Grier says we are dragging students backwards.

From the HISD public website:

"If scores show that a teacher is actually dragging students backwards academically year after year, I expect principals to take this information very seriously. We simply can't allow teachers who consistently struggle—despite our best efforts to support them—to continue teaching. And we can't afford to wait to use all the information that is available to us. The stakes are too high for our students." - Terry B. Grier, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools (highlight by me)

We will acknowledge that some students grow at a slower rate than others. The superintendent claims that teachers are "dragging students backward" that they know less coming out than going in. He then states that these teachers will be fired even if the administration does not know all the facts. We need to keep the pressure up. We can't allow these types of statements to be left unchallenged. Contact your board members. Make them either live with their decisions or do something to correct them.

Andy Dewey
Executive Vice-President, HFT

DATA AND RESEARCH IMPORTANT, EXCEPT WHEN IT COMES TO FIRING TEACHERS

Last week I testified before the HISD School Boardprotesting the use of EVAAS scores as a measure by which teachers would lose their jobs. My reasoning is not because I don't think teachers need to be accountable for student learning, but because I find it hard to be a hypocrite. We talk about the need for research-based solutions that are quantifiable, replicable and valid. The EVAAS model meets none of the above stated measures.

Here is a reprint of my remarks--

Ross, Stringfield, Sanders, and Wright argue that summative uses of EVAAS data in isolation from other indicators of effectiveness would be negligent, especially if high stakes are attached to the results. Well, you don’t get any higher stakes than holding student’s back or firing teachers based on a snap-shot test score.

As stated by Professor Beardsley of Arizona State University, “there is no evidence that research reports conducted internally, and especially externally, have validated the claims made by the developers of the EVAAS system. Several specific concerns with the EVAAS system cited in multiple research findings have yet to be addressed.

Randi Weingarten stated in her speech “A New Path Forward” stated that test scores should only be part of a comprehensive system for evaluation that includes, observations, self-evaluation, portfolio reviews, appraisal of lesson plans, review’s of student work and other projects. Using snapshot test scores for employment evaluations is flawed and unproductive. Teacher evaluation needs to be a continuous process throughout a teacher’s career.

Our position on the use of value-added data in Houston has always been to begin using value-added data as a tool to improve instruction. Two years ago I was here to ask for time to ensure that a critical mass of teachers and their instructional leaders were well versed in understanding and utilizing the value-added reports to help them improve practice. Instead of allocating adequate resources and providing accountability to guarantee that sufficient understanding levels were in place you chose to take the politically expedient path of layering high-stakes compensation into the equation. The ASPIRE program has yet to quantifiably deliver on the outcomes it was intended to produce. Adding the even higher stakes of teacher termination based on this flawed system will only exacerbate the problem and eventually dig you into a deeper hole.

The real travesty in all of this is that because the board and certain members of the community have bought into these simplistic approaches to improving urban education we have neglected the real problems of poverty and generational inequity within our society. We have misused scare resources waging a war on teachers and principals that could have been used to heal scars created in the past and to right the wrongs created by greed and indifference.

As long as all kids don’t come to school on par with their peers we will never end the achievement gap. It is politically

correct to talk about serving ALL children, but the rubber meets the road when it comes to making those hard decisions of providing the additional inputs necessary to close the gap or to more equitably distribute the available inputs district-wide. Several of you serve on this board to represent kids and communities with the most need yet you buy into the propaganda advocated by the same people that’s only answer to your kids is to….just work harder.

Stop failing your kids and your teachers with this divisive political manuvering and get back to focusing the big-picture needs of our students.

BOARD SAYS TO TEACHERS- WE DON'T WANT TO FIRE YOU, WE WANT TO HELP YOU.

I don't think a policy change to add test scores to the list of 34 possible reasons to be fired is the best way to make me believe your overall goal is to help me as a teacher. What about you?

The levels of hypocrisy rose to new "heights" yesterday at the board meeting as members of the board attempted to disguise this move to fire teachers based on test scores behind offers of professional support to help them. Funny, we've had a contract for two years to work with the District on providing on-going , research-based professional development based on trends identified through the ASPIRE program. The training has been extremely successful according to responses from teachers and principals as the major focus has been on managing anti-social behavior and delivering foundational research on teacher effectiveness. The one part that has been missing is the shared discussion on needs or trends identified by the ASPIRE program. We can't accomplish that part of the contractual mandate without the district stepping up to be part of the conversation.

Yesterday the superintendent vowed to work with "Teacher Organizations" on this very issue. I plan to put that to the test next week by contacting the superintendent to discuss this very issue and ask how we can work to ensure that our teachers better understand the EVAAS data as it relates to their classroom, how we design training that reflects the needs identified through the data, and how we do a better job of asking our teachers what they feel their priority needs are in this area.

Fire the Teacher over Testing is BAD POLICY

Only a monumental dumb ass would advocate for the policy to tie one shot test scores to teacher evaluations and terminations being proposed by HISD at the board meeting today. The supporters of this policy have abandoned research-based practices in favor of political expediency that will damage our ability to attract and retain teachers in some of the hardest to staff schools in the state.

I am betting that our District leaders will vote for taking the quick and easy route over doing the real work to improve schools. It is easiest to blame everything on the teacher or even the principal. We have a very important role in the process, however teachers who have the least amount of power in the process also are the targets of the most extreme examples of "accountability" gone amok. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with accountability. I want fairness and equity for everyone: our students, parents, and yes-- our teachers. What we will undoubtedly end up with once this is implemented is 110% teaching to the test and an increase in teacher turnover. Schools will be marginally better, at best. The dropout rate will continue to rise because our efforts are being spent on fighting teachers instead of fighting stressers that lead students to drop out.

