MORE Weekly Update #70: Are you coming out for Win Back Wednesday?

You should be getting the idea of why you should drag your ass over the 52 Broadway this Weds (Oct 9) for the 4PM "Win Back Wednesday" rally. Certainly if you read my earlier piece on what is going on in Newark where the pressure of an insurgent social justice oriented caucus has led to the Unity style leader, who only won re-election by 9 votes, to take a position against RTTT. And you should sign up to distribute the MORE newsletter in your mail boxes. We ran out of our first run and 5000 more are being printed. My goal this year: To have 25,000 MORE Stuff in Your Mailbox going out to - well - UFT member mail boxes.

And it you are a chapter leader or delegate there is no excuse not to be in the dynamic MORE Chapter Leader (discussion for chapter activists) CL/Del listserve where you can get expert help on contract items and other issues in your school.


Time to stop the test-based evaluation system!

View this email in your browser

Weekly Update #70

October 7, 2013

Join MORE Today Make Sure You Are On Our Listserves! Click below to join:  News (announcements/articles) Discussion (debate/back-and-forth) Chapter Leader (discussion for chapter activists) Day of Action Against Test-Based Evaluations Wednesday, October 9th Outside DA @ UFT HQ 52 B'way - 4pm-6pm City-wide at schools FALL GENERAL MEETINGS 3rd Saturday - Noon to 3:00pm October 19 224 West 29th St 14th fl. (btwn 7th and 8th ave) November 16th Location TBA COMMITTEES: Contract Committee contract@morecaucusnyc.org Wed. Oct 9th at 6:15pm Au Bon Pain - 60 Broad St. Meeting Minutes here Steering Committee steering@morecaucusnyc.org TODAY Mon. Oct. 7th at 8pm Phone Conference - reply for details Mon. Oct. 21th at 5PM CUNY Grad Center, Rm. 5409 Meeting minutes here Newsletter Committee news@morecaucusnyc.org Membership Committee membership@morecaucusnyc.org Wed. Oct 9th at 6:15pm Au Bon Pain - 60 Broad St. Chapter Organizing Committee chapters@morecaucusnyc.org Media Committee media@morecaucusnyc.org High Stake Testing Committee testing@morecaucusnyc.org Monday, Oct. 14th, 2:00-4:00pm. CUNY Grad Center, Rm 5414 STAYING IN TOUCH:  Comments? Suggestions? Email update@morecacusnyc.org with items for future updates Facebook Twitter Email

OCTOBER 9th Day of Action! Check out the toolkit and stickers (PDF, doc) Mobilize your coworkers, parents and community to take a stand against test-based teacher evals.  Wear RED and stickers to work Distribute this flyer to coworkers Join us at the UFT Delegate Assembly at 4:00-6:00pm (52 Broadway, 4/5 to Wall St. A/C to Fulton) Make copies of the flyer to distribute there (will be posted tomorrow on MORE website) On October 9th at 4:00 p.m., activists from all over the city will gather at UFT headquarters to protest the emphasis on high stakes testing that is harming our children, educators, and public schools. Read more at MOREcaucusNYC.org... RSVP on Facebook here High Stakes Disaster Around New York MORE's Jia Lee and CTS' Fred Smith speak out at HST Forum in District 15. Lisa North points out that the UFT said not to evaluate based on test scores Almost 40% of Syracuse Teachers need improvement plan under new eval system. Common core textbooks still not delivered to New York City schools 2500 teachers, parents and administrators protest high-stakes testing in Buffalo Educator under attack?  Join MORE's "Don't Tread on Educators" support group by emailing dtoe-subscribe@googlegroups.com MORE's next general meeting is on Saturday, October 19th [at 224 West 29th St 14th fl., btwn 7th and 8th ave]. Discussions will include the our campaign against the high-stakes test based evaluation system and MORE's strategy and tactics in the UFT Delegate Assembly. MORE Newsletter Sign up to help distribute MORE's newsletter, "MORE Stuff in Your Mailbox," to your colleagues. Reply to this email if you can pick up copies or would like to help distribute it, or pick up copies at our general meeting. And read the newsletter online: morecaucusnyc.org/newsletter

