NEA Prez slams value added. “Look at the work in the classroom.”

As a NY court begins hearing testimony as to whether student growth scores should be released to the press, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel spoke out against the use of so-called value added scores to evaluate the complexity of teacher quality.

Van Roekel was responding to the challenge issued by former NY schools Chancellor Joel Klein. “If you don’t like using test scores to evaluate teachers, come up with something better.”

Van Roekel has done that.

A good teacher evaluation system should begin by examining evidence of a teacher’s preparation, including lesson plans, class assignments and scoring protocols. Teachers might be asked to assemble a portfolio – including videos of classroom discussion and notes or messages from parents.

There should be frequent, independent and thorough observations to determine whether the teacher is meeting high standards for teaching the subject. Finally, we should look at evidence of student learning, including homework assignments, classroom tests, essays and projects.

Taken together, these elements can provide a far more detailed – and accurate – picture of teacher effectiveness than scores on a standardized test.

Interesting that here in Illinois, local union leadership promoted legislation that has required standardized test scores be a mandatory part of every school district’s evaluation procedures.

Van Roekel, in contrast, described what standardized test scores should be used for.

Those test scores are better used as a tool to help teachers become more effective by indicating which students are struggling.

And he targeted the unethical use of test scores and their cost to good instruction and learning.

The emphasis on standardized tests in our nation has distorted the education of our children. Subjects that aren’t tested, such as the arts, history, civic education, foreign languages and physical education, have been squeezed out of the curriculum. Some schools stage pep rallies to motivate students before a big test.

After all this, the tests are an imperfect reflection of what students have learned. Using scores from these flawed tests as the overwhelming measure of a teacher’s worth would raise the stakes even further, and compound the damage that has already been inflicted on public education.