More later, but if you haven't read the peer-reviewed journal, "Methodological Concerns About the Education Value-Added Assessment System, " then I suggest you take a look at it for explanations why I feel the way I do. It was written by Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, Professor at Arizona State University.

Veteran Teachers Correct Raises Are Restored In the Revised 2009 - 2010 Salary Schedule

uly 29, 2009

Late today HISD placed the following statement on their Web Site:

"Teacher Salary Schedules for 2009–2010 Revised
Teacher Projected Pay tool deactivated since it is no longer accurate

July 29, 2009

In order to meet the requirements of the State of Texas’ American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Stabilization Plan, and as set forth in House Bill (HB) 3646, HISD is required to use its 2008–2009 teacher salary schedules for the 2009–2010 school year and increase each step by $960. Accordingly, the 2009–2010 HISD teacher salary schedules have been revised to reflect these changes.
All teachers, nurses, counselors, librarians, speech pathologists and evaluation specialists will be paid based on the revised schedules.
Because HB 3646 requires a complete revision of the previously published 2009–2010 teacher salary schedules, the information provided on the Teacher Projected Pay tool on the private portal is now inaccurate. For this reason, the tool has been deactivated.
To access and view the revised teacher salary schedules, visit the Human Resources Web site"

The district has decided to comply with the law. The revised and correct salary schedules are available on the employee portal.

HISD Ignores The Law In Passing 2009-2010 Salary Scedule

At the June 25, 2009 meeting of the HISD School Board the Trustees adopted a salary schedule that essentially screwed those teachers with 6, 15, or 30 years experience. Teachers in those experience ranges were expecting a step increase for this year but instead the Board chose to insert additional steps, making the teachers work an extra year to earn the salary they expected this year. Yes this is complicated, but the result is that a year has been added to the amount of time it takes a teacher to reach the top step and his or her maximum earning potential. On the Bachelors scale it moves from 30 to 31 years, Masters 29 to 30, Doctorate 27 to 28. Remember, depending on when a teacher was hired, TRS will average either the last three or the last five years of service to determine a retiree’s pension. Lengthening the time it takes to reach maximum could affect an individual’s income for the rest of their life.

Should we surprised the HISD School Board has no regard for teachers, especially veteran teachers? Of course not, but this gets worse. During the last legislative session, the legislature passed and the Governor signed a bill giving teachers a pay raise that amounted to $960 for HISD teachers. There was a clear mandate in that bill that this raise had to be given in addition to any raise or step that a teacher would receive under the 2008-09-salary schedule. The raise and the requirement to include expected step increases was contingent on the state plan for the stimulus money being approved by the Department of Education.

“Somehow HISD looked into their crystal ball and determined that the Department of Education did not intend to pass the plan and because of that they were not bound to meet the mandates of the law,” stated HFT President Gayle Fallon. “They reduced three steps and cheated teachers out of $760 - $3,550 of their state mandated raise.”

On July 20, 2009 the Federation filed a class action grievance against HISD for cheating over 1300 teachers out of their full raise. On July 24, 2009, TEA released the announcement that the state stimulus plan had been approved.

“HISD is out of excuses now that the plan has passed,” said Fallon. “The district expects its employees to follow the law and the employees expect the district to do the same. The fact that individual board members disagree with the law is irrelevant. Once the state plan was approved, the law became clear.

The Federation is demanding that HISD bring its salary schedule into legal compliance and include the full step increase for all employees paid on the teacher schedule.

Once HISD makes the adjustment to the schedule the union will withdraw the grievance and cancel impending legal action.

“Hopefully egos will not get in the way of following the law,” concluded Fallon. “At this point it would be a waste of both legal effort and taxpayer money to fail to adopt an adjusted schedule.

Just before casting his vote Trustee Harvin Moore stated “We have been told today that we are breaking the law with this salary schedule, I’m still going to cast my vote for what I believe is right”. This arrogance is appalling. Moore is up for election in November. It is time to build a better school board.

So long to the state mandated pay raise

Have you checked out the chron.com blog to see how a couple of your board members are screwing up the pay raise we thought was being sent from the state?

*Average teacher salary increase: 3.2 percent. The range: 1.6 percent to 7 percent. The big boost comes at the top end of the scale, according to Garrett. UPDATE: At the board's request, the administration is going to look at not giving anyone a raise greater than 5 percent because, after all, we're in a recession.

*Trustee Natasha Kamrani asks the administration to clarify why there's a big bump in salary on the last step. It was "in no way tied to driving better student outcomes at all," right? That's right, Saavedra said. The reason, he explained, is to remain competitive. Kamrani's not buying it. Does the district really compete for teachers with 30 years of experience? Saavedra backs off some and says that unless the administration is ready to revamp the entire salary schedule, which it's not, then it's not fair to take away money for teachers who were expecting it.

*"Good raises should be driving something," Kamrani said. "And in our business the only thing I can figure they need to be driving is outcomes for kids."

Isn't that a kick in the pants? My assumption would be that 30 years of experience actually benefits students because teachers have been around long enough to know what they are doing and are still effective. Her assumption seems to be that you don't work at all or bring any value to the students. What do you think about that?

Someone should thank Dr. Saavedra for his comments about being honest with people about their pay.

contact your board members about this before the vote today!
send email to all board members via Sharri12@houstonisd.org