Read More

Video: MORE Brunch, Please

MOREistas and supporters gather for a great day of brunching - great food ala chef/teacher Sean Ahern, great music from Patrick Walsh and Fred Arcoleo, great conversation with everyone, and inspiring words of wisdom from Julie Cavanagh, Jia Lee and Megan Moskop.

https://vimeo.com/76258078




Amongst many interesting conversations with people I had never met before was this one. I see a young lady sitting at a table all by herself. She looked young but could have been a teacher. She tells me she is a senior in one of our elite high schools. "How did you end up here," I asked? "One of my favorite teachers - a young energetic teacher she tells me -- is so inspiring and urges us to get involved -- told us about this event - so I am here." I never heard of her teacher but did know one of our contacts had put our newsletters in the mail boxes. She said she wants to study film. Boy we need socially conscious film makers.

Here are some pics:

Jack Channels Daddy the musician

Happy B-Day Diana

Jia and son

Megan and Peter: MULTI-GEN MOREistas

Megan: New MORE leaders emerge

Patrick and Fred

Master chef Sean

Read More

Join Me and Other MOREistas This Saturday at MORE Brunch

REMINDER FOR SAT. at 11:30AM to join us for brunch and meet the MOREistas growing corps of members.

Here's a good sign with this message just in: MORE is looking for a space for our general meetings as we have outgrown the space we have been using.
 
But we will have to pay for this space. So for $20 you get a good meal, (and I think MORE may be a tax free deal now) and good company.

Do I have to tell you if you are a NYC teacher that the only way to have a chance to turn the tide of ed deform is to capture leadership of the UFT/AFT. Now that may be a long march I may not live to see but the first step is building a viable democratically run alternative with a MORE rep in as many schools as possible. Let me emphasize "democratic." If we could win power by being like Unity I would say "no thank you."

Been reluctant to attend a MORE meeting because you are all meeting out? Here is you chance to rub elbows - and noses if you prefer - with an entire gaggle of MOREistas in this fund raiser. As you know, we are not e4e getting money from Bill Gates. Or the UFT with its $200 million budget.

And we have a great new project -- MORE Stuff in Your Mailbox -- a new newspaper being distributed to schools all over the city (you can sign up as a distributor for your school at the MORE website -- and I'll hand deliver them to you -- if you treat me to a school lunch). Yes, Virginia, we have to pay to print those suckers and you can help by attending this lunch -- and if you can't come support it anyway.

Sean Ahern, a master chef and cooking teacher, has been heading the project. Sean was one of the first people who contacted me in 2002/3 when I went citywide with Ed Notes and we quickly became good friends. He was one of the key people in helping form ICE and has jumped into the work of MORE with enthusiasm.

When I met Sean, he was in the early stages of his 3rd career - teaching. He began as a transit worker, inspecting tracks. Walking over an icy bridge he decided it was time to switch careers and he became a chef, working with Eli Zabar and others. Then he went on to offer his services and skills to the kids of the New York City school system, as needed a service in vocational training as can be found.

Not only will you be helping MORE but you will get a great meal as Sean is joined by another cooking teacher, Michael Lynch. And you also will get a chance to meet the great new generation of activists working with MORE like Julie Cavanagh, Rosie Frascella, Mike Schirtzer, and a slew of others -- yes I will be playing the part of grandpa.

The closest subway stop is Washington/Clinton on the C line. Or go to the Barclay Center on Atlantic Ave and walk about 10 minutes.

MORE Brunch – Saturday, October 5th

September 29, 2013 — Leave a comment

Two experienced NYC chef/educators, Michael Lynch and Sean Ahern will be preparing a delicious and affordable Brunch (vegetarian and vegan options included) all homemade and from  the highest quality ingredients and professionally prepared.  We have trained many of NYC most talented students who are now working in some of the top restaurants in the city.  

The proceeds will go to help the Movement of Rank and File Educators with its organizing efforts in the coming year.  Teacher singer songwriters of note, Fred Arcoleo and Patrick Walsh will entertain you. MORE’s Presidential Candidate Julie Cavanagh and other leaders will be in attendance.  A great morning awaits you.  Invite co workers, friends and family for a relaxing and enjoyable saturday brunch.  Its a fun crowd. 

