LTTE LA Times. We all should send one.

[proud2BlibKansan]

The LA Times ("Who's teaching LA kids?" August 15) is practicing educational research without a license, and is practicing it poorly. The value-added analysis of teacher quality used by the Times is based on test scores. It assumes that the test scores are valid, that teachers are randomly assigned to classes, and that the results for individual teachers are stable. None of these assumptions have been validated.

The analysis also ignores the potent influence of other factors on student achievement, such as poverty, which is typically a stronger predictor of student achievement than teaching quality.

The Times also neglected to follow the usual procedure of sharing work with the academic community before making it public to millions of readers. They also put reporters in the role of expert observers of teachers. What's next, a value-added analysis of brain surgery, with newspaper reporters critiquing surgical procedures?

— Stephen Krashen

http://susanohanian.org/show_letter.php?id=1250

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Here's a FB group

http://www.facebook.com/BoycottLATimes

[LWolf]

2. Kudos to Krashen for that. nt

[Hannah Bell]

3. +100.

[YvonneCa]

4. Could you post this out in GD where...

...more will see it? I'mm on my way to write a LTTE. ;)

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Be my guest

I put it here so teachers would write letters. But if you want to start yet another GD thread where everyone who had a shitty 3rd grade teacher can chime in and call all teachers incompetent, be my guest. :)

[lolly]

5. Okay, gonna get ready to duck the flames here

But the so-called 'value added' scores control for the differences you mentioned by following individual students as they go through the system.

So, if poverty and lack of support is keeping one student from doing well in 2nd grade, it will presumably keep him at the same level in 3rd, 4th, 5th . . . grades. If he stays at the same level (however low that might be) his teachers get neutral scores. If he improves (despite all his problems) he boosts the teachers' scores. If he gets worse, then he brings down the scores.

I don't agree at all with publishing the scores, but they should certainly be part of teacher mentoring. Teachers whose students keep getting worse should know, and should be given more training and evaluation.

As a parent, I have to say that my kids have just had too many teachers whose classes were essentially a waste of time. Some of them were considered great teachers because they had a lot of field trips and fun stuff and projects, but little content. These teachers are genuinely trying, and they are certainly working hard. If their efforts could use a little redirection, don't you think they would want to know?

And yes, my kids have also had some great teachers. Shouldn't they get some credit for improving my children's skills and knowledge so well?