Holly Ellman

A 4th / 5th split teacher at Westwood Elementary in 2009

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.

Overall value-added effectiveness

Math effectiveness

English effectiveness

This chart shows where teachers in this effectiveness category fall on a distribution of all teachers’ scores.

Compared with other Los Angeles Unified teachers on the value-added measure of test score improvement, Ellman ranked:

Most effective overall.
More effective than average in math. Students of teachers in this category, on average, gained about 4 percentile points on the California Standards Test compared with other students at their grade level.
Most effective in English. Students of teachers in this category, on average, gained about 7 percentile points on the California Standards Test compared with other students at their grade level.

Ellman's LAUSD teaching history

2002-03 through 2008-09 academic years

Westwood Elementary, 2009 - 2008
Accelerated, 2007 - 2005

Holly Ellman's Response:

While I do believe that value-added scores are useful tools to teachers and administrators, I think that publicly releasing them will not help the situation. Parents knowing who this rating system has deemed "effective" or "less effective" will only create a forum for them to gossip, and ultimately pit teachers against each other. It feels like a public "stoning" and makes me fearful of the competitive "teaching to the test" that could ensue as a result of this rating system.

Also, I'd like to point out that I am one of the many teachers that was laid off in 2009 and am pleased to see that my students scored well despite a challenging school year as a substitute in my own class, and a slap in the face by the district.

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.