RACE TO THE TOP FUNDS
Clock ticking for union-inspired panel on assessing teachers
Next deadline is May 14
By Matthew Stone mstone@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer
AUGUSTA -- The panel charged with preapproving teacher-evaluation models that use student data must get to work before Maine submits its application for up to $75 million in federal education funds.
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Gov. John Baldacci on Wednesday ordered the six-member panel to review and approve by May 14 at least one such evaluation model for school districts to use.
The six-member panel is forming as the result of legislation lawmakers approved last week and Baldacci signed into law Monday.
The legislation eliminates the legal barrier prohibiting the use of student test data in teacher and principal evaluations -- a requirement for Maine's entry in Race to the Top, the national education reform competition.
But a last-minute amendment to the bill empaneled the six-member task force to preapprove evaluation models school districts must choose from if they decide to use student achievement data.
The panel includes representatives from the state Department of Education, state teachers' union and groups representing superintendents, school boards, principals and special-education administrators.
"It is essential that those on the frontlines of education in Maine are part of the process of developing the model by which Maine will meet the federal guidelines for Race to the Top funding," Baldacci said Wednesday in a statement.
Baldacci's order is a response to a concern raised last week by the Office of the Maine Attorney General that, as passed, the legislation didn't fully eliminate the legal barrier between student test data and teacher evaluations.
"It leaves open the possibility that the stakeholder group will not approve any such (evaluation) model," read the opinion from Chief Deputy Attorney General Linda Pistner.
The Attorney General needs to sign off on Maine's Race to the Top application, certifying that schools can legally use student test data in teacher and principal evaluations.
Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, ext. 435
mstone@centralmaine.com
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12 COMMENTS
Rinoblast said...
What a scam. The state union took the local control/choice straight out of this bill to feed their power-hungry nature. If history is to be followed, nothing substantial will come from this committee.
April 15, 2010 at 6:23 AM Report abuse
taxmesomore said...
Let's put John Fitzsimmons and the Community College system in charge of this project.
April 15, 2010 at 7:01 AM Report abuse
Govt2Big said...
Don't trust the unions with this panel, they've proven that today's so-called labor unions are being led by greedy and power-hungry bosses from the extreme Far Left. The average union workers are being hosed in today's workplace and it's really sad to see this taking place. Just look at the massive political contributions made by the NEA and the MEA... don't hold your breath while waiting for the union leaders to do anything that might help our kids get a better education. For them it's all about more money for the union bosses and their crooked politician friends.
April 15, 2010 at 7:24 AM Report abuse
Ayuh23 said...
You know, there are a lot of teachers in ME (and elsewhere) who can't be assessed on test scores because their subjects aren't tested that way. How should they be assessed? Why should the good teachers of the poorly parented children take all the blame? Why should the poor teachers of the well parented kids get all the credit? Good teaching is best assessed by visiting the classroom and watching how the teacher interacts with the kids. Too many administrators fail in this respect. The administrators need to be held accountable for allowing poor teachers to continue working, but they are too distracted by policy to follow due process. If the public wants to hold teachers accountable for test scores, they need to also hold principals, superintendents and school boards accountable too. Teachers don't set budgets, school calendars or daily schedules. And they don't evaluate their fellow teachers.
April 15, 2010 at 7:41 AM Report abuse
Ripple said...
the other problem in the failure to meet the Federal guidelines is a possible payback of $160,000,000 Maine recieved and spent in Educational Stimulus payments.
April 15, 2010 at 8:53 AM Report abuse
common_cents said...
OBAMACRATS got elected campaigning against BUSH's administration of NCLB. Now they got Chicago's thugs running a much stronger version of Bush's NCLB and a gun pointed at their head.....lolololololol...couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of whiners!
April 15, 2010 at 9:27 AM Report abuse
common_cents said...
The administrators need to be held accountable for allowing poor teachers to continue working, but they are too distracted by policy to follow due process. "distracted"? or legally bound by the union's contract...if the kids can get a diploma by just showing up enough; why should a teacher be held accountable?
April 15, 2010 at 9:32 AM Report abuse
Jeff19 said...
common_cents, Again, you probably shouldn't speak about that of which you know nothing. This is the SAME thing that Bush wanted to do. He wanted teacher evaluation/compensation, tied DIRECTLY to the scores on standardized tests....in Maine, that would have been the MEA, NECAP or NWEA. Bush is the reason this whole thing got started in the first place. BTW, what happened to Bush promise to FULLY FUND NCLB? That 800 billion price tag got passed onto you and I. That is the reason behind the educational budget crisis that we are now experiencing. Had Bush followed through on the PROMISE to fund NCLB, our schools would not be having to make these drastic cuts.
April 15, 2010 at 10:51 AM Report abuse
Jeff19 said...
Common_cents, You talk about students who are able to just pass by showing up. Guess why that happens.... Parents have the RIGHT to overrule a teachers recommendation to hold a student back due to failing grades. And trust me....they DO. Thats another example of how parents do not support schools, or present school as having a high level of importance to their kids. Its called "social promotion." Social Promotion= Parent overrule of failing grades. We routinely had kids who failed every content area course, suspended for fighting over and over...and they had to be moved on. Because mom refused to allow her baby to be retained.
April 15, 2010 at 11:01 AM Report abuse
Scholar said...
What a sad commentary on the the perverse effects of politics and greed on public education in Maine. The legislature folds due to pressure from the teachers unions; Baldacci "orders" a newly formed panel of diverse special interests to agree on a controversial system of teacher evaluation within 30 days; and the Commr. of Education waddles her way into a lame duck position when the situation clearly calls for a strong guiding hand to develop a viable proposal for a $75 million grant. It's a consistently pathetic show of ignorance and arrogance from all involved and supposedly responsible parties. Maine taxpayers and school children deserve better, a lot better.
April 15, 2010 at 7:00 PM Report abuse
common_cents said...
Actually, Jeff I really DO know what I'm talking about, since I evaluated school reform grant applications. Bush administration funded a few experiments, i.e. Denver's but never recommended it be done. Maine strongly resisted ALL NCLB reforms from school report cards to choice options for parents of kids in failing schools. Maine's experience in testing, starting with the idealistic Learning Results, abandoned by Gendron and co.,much to the disgust of teachers who spent thousands of hours perfecting each content area--I participated in one; and continuing to the controversial substitution of the College Boards for real achievement tests has been an exercise in wasted effort, since the final result is still a high dropout rate and nearly all of the poor(school lunch eligible) children failing them. And the purpose of ESEA money was to prevent this from happening; and NCLB perfected tools for schools to use, i.e. WHAT WORK's program data base....all ignored by Maine!
April 15, 2010 at 7:30 PM Report abuse
Relax said...
Apparently we are moving toward paying teachers who have parents who care more money. Fact, parents who care have good students. I’m thinking witty teachers will pretty quickly learn that the best way to bring up their students scores and therefore their pay will be to report more parents for not coming to parent teacher meetings, cleaning their children and their cloths, checking off on homework assignments, and responding to all other memos from school or the classroom, etc. etc. Humm...this crazy merit pay scheme might actually work! I’m not sure all parents will be happy with the new responsibilities of parenting but hey, it’s not about them is it? Come on merit pay! I'm making my list of names now.
April 15, 2010 at 7:35 PM Report abuse