Are principals or teachers on PIPs for poor performance on MD report card?

[Anonymous]

Curious if there are repercussions at schools like QO and Rachel Carson with low performance but predominantly not disadvantaged student population. QO scored the same as Rockville HS and Northwest which both have far more challenges.

[Anonymous]

You’ll never know. That’s confidential HR info. But principals rarely get fired—somewhat more commonly they’ll get demoted to the last position where they were successful, but even that’s exceedingly rare. I know of low performing principals who stay on in their positions year after year. Some even look to get promoted! I don’t even know if they’re being monitored or are aware of their reputation among directors in central. I don’t think they get a ton of direct, constructive feedback. I’d like more transparency on that front for sure. I think sometimes people actually fail up! In the recent re-.org, at least one subpar principal was put back in a school. (I work in the county.)

[Anonymous]

Teacher here. We were told that the student population didn’t matter one bit. A Title 1 school with 95% FARMS is supposed to perform just as well as one with 0% FARMS. That’s completely ridiculous but oh well.

[Anonymous]

Are you supposed to suddenly achieve the same or make the same incremental improvement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you supposed to suddenly achieve the same or make the same incremental improvement?

Achieve the same. We’re told we have low expectations if we dare to point out the very real elephant in the room. The kids aren’t understood or treated as humans by admin and central office (yet on the flip side we’re supposed to recognize and treat their trauma as a full time job without any real training while also managing behavior and actually instructing content as a full time job), only data points, which should be easy to manipulate if we only care enough or work hard enough. We just must not care enough or work hard enough for our students which is why their scores aren’t the same as Burning Tree’s —title 1 teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you supposed to suddenly achieve the same or make the same incremental improvement?

Achieve the same. We’re told we have low expectations if we dare to point out the very real elephant in the room. The kids aren’t understood or treated as humans by admin and central office (yet on the flip side we’re supposed to recognize and treat their trauma as a full time job without any real training while also managing behavior and actually instructing content as a full time job), only data points, which should be easy to manipulate if we only care enough or work hard enough. We just must not care enough or work hard enough for our students which is why their scores aren’t the same as Burning Tree’s —title 1 teacher

21:42 here. This is what we have been told. Apparently we aren't working hard enough. During our too frequent data meetings, we discuss particular students and every single one of the students not making enough progress has a reason why they aren't making enough progress. For example, serious attendance issues, probable special education needs and behavior issues. If we bring these up, we are told that we are making excuses. How can you teach a student who is rarely in school? What about one who is a frequent flier to the office for hurting students and teachers? How about a student who is eventually tested and found to have a borderline IQ? These students are not going to make the type of progress they are expected to make but the teachers are blamed for not doing enough for them. Nobody cares about the 95% of students who do make progress like the student who came in not speaking any English who was scared and crying all of the time who now can have a conversation with you and draws pictures about how much she loves school and her teachers.

[Anonymous]

Schools and teachers should be asssessed for improvement. The metrics aren’t fair. Similarly, instead of “closing the gap,” the goal should be to get everyone learning to their potential. Who came up with these rules?! I’m sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools and teachers should be asssessed for improvement. The metrics aren’t fair. Similarly, instead of “closing the gap,” the goal should be to get everyone learning to their potential. Who came up with these rules?! I’m sorry.

Admin and central office don’t care about progress. Proficiency is the only thing that counts. Who cares if a kid is homeless and living in a shelter? They should still meet benchmark on MAP R even though they barely slept last night. New to the US and English? They’ve been here for 6 months—why haven’t you gotten their MAP M score up to proficiency by now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you supposed to suddenly achieve the same or make the same incremental improvement?

Achieve the same. We’re told we have low expectations if we dare to point out the very real elephant in the room. The kids aren’t understood or treated as humans by admin and central office (yet on the flip side we’re supposed to recognize and treat their trauma as a full time job without any real training while also managing behavior and actually instructing content as a full time job), only data points, which should be easy to manipulate if we only care enough or work hard enough. We just must not care enough or work hard enough for our students which is why their scores aren’t the same as Burning Tree’s —title 1 teacher

21:42 here. This is what we have been told. Apparently we aren't working hard enough. During our too frequent data meetings, we discuss particular students and every single one of the students not making enough progress has a reason why they aren't making enough progress. For example, serious attendance issues, probable special education needs and behavior issues. If we bring these up, we are told that we are making excuses. How can you teach a student who is rarely in school? What about one who is a frequent flier to the office for hurting students and teachers? How about a student who is eventually tested and found to have a borderline IQ? These students are not going to make the type of progress they are expected to make but the teachers are blamed for not doing enough for them. Nobody cares about the 95% of students who do make progress like the student who came in not speaking any English who was scared and crying all of the time who now can have a conversation with you and draws pictures about how much she loves school and her teachers.

What did your schools score on the MD report card? If a Title 1 school is a 4, I imagine the admin being satisfied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you supposed to suddenly achieve the same or make the same incremental improvement?

Achieve the same. We’re told we have low expectations if we dare to point out the very real elephant in the room. The kids aren’t understood or treated as humans by admin and central office (yet on the flip side we’re supposed to recognize and treat their trauma as a full time job without any real training while also managing behavior and actually instructing content as a full time job), only data points, which should be easy to manipulate if we only care enough or work hard enough. We just must not care enough or work hard enough for our students which is why their scores aren’t the same as Burning Tree’s —title 1 teacher

21:42 here. This is what we have been told. Apparently we aren't working hard enough. During our too frequent data meetings, we discuss particular students and every single one of the students not making enough progress has a reason why they aren't making enough progress. For example, serious attendance issues, probable special education needs and behavior issues. If we bring these up, we are told that we are making excuses. How can you teach a student who is rarely in school? What about one who is a frequent flier to the office for hurting students and teachers? How about a student who is eventually tested and found to have a borderline IQ? These students are not going to make the type of progress they are expected to make but the teachers are blamed for not doing enough for them. Nobody cares about the 95% of students who do make progress like the student who came in not speaking any English who was scared and crying all of the time who now can have a conversation with you and draws pictures about how much she loves school and her teachers.

What did your schools score on the MD report card? If a Title 1 school is a 4, I imagine the admin being satisfied.

I’m at a focus school with a similar attitude from admin and we scored a 4. We haven’t actually heard anything from admin about that score. They focus mainly on the MAP scores since that’s what their bosses track. We have a CES, so those scores help us a lot however the flip side is that we don’t have title 1 status and the resources that come with that because it skews our FARMS percentage. The data for things like PARCC doesn’t get disaggregated.

[Anonymous]

21:42- Our school scored 3 out of 5 stars. Our principal keeps reminding us that we were barely a 3. Not bad when you are in the 85-95% FARMS rate and have more than 200 ESOL students. She is on the warpath now though. Our chronic absences were a huge reason we were this low. We actually have a FT person to deal with these absences but you cannot force people to send their kids to school. I have had students miss nearly 50 days of school every year and still nothing ever happens to them.