Retaining+Effective+Teachers

(a continuing discussion from the Teacher's Lounge)

Sounds like a common sense plan. Get em, teach um, evaluate um and get rid of um if you have to.

Of course the issue is  evaluate them. In science, the success of a student often depends upon the skills they enter your class with. If you need not revisit fundamental math, your task is much easier. If reading is not a problem, then there is less frustration out of the gate. If all the children are at the same skill level, we can push toward higher overall achievement. If however, the previous instructor or institution pumped up the grades and merely passed on the poor achiever, then your honest grades could be your Achilles heal. This problem could be amplified if your administrator has grown accustomed to high scores. You may be considered to have an INSTRUCTIONAL ISSUE.

The answer seems to be a truly independent exit and entry benchmark exam. This past summer, I received a nasty-gram from my administrator suggesting that many of my students would have made honors had it not been for my grade. After an emotional face to face, he backed off realizing that what he was doing was pressuring me to inflate grades, a practice that he has been fostering for years.

This past September, I downloaded a 7th grade math placement exam. I gave it to my 11th and 12th graders. The results were indisputable. Many could not perform simple algebra functions. Remember the issue was not whether my students pass or fail my course, the issues was whether or not the should have received an honors grade. For an eye opener, consider the article in Education Week.

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