COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
A handful of teachers and principals continued
to voice their opinions Wednesday in opposition of the evaluation system that
the State Board of Education is considering incorporating into school
districts.
Last month, educators and superintendents from across
South Carolina filled the Rutledge Conference Center to say the evaluations
giving teachers and principals a letter grade from an A to an F are not based
on true growth factors.
"Teachers expect to be held accountable for student
progress and work in their class," said Robbie Binnicker, principal in Anderson
County School District 1. "However, a system that evaluates teachers on student
performance or progress that does not account for student circumstances way
beyond the control of the teachers or school district is unfair. … I know that
a teacher is assigned some of the most difficult students to teach and some of
the progress of those students may not be as much as some of the progress of
other students in our districts."
Binnicker added that he didn't understand how a "math
formula" could state whether a teacher or principal was doing his or her job.
Four other individuals also spoke to the Board of
Education during the public comments section, agreeing with Binnicker, which
included Jackie Hicks, president of the S.C. Education Association. Hicks said
the teacher and principal evaluation tool is "not a reliable, and therefore not
a valid, system."
"All we seem to hear is punitive measures about getting
rid of bad teachers," Hicks said. "… Ineffective teachers do not stay in the
classrooms. We need to continuously look at what will make a positive
difference for the students and teachers in our public schools in South
Carolina. Teachers want to do the very best for our students. We do not always
learn (in college) how to handle all situations."
Later during the meeting, board members received a
presentation by John White, of SAS, which is the for-profit corporation that
has been implementing teacher and principal evaluations for many years in
several states. White explained that the evaluation tool recognizes teachers
can't control measurement error, missing test data and educators serving
different types of students. He added that the tool is fair, valid and reliable
by focusing on all students on various achievement levels to provide educators
with tools for improvement.
State Education Superintendent Dr. Mick Zais said he
thinks the academic change in a school goes back to the leadership in the
facility, which is one factor that would be highlighted if the evaluation tool
is implemented in the state.
"Again and again it comes back to leadership," Zais said.
"Good leaders will turn that around. The demographics of the students are the
same. The educational level of the parents is the same. The difference is the
quality of the leadership in the school. Quality leadership will recruit,
develop and motivate effective teachers. We know that."
Zais gave an example of a state middle school that had an
average rating three years ago, but with the change in a principal, the school
now has a 100 percent rating.
The S.C. Department of Education is still reviewing the
evaluation tool and once it's complete, staff will bring all the information to
the board for action. White could not tell board members Wednesday how much the
tool would cost the state to implement.
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