SB 125, which would have tied at least 33 percent of teacher evaluations to student scores on standardized tests was defeated 82-75 by the Missouri House of Representatives Thursday, with two Joplin-area representatives Bill White, R-Joplin, and Charlie Davis, R-Webb City, voting against the measure.
Those voting for the bill were representatives Bill Lant, R-Joplin, Bill Reiboldt, R-Seneca, Mike Kelley, R-Lamar, and Tom Flanigan, R-Carthage.
The 33 percent would have applied to teachers in tested areas, but schools would have been required to base a portion of evaluations of teachers in non-tested areas on the student test scores.
With one week left in this year's legislative session, don't be surprised if Speaker of the House Tim Jones makes at least one more effort to push the evaluation measure as well as the elimination of teacher tenure. He has to keep trying to make sure Rex Sinquefield and Students First get their money's worth.
2 comments:
You'd think with Reiboldt's wife being a teacher in a tested area that he would know better. There are many factors that affect a student's performance on a test that are beyond the teacher's control, so using test scores for evaluation purposes is unfair and is proving ineffective in states that have adopted that plan.
Teachers are fleeing education in record numbers because of the punitive attitude toward them. We've seen instances of gross cheating on student tests on the national news because of the pressure that results when evaluations are tied to scores. I hope our elected officials will do their homework first before they approach this topic again. One must wonder what they were promised and by whom to have promoted them to such a callous and unfounded decision.
But then, Reiboldt was one of the sponsors for intelligent design to be incorporated into the science curriculum in Missouri. Perhaps his puritanical outlook extends to a witch hunt for teachers, also.
This, to me, is a very interesting subject, how best to formally evaluate teachers. I was evaluated and also evaluated others throughout my entire professional career. I found the process to be thorough and fair and very effective, both as a member of the military and a civilian workforce member as well.
Good people NEED a path to the top. Average people should remain where they are. Bad people need to be weeded out of the organization.
How to do so in our education system is the issue, at least to me.
In general I don't like (and never have liked) using specific NUMBERS to force what must ultimately be judgment calls, subjective calls, fairly provided. So based on what I know I too would have voted against this bill.
Anson
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