Make your reservation today:

http://morebrunch.eventbrite.com/

Read More

Parent Calls for Support of Oct. 9 "Win Back Wednesday"

Janine Sopp issues a call to her network. There are links to the Toolkit prepared by MORE for use in your schools, plus a great video prepared by MORE Media. The day will culminate with a rally outside the UFT Delegate Assembly (52 Broadway) on Oct. 9 at 4PM with a focus on the evaluation system the UFT leadership is pushing. If only the usual suspects are there they will be ignored.

The game will change when the day comes that we see hundreds of people with connection to hundreds of schools outside the DA putting pressure on the UFT leadership. (I still have to tell you my story of the Sept. emergency DA and the crap Unity tried to pull on distribution of lit.)

I know people -internally and externally who are critics of MORE for not coming up with an alternative system of evaluation. That is an issue for further discussion, though frankly, given there is no real way to judge a teacher's work through the use of data, maybe what we had (S or U - maybe add a middle rating like I) was the best way -- though I would create an independent investigative unit to take a close look at abusive principals who target certain people for political or economic reasons.

In Ravitch's "Reign of Error" she points to a question asked of many foreign educators: "What do you do about a bad teacher? Answer: We help them. Q: And if they are not improving? A: We help them some more. And if that doesn't work we help them find another profession." Actually, if they are basically competent in some ways but can't seem to manage the classroom situation, there must be some position in the ed structure for them.

Here is Janine.

Greetings Fellow Parents, Teachers and Friends,

As most of you know, we are facing a new year in our children's schools where standardized tests will have even higher stakes attached to them.  Because NYS has created a teacher evaluation system that is tied to the tests our children are mandated to take, we expect an even higher level of stress throughout the year.  With the implementation of the Common Core Standards and the creation of new tests that have not been fully aligned yet, and are often poorly designed, our kids will be used somewhat as guinea pigs, but the stakes are too high for this kind of experimentation.  Even our youngest students, in K-2, will be subjected to these measures and we will see the quality of teaching deteriorate under these circumstances.  

If you find all of this troubling and feel you have no power over what is happening, you are wrong. Now more than ever, parents are taking charge of their children's educational destiny and saying NO. At a time when we are choosing a new mayor to lead our schools in a new direction, we actually have more influence than we may realize.  We have the power to vote, we have the right to opt out, we have a voice that needs to be heard and many organizations with which to organize.  

Whether you are a parent, a teacher, an administrator, a student or a concerned citizen, you can show your support by joining others who are actively working toward shifting the conversation and the direction of education, the runaway train that needs us to step on the brakes.

Attached is an incredible tool kit, created to help your schools organize for a day of action to kick off "Win Back Wednesdays" on October 9.  Please share this tool kit with your school leaders, PTA, SLT, PAC, your families, teachers and administration.  There are ideas for actions, small and large, to support the empowerment of our students and our schools.  Know that there is a state wide movement to end the use of high stakes standardized testing and it's punitive effects.  Adding your voice, your action, will help grow the movement to make the shift to a more balanced, holistic approach to our children's education and give our children the schools they deserve.

Feel free to post photos of your actions to Change the Stakes and MORE Facebook pages.  Check out and share this Win Back Wednesday video.

 Want to learn more, come to Brooklyn for one or both of these events.

With regards,

--
Janine

october9thtoolkit.docx
626K   View   Download  

More Labels UPPER CASE without template.pdf 1514K   View   Download

oct 9th stickers simple and spanish.docx 14K   View   Download

Read More

Why MORE?

Speaking with you the day before meeting with my principal was very helpful. It allowed me to better register what really is, as Julie has stated, "clear as mud." The UFT selected part of our committee was the only prepared party at the the table. The principal and her supervisors were unprepared and relied on our take and interpretation of the choices to be made. We advised that our school trigger the default model for the local MOSL. The principal agreed. Could not have done this without MORE support and Julie's wonderful ability to break down the entire task before us so that we could choose between the "noose or the sword."
Thanks for everything.

