Gretchen E. Garrett
A 5th grade teacher at Valley View Elementary in 2010
These graphs show a teacher's "value-added" rating based on his or her students' progress on the California Standards Tests in math and English. The Times’ analysis used all valid student scores available for this teacher from the 2003-04 through 2009-10 academic years. The value-added scores reflect a teacher's effectiveness at raising standardized test scores and, as such, capture only one aspect of a teacher's work.
Math effectiveness
English effectiveness
About this rating
The red lines show The Times’ value-added estimates for this teacher. Garrett falls within the “least effective” category of district teachers in math and within the “average” category in English. These ratings were calculated based on test scores from 126 students.
Because this is a statistical measure, each score has a degree of uncertainty. The shading represents the range of values within which Garrett’s actual effectiveness score is most likely to fall. The score is most likely to be in the center of the shaded area, near the red line, and less likely in the lightly shaded area. Teachers with ratings based on a small number of student test scores will a have wider shaded range.
The beige area shows how the district's 11,500 elementary school teachers are distributed across the categories.
Garrett's LAUSD teaching history
Years used for value-added rating. See FAQ for details.
- Valley View Elementary, 2010 - 2004
Gretchen Garrett's Response:
Please do not construe my comments here as in any way dignifying or validating your results. Once again your data reflects very little reality. My school departmentalizes in the upper two grades. My "scores" do not reflect the fact that during the years you purport to analyze in your graphs, sometimes I taught only math, sometimes only language arts, and sometimes both. This public dissemination of "results" are from an inaccurate database, skewed to fulfill your paper's need to sensationalize in order to hold onto your dwindling readership in the wake of exponential growth in the use of alternative media.
While all of your "sidebar" explanations attempt to boost the credibility of your reports, you still have no standing in the education community. These rationalizations serve only to make your paper look desperate for revenue, rather than offering a public service to the parents/guardians of LAUSD.
Might I suggest raffling off your office furniture as a less slanderous avenue for generating income.
The Times gave LAUSD elementary school teachers rated in this database the opportunity to preview their value-added evaluations and publicly respond. Some issues raised by teachers may be addressed in the FAQ. Teachers who have not commented may do so by contacting The Times.
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