More than 200 D.C. teachers fired

[Anonymous]

DCPS fetishes test scores - 50% of a teacher's IMPACT scores are based on students' DC-CAS test scores, for teachers in a testing grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God forbid you get a yearly review.......

Like or hate IMPACT it is the system. When the vast majority of the teachers do fine under it then it can't be all bad. Good riddance to the poor performers. Worst you get a new teacher who actually wants to teach rather than a teacher who you KNOW can't teach.

a majority getting a passing score doesn't mean it's a good system that actually enhances teaching.

If quality teaching is so important, you'd think DCPS would only hire proven teachers to replace those who were fired. there's no indication that is happening.

[Anonymous]

I don't mean to get political, but one of the main reasons why people voted against Fenty was due to Rhee firing a bunch of teachers before the elections. Yet, the new administration is doing the exact same thing! Now what are the Gray supporters going to say!!!??????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More info available at http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/About+DCPS/Press+Releases+and+Announcements/Press+Releases/DCPS+Continues+to+Strengthen+Workforce

I can't open the 2010-2011 Impact Results attached in this link. Has anyone else been able to do so?

[Anonymous]

Um, not really a Gray supporter so much as I wanted Rhee out. Kaya is a larger version of Rhee and Gray is a crooked old fool, so he kinda already lost me.

He also lost my kids' DC CAS scores and the countless fricken hours I volunteered in their school.

I don't get the impression that he's shedding any tears, KWIM?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you find out and your child was under that teacher's tutelage, what is your recourse?

I suppose there no recourse - just as there is none when teachers resign or retire.

If you really like the teacher and thought he/she was really good, I suppose you could say something nice about them, but what else?

I am too lost because it just seems so disingenious, to have a group of children promoted to the next grade with everyone full knowing amongst the school's teacher corps that those children were previously under a failing teacher.

Does

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you find out and your child was under that teacher's tutelage, what is your recourse?

I suppose there no recourse - just as there is none when teachers resign or retire.

If you really like the teacher and thought he/she was really good, I suppose you could say something nice about them, but what else?

I am too lost because it just seems so disingenious, to have a group of children promoted to the next grade with everyone full knowing amongst the school's teacher corps that those children were previously under a failing teacher.

Does

Don't be so sure that everyone knows the teacher was failing and that the kids were short changed. You're assuming IMPACT is failsafe and that a low IMPACT score means a bad education for the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you find out and your child was under that teacher's tutelage, what is your recourse?

I suppose there no recourse - just as there is none when teachers resign or retire.

If you really like the teacher and thought he/she was really good, I suppose you could say something nice about them, but what else?

I am too lost because it just seems so disingenious, to have a group of children promoted to the next grade with everyone full knowing amongst the school's teacher corps that those children were previously under a failing teacher.

Does

Don't be so sure that everyone knows the teacher was failing and that the kids were short changed. You're assuming IMPACT is failsafe and that a low IMPACT score means a bad education for the kids.

Problem is you are assuming the old system was good for kids. Frankly, I can see a lot of flaws in IMPACT, but I also know that the old system was as flawed or worse.

[Anonymous]

UPDATE 4:05 p.m. This item has been updated to reflect a new count of the total number of teachers fired for poor ratings--206, not 227. Also, the tally of teachers fired in 2010 for poor ratings is now given as 75, not 126.


____________________

Your scores have to be really bad in order to fail, and if your teaching scores were high, the performance scores on your kids tests can bear the weight of pull you down to average/below average.

Fact is, kids are not learning what they need to nor are being pushed to consistently throughout the district. 50% teacher and 25% family, 25% kid.

If these teachers were performing that low, they should go. That is what happens in the rest of the private sector world, but more often you do not get 5 observations, any rescourse, or tests results - just one person that likes what you do or not... determines your job

[Anonymous]

Any intel on what principals are coming back or not next year?

[Anonymous]

I do not understand why people are upset that poor performing teachers were fired. Granted I have only taught at the college level but part of my employment review was my student evaluations. This wasnt even quantative data, like test scores, but qualatative data, how they felt about me as a teacher. Why shouldn't test scores be part of their review? We all have employment reviews, why should they be immuned? Hell, it sounds like they are changing test scores anyway.

What's the beef with TFA, too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is great news. Do I relish seeing individual teachers lose their jobs? No. But frankly the education of our kids should take priority.

My guess is that after the next few years, you're going to see much less turnover as the teacher corps is professionalized. As it becomes clear to the majority of teachers that they have nothing to fear from IMPACT (and may even stand to gain with bonuses) I think the controversy will be gone in a year or two.

You're an uninformed idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is great news. Do I relish seeing individual teachers lose their jobs? No. But frankly the education of our kids should take priority.

My guess is that after the next few years, you're going to see much less turnover as the teacher corps is professionalized. As it becomes clear to the majority of teachers that they have nothing to fear from IMPACT (and may even stand to gain with bonuses) I think the controversy will be gone in a year or two.

You're an uninformed idiot.

Now there's a compelling response.

[Anonymous]

I would be interested to know the geographic distribution of the dismissed teachers. While I'm in favor of teacher evaluation and assessment, since such a significant percentage of the IMPACT assessment is test scores, teachers WOTR have a lot more wiggle room that teachers EOTR. I don't know if the data will bear this out, but it may be that IMPACT penalizes teachers for the socio-economic status of their students. I'm not sure that does anyone any good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you find out and your child was under that teacher's tutelage, what is your recourse?

I suppose there no recourse - just as there is none when teachers resign or retire.

If you really like the teacher and thought he/she was really good, I suppose you could say something nice about them, but what else?

I am too lost because it just seems so disingenious, to have a group of children promoted to the next grade with everyone full knowing amongst the school's teacher corps that those children were previously under a failing teacher.

Does

Don't be so sure that everyone knows the teacher was failing and that the kids were short changed. You're assuming IMPACT is failsafe and that a low IMPACT score means a bad education for the kids.

Problem is you are assuming the old system was good for kids. Frankly, I can see a lot of flaws in IMPACT, but I also know that the old system was as flawed or worse.

I'm cautious about the new system and have not opined on the old system. I don't know if the old way hurt kids or not, but there's no evidence that the new system is helping kids.

All we know for sure is that teachers are being fired and that achievement has declined and the achievement gap has widened.