Ahhh! The smell of Democracy and open and diverse discussion. Our pals running the UFT should try it sometime. MORE did the hard work the UFT leadership would not do in analyzing the impact of the new world of evaluation.

If it wasn't for Julie and others dissecting this nonsense (Julie Cavanagh Analyzes Teacher Evaluation Options...) I would be totally clueless.  I couldn't get our DR to come to our school to explain this to us. She kept saying, "If you attended our spring info sessions you'd know..." BS, we know this thing was far from finished then.  MORE was there for me and my chapter with information and discussion. The petition will be circulated tomorrow. .. High School chapter leader

MORE activists and their supporters have been on the case. MORE members comment on the work of MORE on the evaluation.

Thank GOD for MORE and my brothers and sisters here I walked into school knowing more than anyone, including my administration, on how to explain the ridiculous "advance."

There is no one to turn before I joined MORE and here we are educating, helping, supporting each other. Its awesome, I'm happy to have each other. I always feel disconnected at UFT DA's. There is no solidarity, no personal connections. Next time you walk into a MORE meeting take a look at the smiles, laughter, embrace of each other. This is what a union meeting ought to be, this what we do.

The meetings and discussion over email and in person, blog posts, summer series, have done for me what my union was supposed to do. Everyone I know is turning to MORE for advice and push back against this asinine system.

We are here, we are answering questions, we have a petition, newsletter, and a day of action on 10/9 to fight this. Our union leadership sends out an email meant to do nothing but appease....

Thanks to MORE I'm able to be a better leader, organizer, and more importantly than ANYTHING I'm a better teacher. Frankly MORE meetings do more for my pedagogy than any DOE PD ever has ever.....

Usually I go to services for the high holy days, as I did yesterday and the 3 or 4 hardcore retired Unity folks make every effort to avoid me, although they're good friends with my mom. Well they couldn't run to me fast enough at Rosh shashona services. They wanted to know all about the new eval system, how bad it is, and one even said they saw our petition and it's awesome (he never acknowledged before that I was in UFT/MORE). This made me feel like we accomplished something, very little, but something....

Thanks so much to everyone else who shared advice, links and asked great questions, wrote emails posts, brought interesting things to meeting. And the Change The Stakes/High Stakes Testing crew for explaining how we ought to tell parents that this is wrong, the eval crew for writing a POWERFUL petition. I am more convinced than ever that WE are the union....

There is no one to turn before I joined MORE and here we are educating, helping, supporting each other. Its awesome, I'm happy to have each other. I always feel disconnected at UFT DA's. There is no solidarity, no personal connections. Next time you walk into a MORE meeting take a look at the smiles, laughter, embrace of each other. This is what a union meeting ought to be, this what we do....

"What MORE should do" is where I say, WE are MORE, every member can have a voice and put into what we do. That's what keeps me going and able to start the school year with a hope that would, otherwise, not be possible. Recently, colleagues from my last school called me because of my affiliation with MORE and NOT the Unity District Chapter Leader to ask about the evals. So, that's a huge sign of success for everyone here....

Read More

Julie Cavanagh Analyzes Teacher Evaluation Options

If only our current union leadership could communicate to teachers how best to protect themselves in what is going to be a very challenging and dangerous school year for everybody - students, teachers and administrators - as well as Julie Cavanagh does. ....Perdido Street School blog

Decide to get involved:  I am convinced the overwhelming majority of educators, after navigating this evaluation system, will be moved to action.  Do not get discouraged; do not believe we cannot affect change.  Whether you donate, sign a petition, attend a rally, come to a meeting, run for office, or join an organization-- the time is now to stand up and fight the tidal wave of attacks on public education.... Julie Cavanagh

Julie has spent a lot of time this summer learning the ins and outs of this mess. She shares her thoughts in this post on the MORE blog which I am cross posting.

This is not only about Julie's wonderful work in breaking all this down but also expresses Julie's philosophy of working together which so attracts people.

Make decisions based on what will bring you together:  do not allow these decisions to divide you.  Stand in solidarity together, take care of each other, and do what benefits students and teachers collectively.

