-
Reaction Roundup: Teacher Evaluation Agreement*
What’s next for the much-discussed teacher evaluation deal that was ratified by classroom teachers earlier this month? The agreement is being complimented by some groups and criticized by others. The issue of how much weight LAUSD will propose giving student test scores — left unspecified in the agreement — is emerging as a major concern...
By Samantha Oltman | January 25, 2013
-
Union Warns Against Rejecting Teacher Evaluation Deal
Today is the last day for LA teachers union members to submit their votes to support or reject the teacher evaluation agreement that has been hashed out between UTLA leadership and LAUSD. In the January 15 edition of its weekly newsletter, UTLA urges its members, in so many words, to support the tentative agreement, warning teachers...
By Samantha Oltman | January 17, 2013
-
Study: Test Scores Help ID Good Teachers
A study released Tuesday by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation showed that the controversial method of measuring teachers’ effectiveness with students’ test scores can be useful, but only when balanced with other factors, such as student feedback and classroom observation. Teachers unions, including UTLA, have long insisted that grading teachers based on their student...
By Samantha Oltman | January 9, 2013
-
Voices Urge “No” Vote On Evaluation
Former School Board candidate John Fernandez is among a handful of voices urging to teachers to vote against the tentative agreement struck between UTLA and LAUSD regarding teacher evaluations earlier this year. “The big problem is the district and the union have not figured out how much weight they will count for,” said Fernandez, who...
By Hillel Aron | December 20, 2012