Anonymous wrote:And teachers may balk at using their planning time to help.

Understandably. In middle school, one "planning period" a day is actually used for team meetings. That leaves one period a day to plan for the next day, email parents, grade and post grades, update Edline with handouts and important dates, make photocopies, fill out EMT, IEP, and 504 plan forms, document emotional or behavioral concerns, etc.

And teachers may balk at using their planning time to help.

Anonymous wrote:They probably don't have staffing for it.

Well, RTs do have to teach 4 classes of their own.

They probably don't have staffing for it.

Anonymous wrote:Op how did he say he will accomplish that? Try to talk the teacher into leaving? What are they promising in the classroom in the interim?

OP here. The folks I have spoken to have been understandably vague about what they are doing to get the teacher out of the classroom, but have used enough code words that I believe a removal process is underway and that they are going to try to make it happen as soon as possible.

As for what they will do in the mean time, I am getting very little in the way of specifics on that. My child reports that a resource teacher has been in the room recently, and covered a lot of ground that the regular teacher was unable to, but that's not every day and not for every period of the day. That's where I'm continuing to push the principal and I encourage others to do so as well.

Anonymous wrote:Where is the form?

I like the ones on this site:
http://tntp.org/teacher-talent-toolbox/view/observation-and-feedback

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/departments/personnel/pgs/0395%2012_Teacher_PGS%20Handbook_2012-13.pdf

Full description of the PAR process including sample scenarios.

Thank you for the link!

Where is the form?

Anonymous wrote:On the other thread someone mentioned getting a group to observe the teacher and take notes on Columbus Day--does anyone else plan to do that?

If you go, try to use a standard form for teacher observation. Google one. What parents find off or lacking may not bother a professional as much as what a teacher evaluation form is mean to observe.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/departments/personnel/pgs/0395%2012_Teacher_PGS%20Handbook_2012-13.pdf

Full description of the PAR process including sample scenarios.

Anonymous wrote:On the other thread someone mentioned getting a group to observe the teacher and take notes on Columbus Day--does anyone else plan to do that?

Oooh … DCUM crossing over into face-to-face … interesting.

On the other thread someone mentioned getting a group to observe the teacher and take notes on Columbus Day--does anyone else plan to do that?

Anonymous wrote:When do they next need to know the topic matter in high school? Is it a building block for some future course?

11th Grade Modern World History picks up where 7th Grade World Studies left off. Back to the Principles and the Five Forces of Change. I know. I know. Why does anyone expect a 16 year old to remember what they learned when they were twelve?

I've taught both courses. Week 1 of MWH A, I used to do review.

When do they next need to know the topic matter in high school? Is it a building block for some future course?

Anonymous wrote:What happens if they bomb interims?

Interims are grade reports. It can indicate a likelihood of passing or failing if it truly represents 50% of the points possible in a marking period.