This is important stuff to working teachers but for people like me the details give me a headache. But if you want clarity, read this all the way through. Julie's piece should actually be a pamphlet.

The Noose or The Sword: Choosing Your Evaluation

by morecaucusnyc

Analysis and Guidance Regarding Teacher Evaluation Choices and Decisions

By Julie Cavanagh PS15k Chapter Leader

I have yet to meet a parent, teacher or student from a school community who tells me they believe the new teacher evaluation system being implemented in NYC is a good thing, for anyone.  It seems most people understand this system is nothing more than another cog in the wheel of a machine with one clear purpose:  the destruction of our public education system.  This system and the accountability and testing measures and movement preceding it, reduce our students, our teachers and our schools to numbers and data, dehumanizing our schools and our profession. 

There is a growing movement that says, “Don’t feed the beast! Deny the data!” My heart lies with this sentiment, but in terms of the teacher evaluation framework, it may not be the right one.  Let me be clear, this system is irrevocably flawed, and the illusion of choice is no choice at all.  But while the system is fundamentally flawed and hurts our schools and profession, we can choose to participate in order to mitigate the damage to individual teacher jobs as well as our schools and students.

MORE members and allies have received multiple requests for guidance and analysis concerning the decisions UFT members and local committees must make regarding the teacher evaluation system.  Below I attempt to lay out, as I see them, the pros and cons of the choices individual teachers and school-based evaluation committees must make in the coming weeks.  This is by no means complete and it would be immensely helpful if folks offer their additional comments, analysis, and suggestions in the comment section!

The Lay of the Land

There are basically three “paths” to journey on as you make decisions as an individual UFT member and as a committee:

1. Non-Compliance:  There is an argument to not comply or participate in this evaluation system at all.  The consequences of this decision would be that embedded in the law are defaults for all decisions.  So, your principal would choose your observation course, you would not submit and therefore would not have anything counted in terms of your artifacts for Danielson, and the principal could trigger the default for the committee which would mean state tests and growth model.
2. Uber Compliance:  Make decisions/choices that would result in the most work possible, particularly for the DOE and administration.  This would flood the system with responsibilities and paperwork and highlight the sheer insanity of the evaluation system.
3. The Middle Way: Make decisions and choices that will produce the best anticipated outcomes in terms of ratings for teachers and will mitigate the negative consequences of this system on children and staff.

Decisions, Decisions:  Part 1 Observations and Danielson

Teachers have one individual choice to make at the beginning of the school year:  what observation course will they choose and how will they related to and work with the Danielson Framework.

As far as observations go, there are two choices:  at least six 15 minute or more informal observations that will include feedback, which can also be somewhat informal OR at least one formal observation with a pre and post conference with more formal feedback combined with at least three informal observations.

Choosing an observation course is an individual preference, but here are several factors to consider:

1.       If you have a principal who is a “gotcha type” choosing the course with a formal observation may offer you more protection because there are added steps to ensure more meaningful feedback and support and therefore, more documentation.  In addition, the formal observation would be an announced observation whereas the 15 minute informals would not have to be announced.

2.       If you are an inexperienced teacher, you may benefit from choosing the course with a formal observation because you would benefit from (in an ideal world) your principal’s guidance, feedback, and one would hope, support.

3.       If you worry about Danielson being applied to only “15 minutes of fame” via informal observations (the rubrics are complicated and what you don’t see as a principal, unless it comes from a conversation related to the observation or one of the eight artifacts teachers can submit by April, cannot be counted) then you may want to choose the formal observation course.

4.       If you have been identified by your principal in the past as someone who needs more support, have been given a U or feel targeted by your principal, as mentioned in #1, the formal observation course may offer you more protection and hopefully, support.

5.       If you are an experienced teacher with a good relationship with your principal and s/he is someone you trust, then choosing the informal observation course will save you both time while still offering an opportunity for feedback… and of course those 15 minutes of fame!

6.       Finally, there is a political argument to choose the course with the formal observation because it will require more work on the part of administrators and highlights the overarching problems with creating such a complicated system without proper planning and resources.  Within this same argument, there is also a provision in the UFT contract that provides for announced observations with pre and post conferences, so choosing this course maintains, at least some of the protections that exist in our current (all be it expired) contract.

