What is the process to remove a DCPS teacher?

[Anonymous]

This year our daughter's teacher was absolutely terrible. Even the principal has admitted that this teacher has been a colossal failure. So how do you get rid of a terrible teacher--with many years in the classroom- in DCPS? Is it difficult to do b/c of the union? I feel awful for the children who may get her next year.

[Anonymous]

The employee has due process. Some may view it as difficult but if the principal did not accurately documented it through evaluations, then it easier to move a teacher than remove a teacher. But IMPACT is to help with the facilitation process of removing ineffective teachers.

[Anonymous]

File a written complaint with the principal. Send it by Email and send a hard copy. CC Kaya henderson. That alone will not get them fired--but it preserves the record for future reference--If you are feeling that strongly about haow bad your experience with the teacher was, you are probably not the only one. If a teacher gets enough complaints, it will give the principal ammunition--the principal just needs a reason. What grade are you talking about? Seems like firings happen more often in ES because the parents are more vocal--but that's changing-- bad and unpopular MS and HS teachers are getting heat too...

[Anonymous]

Why blame the union? Do your part and follow up. Did the teacher have good or bad evaluation, other complaints, etc. They can't go by just your word and administrators need to make the effort to follow the procedures.

[Anonymous]

By the way OP's question is framed, including that senseless comment about the union, I think it's not clear to OP that it has become much easier to let go of an ineffective teacher, no matter how little or many years experience. Thanks in part to union support, the "proper procedure" is indeed now the evaluation process, the dreaded (or lauded whatever your viewpoint may be) IMPACT assessments. The principal is only one source of that process. Independent reviewers are an additional source. They conduct regular observations and assessments. Student progress also factors in, differently depending on grade level. As a parent, yes, you should lay out very clearly and in writing (and you should have done so much earlier) what the problems are. A "this is a terrible teacher" is not specific enough. Detail your complaints in terms of lacking effectiveness. And this is definitely all more credible and provides your principal with more leverage if it's not just you but if others write as well, all in their own words.
If you suspect abuse of whatever kind, or have safety concerns, then that's a separate category; but you'll again want to lay it all out in writing so it can enter appropriate files, for the longer haul if needed because teachers may get passed around.

[Anonymous]

And get other parents of students in the class to file their own complaints up the chain to include the chancellor...be as specific as possible in terms of the teacher's areas of failure not just "what a terrible teacher" but provide specific instances, as many as possible.

[Anonymous]

With just one year of being rated ineffective according to IMPACT, a teacher will be fired.

Since 3 of the 5 ratings are done in-house, by the principal or AP, any truly ineffective teacher would get enough poor ratings to lose her job just with the in-house ratings.

And it's unlikely that the "Master Educators" who do the other ratings would see the teacher as effective if she truly is not.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately master educators do not always see the whole picture. Many really bad teachers can put on a good show for them. One such teacher in our school was finally excessed after years of failure in the classroom. Excessed only because of a reduction in staff that was budget-induced. Students suffered for years and the principal could do nothing about it. Personally if I were in charge, I would have requested that Nathan Saunders spend some time in this teacher's class to see the damage being done to students.

[Anonymous]

Horrible as in conduct or performance? Can this teacher be re-trained or mentored? I am a firm believer that a mediocre teacher can be severly ruined if not properly mentored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately master educators do not always see the whole picture. Many really bad teachers can put on a good show for them. One such teacher in our school was finally excessed after years of failure in the classroom. Excessed only because of a reduction in staff that was budget-induced. Students suffered for years and the principal could do nothing about it. Personally if I were in charge, I would have requested that Nathan Saunders spend some time in this teacher's class to see the damage being done to students.

This input again induces misunderstandings. The term "excessed after years of failure" is no longer applicable. That's the way teachers were passed around until IMPACT was introduced, let me say two (maybe three) years ago. IMPACT, for better and for worse, makes it possible to let go of ineffective teachers on the sole basis of performance and also really swiftly. However, that does not (and should not) mean that because someone finds a teacher "terrible", they're out the door. There are a many seasoned teachers who can do a lot better with a supportive environment, including support from the principal and the parents. And there are many newbies who may become great teachers if given a chance and the right kind of coaching and support. Rapid firings and high turn-over weighs heavily on morale is not something to strive for.

[Anonymous]

Principals could do something, most didn't want to go through the process which was lengthy and cumbersome, but they could have. It is myth that there were all these protected terrible teachers doing nothing and destroying lives. If there is a bad teacher they can be removed; however, principals and other administrators look at a variety of factors before making such a decision that the public is not always aware of. If the teacher remains without support, and does not get better, blame the principal/system not the teacher for reinstating her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This year our daughter's teacher was absolutely terrible. Even the principal has admitted that this teacher has been a colossal failure. So how do you get rid of a terrible teacher--with many years in the classroom- in DCPS? Is it difficult to do b/c of the union? I feel awful for the children who may get her next year.

The principal said this to you? That's ridiculously unprofessional. How long has the principal been managing this teacher? There may be bigger issue than that one teacher.

[Anonymous]

The process is called IMPACT. If the teacher receives an IMPACT score of 150 or less, he or she is immediately fired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately master educators do not always see the whole picture. Many really bad teachers can put on a good show for them. One such teacher in our school was finally excessed after years of failure in the classroom. Excessed only because of a reduction in staff that was budget-induced. Students suffered for years and the principal could do nothing about it. Personally if I were in charge, I would have requested that Nathan Saunders spend some time in this teacher's class to see the damage being done to students.

If the principal is giving the teacher the lowest ratings and the ME is giving highest ratings (an unlikely scenario), the teacher's scores would still add up to minimally effective. If her kids then don't show improvement on the DC-CAS (likely if she's so bad) then her score decreases to ineffective and she's out. Also the principal can rate her down on supporting the school mission - a very arbitrary rating, to bring the overall rating down.

If the kids' scores don't go down, or she's not in a testing grade, one more year of minimally effective ratings and she's out.

It's never been easler to get rid of a teacher. Don't kid yourself that the union or the bureaucracy is standing in the way.

The union pretty much caved and the bureaucracy is doing everything it can to move teachers out

[Anonymous]

This was an unusual situation. This teacher did not have the minimum number of students required to have the scores count in the Impact rating. So this teacher became a Group 2 teacher. Although the students scores were deep in the weeds the teacher was not affected.