Joseph Harry Mac Donald
A 3rd grade teacher at One Hundred Eighty-Sixth Street Elementary in 2007
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 2002-03 through 2008-09 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.
Compared with other Los Angeles Unified teachers on the value-added measure of test score improvement, Mac Donald ranked:
- More effective than average overall.
- Most effective in math. Students of teachers in this category, on average, gained about 11 percentile points on the California Standards Test compared with other students at their grade level.
- Average in English. Students of teachers in this category, on average, did not gain or lose significantly on the California Standards Test compared with other students at their grade level.
Mac Donald's LAUSD teaching history
2002-03 through 2008-09 academic years
- One Hundred Eighty-Sixth Street Elementary, 2007 - 2003
Joseph Mac Donald's Response:
The LA Times has evaluated LAUSD teachers in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades based on required state tests. In this process, did the researchers vet the tests that were used? If the tests were not validated by a team of independent experts, the data may be unreliable. Over the last few years, the educational community, itself, has questioned the content of some of these tests. Their concerns have led to changes in the tests focused on making evaluation of student progress more accurate. These changes indicate that flaws were found in the tests and in their alignment to state standards. It is unconscionable to publicly label teachers using data that may not be accurate. I remember a bunch of experts who led the nation down another questionable road by saying Iraq had WMD. LA Times, you need to be responsible. Do your homework!
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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