In terms of how teachers should work with and within the Danielson Framework:

1.       Teachers must choose to submit, or not, up to eight artifacts by April of 2014, to their principal (two can be submitted in the beginning of the year conference).  These artifacts will support the principal’s rating on the Danielson Rubric.  This is particularly important because, when examining the rubric, it will be very difficult to give folks effective and highly effective ratings in certain component areas without them.  For example:  the area of planning can be more effectively supported by showing a teacher developed curriculum map or weekly lesson plans.  The flip side to this is that as educators, our labor has worth, and the time we are given in comparison to our output is valuable, matters, and is not currently supported both in terms of time and resources.  We have been without a contract for 4+ years and the current contract does not compensate us for this additional labor, both in terms of the time to do it, nor monetarily.  It must also be stated that creating artifacts, like elaborate lesson plans, are not necessarily a determination of good teaching and learning.  Bottom-Line:  you can refuse to submit the artifacts and stand on principle, after all, withholding our labor is the power that lies within our union.  However- since we have a union leadership that has agreed to this system and believes it is a good thing, the power of withholding our labor isn’t so powerful and choosing to not submit artifacts most likely will hurt your overall rating for the observation portion of your evaluation.

2.       There has been a lot of talk about how Danielson will force teachers to change how they use and develop curriculum, lesson plan, meet and plan with other teachers, take on additional responsibilities in our schools, and analyze data.  Similarly, to what I state above, the issue here is principle vs practicality.  In principle, we should not jump through the hoops of writing elaborate and scripted lessons, those things do not make good teaching and learning.  We would love to take on additional responsibilities and meet and plan with our colleagues, but we have to be allotted the time and resources to do those things meaningfully so that our labor is properly compensated and so that time is not taken away from other things that are important for our students, our school communities, and for our own families.  In practicality, if we do not have the evidence needed to plug numbers into the Danielson rubric that equal effective and highly effective, our jobs are at risk.  Bottom-Line: If we don’t work outside of the contract in order to fulfill the requirements of the Danielson Framework, we risk a rating that falls below effective.  Chapter Leaders should work with principals to carve out additional time to meet these requirements.

As chapter leader at my school, we have revamped our extended time and working lunch schedule (we have extended lunches and preps and have working lunches in lieu of after school staff and grade meetings) and process to try and provide increased time and individual and grade level team autonomy to help with the work required by the Danielson Framework.  It is not enough, but as CL, I don’t feel I can encourage my colleagues to refuse the data, because they have families too feed and because the power in opting out comes from the parents of our students refusing to feed the testing beast, as well as our union harnessing the power of our collective action, not in teachers acting alone.  While it is tempting for me to encourage my fellow teachers to refuse to participate in this damaging and destructive policy, we will stand together as we are led to the proverbial slaughter, and do our best to make sure the impact on our schoolhouse is as minimal as possible while we fight for change at the statehouse.

In full disclosure, we have a principal who is not a “gotcha type” and works hard to support and protect our teachers so our students have the best educational opportunity we can provide, because, she knows supporting and retaining teachers is an in-school factor PROVEN to positively impact student achievement, along with class size.  There is NO research to suggest that evaluating teachers based on test scores and scripted pre-packaged rubrics benefits students in anyway.

I understand that many educators and their school communities have leaders whose interest lies in not supporting educators; in some cases harassing, forcing compliance, or demonizing them.  For these teachers and schools, this process will be particularly demoralizing and challenging and I am truly sorry.   It is my hope that the energy and anger that is born out of this process will be harnessed to fight for the changes we need so desperately in education and union policy.

Decisions, Decisions: Part 2 Evaluation Committees and MOSL (Measurement of Student Learning)

Evaluation committees have three decisions to make:

1.       What tool will you use?  State tests, NYC approved assessments (for example: F&P for elementary schools), or NYC benchmark assessments (basically Common Core tasks).  Committees only have to choose one tool in either math or ELA not both.

