workforce right out of HS.

Performance based pay is a load...

Any manager at any level knows that the best motivator to getting your workers to do their job correctly is the threat of being fired. We as teachers cannot fire our students. For that matter, I can't remember ever having an interview session to "hire" my students. Why the heck should my pay be based upon how my students perform if there isn't any substantial recourse for THEIR failure?!?!........

Just found out today there is going to be a 'parent trigger' bill introduced in the state congress.

If 51% of parents in a district sign a petition they can get an administrator, teacher, coach, etc. removed from the school.

I need 1.54 years to retire. Hopefully at the end of this year my district will offer early retirement incentives of 1 year as they have in the past and I will be able to cash out at the end of this year! I can only hope and pray that is the way it plays out.

I have never been so disgusted to be a teacher as I am these past few years. The changes are going to cause most teachers to bail and the schools will be next. Look for online high school to take over.

Honestly, "teacher accountability" is a crock that's about more about politics, lucrative testing/charter school contracts, and union busting than actually helping kids.

The movement right now is to transform teaching from a lifelong profession into a service industry or public service program akin to the peace corp: young college grads go in to make a modest loving for a few years while they figure out what they really want to do. When their scores aren't up to par after a few years, you dump them and replace them with another, cheaper college grad who can pass the required exams. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

Tennessee has a pretty lame series of "accountability" measures they started past year as part of Race to the Top. Teachers are evaluated based off 3-6 observations a year, expected student progress (if your students improve, but not as much as the state says they should, you fail) and a nebulous 15% of data based off the overall school. Teachers who don't have End of Course exams in their subjects get graded based on the school's overall performance. So if you're a great social studies, music, or PE teacher at a "bad" school, you're considered incompetent by association.

Sent from my Desire HD using proboards

You mean "dissenting". As a former teacher I'm sensitive about mistakes like that.

I hate to say it but the U.S. was far from #1 in math and science in the 50s and 60s. We didn't make scientists, we imported them. If you watch an old movie, the stereotypical '60s scientist had an accent. Earlier in my career I taught with older teachers who had never taken a math class.

So true. Unfortunately every yahoo that get into office (president) has his own policies on what the school system should do. Instead of leaving it to people who are in the trenches everyday. Or the presidents wife needs a project so she picks education. I'm wondering how long this common core thing will last. Speaking of that I'm a middle school science teacher who is supposed to be implementing common core now and they don't even have the frameworks for it done. And won't until 2014!!! If that isn't proof that politicians are complete phuking idiots nothing will!!!! We need a governing body made of veteran teachers that know what the problems are. And it should be TEACHERS not administrators.

This is what I am coming to. It is about to the point of driving me away from this profession.

Low-pay, ridiculous state policy, being sh!t on by the public at large, redundant paperwork, loser parents, apathetic students, etc., etc., etc.

That side is starting to outweigh the coaching side of the scale.

Not a teacher but what if Education were to privatized and the Governing Agencies were gone?

Better....worse? Impossible?

42% of my property taxes goes directly to education and they are about $40M in the red right now. I am an Architect and have to deal with the Government at times. They are inept. Cant even imagine THEM having full control over ME.

Just curious and I hope their is a solution. You all are the fiber that holds our society together. More than one teacher has had an impact on me personally down the line. I will never forget them.