2.       Who will the target population be? Whole school, whole grade, individual class, bottom third of individual class

3.       How will the test/assessment be measured? Growth model (Value Added Method with a peer group determined by the state) or Goal Setting (goals set at the committee level with feedback from the DOE)

What Tool?

Because all UFT members (with the exception of  prek, PT, OT, APE and guidance counselors/social workers) will be evaluated based on a test/assessment regardless of whether one exists for their subject (think art, gym, various high school courses...) there is an argument for choosing the same tool for all UFT members in the building as an act of solidarity, to maintain fairness, and squelch any issues of competition or the consequence of making certain positions more or less desirable which would have a negative impact on our students.

I strongly agree with this sentiment and am advocating for this position.  The other side of this argument is of course that by choosing one tool, greater emphasis is placed on that tool above all others (at least in theory) and applies immense pressure on the teachers who administer that tool and on the students who take it.  This portion of the decision is a political one (How can we minimize the destructive nature of these choices on union rights, solidarity and protections while also protecting the legitimacy of our work in our schools?).  It is also is a decision that must be made in consideration of your school climate (If you choose one tool, will that unite your teachers, lessen or eliminate potential conflict or could it create conflict?).

Finally, there is also the question of choosing a tool that would potentially be more beneficial to students.  I do not find much validity in this final question.  Teachers assess their students all the time, that is what good teachers do.  We do not need external pressures, data collection systems, and evaluations tied to these assessments to do the good work we do.  Assessments are not designed to evaluate teachers, they are designed to inform teachers of what students know or don’t know, to highlight areas of strength and weakness, and to guide our instruction.  Data does have purpose, but that purpose is being perverted and we must be careful to avoid feeding into the narrative that distorts our profession and harms children.

State Tests:  choose one of these if your students do well on them within the framework of the growth model and/or if your school community does not want to do additional grading and data input.  The merit in this decision is protecting the value of our labor (it can’t be repeated enough:  we should not be giving our labor away for free, especially when we have been without a contract for four years) and this ensures students will not be subjected to additional external tests/assessments.  You probably do not want to choose this option if your students do not typically do well on these tests (think about your school report card grade as a loose guideline).  In addition, there is a principled argument to avoid choosing state tests so we do not place even more value on these flawed, invalid and racially/class biased tests. Finally, because the 40% MOLS section basically equals 100%, you may want to diversify.  Choosing state tests for the local 20% portion would result in the entire 40% being based on state tests.

NYC Approved Local Assessments: choose one of these if your students/school does not typically perform well on state tests, if you do not want to put an even greater emphasis on state tests, and/or if you find an approved assessment that your school community finds or would find useful.  The downside to this choice is that teachers will not be able to grade their own assessments and teachers and/or schools in some capacity will have to enter the data from these assessments and thus far, no compensation in time or resources has been offered or explained so this will be in addition to the excessive data and paperwork responsibilities we already have. Teachers who administer these assessments will have to do so in addition to any state assessments and there will be a pre and a post (fall and spring). School based committees will also have a greater amount of work to do in making this choice because the MOSL tool requires data inserted for each teacher when not choosing state tests.  Yes, it is a set up- noose or sword?

NYC Performance Benchmarks: Similar to the above, this choice provides an alternative to the state test as well as an alternative to a more formal assessment in general.  These benchmarks are designed like tasks and would be administered in the fall and spring.  The pros and the cons remain basically the same as choosing a local assessment.

Bottom Line: Choose a tool that will result in the best results for your staff, that will burden your students the least, and will require as minimal free labor as possible weighed against these decisions.  Remember, the 40% MOSL portion will count more than the 60% observation portion so if your school performs poorly on state tests, it would be best to diversify and not choose state tests for the local 20%.  I strongly encourage the choice of one tool for all teachers as an act of solidarity and a way to keep things as fair as possible in an unfair and flawed system.

Who is the Target Population?

This decision is mostly a statistical and strategic decision.  What target population, given the tool, would result in the best outcomes?  If you choose a state test for example, would you get better results by choosing the whole school or a certain grade? (*Note if you choose the same tool as the state does for their 20%, the target populations cannot be the same.) If you choose a NYC performance benchmark, would it make sense to choose a particular grade that could be allocated the minimum intervention resources that exist to administer them, grade them and input them so there is less of an impact on the whole school population?  One ideological or political issue that does exist in this decision:  I would advocate against choosing individual classes as a target population as this will potentially pit teachers against each other and feed into the deeply flawed push for merit pay. Bottom Line: Choose a target population that will result in the best mathematical outcome and avoid feeding into individualist decisions that sort and separate our teachers and children and potentially lead to a framework for merit pay. (*I should note that I *think* committees can choose any tool option and also choose any of the target populations, for example one grade.  I have not fully explored the MOSL tool yet, so it is possible that while you may be able to choose one tool for all UFT members, you may have to diversify the target population.  I believe however, that all choices can be the same for every member. I am working on greater clarification on this and will update with a final answer.)

How will you choose to measure?

The growth model is determined by the state.  This model is highly flawed, was not designed to compare results across a district, and is based on preset assumptions about the growth a student should make from year to year in the case of state test or from pre to post in the case of a local assessment or task. For certain state tests, where there is no test the previous year, there will be a different benchmark test given in the fall or another existing test deemed comparable by the state would be used to measure growth.  This sets up the possibility of measuring growth based on different assessments that were not necessarily designed to be compared to determine “growth”.  Choosing a growth model requires no additional work from school staff.  Bottom Line: Choose the growth model if this is a model that has not statistically been a problem for your school population, doing so will protect your labor and require less time that could be spent serving children.  If your school based analysis shows that growth models do not result in good outcomes for your school population (for example your scores tend to stagnate or plateau , you have been consistently placed with inaccurate peer groups in the past, or students are high performers and may not show much growth because they enter at a high score already).  You may also want to avoid the growth model if you have concerns about the invalid and unscientific nature of this model.   It should be noted that the state and city have heavily pushed the growth model, which may be in and of itself a reason to not choose it.

Goal setting is done at the committee level.  The DOE does send their recommendations for goals, but the committee decides with the principal having the final say to agree or trigger the default. (*Note:  a principal may NEVER modify the will of the committee on ANY decision. If the principal does not agree/approve her/his only choice is to trigger the default which is state scores and growth model).  Goal setting will require more work and data input.  It offers more control at the school level, but committees must set goals carefully because with a goal, either you meet it or you don’t, there is only one way to “get points”.  If the goal is met, full points will be given.  If the goal is not met, there will be no points.   Bottom Line:  If your school historically does poorly with growth models, you may want to consider goal setting.  If your committee feels there is a strong principled argument/stand to make/take in refusing growth, because value added is a deeply flawed measurement model for the purposes of evaluation, then you may also want to consider goal setting.  If your school community feels it can set goals that are sure to be attainable, goal setting offers more control and autonomy.

I am sure this is all clear as mud!  I encourage folks to use the comments section to continue the conversation, to ask questions, to offer suggestions, and share what they decide at their schools (I will certainly share our final decision when we have one, which insanely must be by September 9^th!).

As you move forward weighing each decision against what will inflict the least pain and suffering upon your school community, some final thoughts in summary:

1.       Make decisions based on outcomes:  what will result in the best “scores” for your staff?  (What tool? Who will the target population be?  How will they be measured?)

2.       Make decisions based on what will bring you together:  do not allow these decisions to divide you.  Stand in solidarity together, take care of each other, and do what benefits students and teachers collectively. (What tools/population/measurement model can you choose that will impact teaching and learning the least and can be applied evenly and fairly across subject and grade level positions?)

3.       Decide to get involved:  I am convinced the overwhelming majority of educators, after navigating this evaluation system, will be moved to action.  Do not get discouraged; do not believe we cannot affect change.  Whether you donate, sign a petition, attend a rally, come to a meeting, run for office, or join an organization-- the time is now to stand up and fight the tidal wave of attacks on public education.

"These are suggestions only and does not represent the official positions of MORE or UFT. MORE strongly advises that you conduct your own research, attend DOE/UFT trainings , and consult with your staff in making these critical decisions"

Read More