Recent teacher responses on Los Angeles Teacher Rankings - Los Angeles Times

Vivian J. Lee

Please note that these ratings are based on inaccurate data. During my time at Westwood Charter Elementary, I have only taught Kindergarten (where students at that grade level do NOT take the California Standards Test). I have also never taught 3rd Grade in my teaching career. All of this information can be confirmed with my official records and the school. Please ignore these scores as this is an error. The LAUSD Data & Accountability Department has been notified and is currently in the process of updating their database and correcting this information.

Nichole L. Alden

http://web.me.com/alden1013/CST/Room_3_CST_Data_for_2010.html

Jennifer L. Floryan

Value Rated is flawed because you do not take into account the student's individual attendance record, as I said before to LA Times and Value Added Rating System. You tell me who should be held accountable when a student in a teacher's class repeatedly does not come to school and throughout each grade shows a documented attendance issue. A day a child is NOT in school is a day learning tested skills goes unaccomplished. Every year I have worked at LAUSD I have one or more, sometimes several, students who have poor attendance! Is that then the teacher's lack of teaching skills when the student shows poor academic progress? Where does Value Rated adjust for this particular aspect so many of LAUSD teachers face= poor student attendance? I do believe I read nothing about Value Added Ratings taking this into account. Again, flawed flawed and flawed system to Rate educators! Get Real!!!!

Eleazer Franco

For the past 6 years I have worked at 107th Street Elementary School, a multi-track elementary school. I have taught on track B for all 6 years. This particular track gives my students 6 weeks off right before the CST. So every year after our 6 week break I have exactly one week to review ALL material that I have covered the entire year. I ask the LA Times to research their teacher evaluations. Find out how many teachers on this list are on the same track and how it affects their scores. Find out how many of their students who are new comers to this country are taking this test. Find out how many students on their roster have IEPs who did not qualify to take the CMA instead of the CST. There is more to evaluating a teacher's performance than just a test score.

Adalberto Ramirez

I don't feel this ratings are accurate as they cannot possibly reflect the many circumstances that go into the assessments of students in our local schools.

For instance, at my school we divided the students into homogeneous groups according to academic achievement: Advanced, Proficient, Basic, Below Basic, and Far Below Basic.

Some years I taught one group, other years I taught other groups. However, this rating is based on the students that were on my roster that given year, which were not the same students I taught these subject matters.

Tracie E. Schlick

What can I say? Last year, my rating was even lower...so I guess any progress is a good thing. I am not ashamed. I work hard with my kids and encourage them to push themselves to progress on their own terms. Most of my children come to me well below grade level, and ELD levels 1-3 (in 5th grade). I am proud of each and every one of my children. They do make progress in my class. It may not be at grade level, but I am not a miracle worker. I do, however, have complete faith in my students that they will continue to progress in future years.

I will say that it's only been the last few years where these tests were made into such a big deal. Before 2007, we were told these tests would not effect us in any way.

Also, for 2008, I was on maternity leave.

Richard S. Ramos

Note: I took on this class after leaving Project GRAD LA in the middle of March 2006. Although I am not happy with the results of the students I taught from mid- March to May when they were tested on the CST; I am not entirely responsible for the test scores given the fact that I only had them for two months prior to testing. In addition, I took this class over from a teacher who had no control of the class therefore the students were getting very little in education. You can speak with the principal about this and I hope the LA Times can do their due diligence before calculating the performance value of a teacher.

Fabiola Hernandez

Being that the LA Times is such a well known and reputable newspaper, I would expect for you to verify all of your publishing’s for accuracy before ranking someone as a least effective teacher, or least effective anything for that matter. You have me listed as a third grade teacher for the testing year 2010, when in FACT I was an out of the classroom coordinator that year. To me this is SLANDER.

Rhoda S. Ekmekji

Curious about my "rating?" Come ask me about it.

James A. Melin

Didn't a teacher commit suicide after your report last year? Listen. I teach in an area of South Los Angeles that most of your readers wouldn't want to drive through. I work at a job that most of your readers wouldn't dare undertake because I am so under paid for what I do. I work for a district that has seen it fit to lay me off the past three years, only to re-hire me at the very last second. NOBODY WHO MATTERS GIVES A HOOT ABOUT YOUR RATING. Believe me, no parent of mine questions my ability to deliver the best education to their child. I will be receiving "thank-you" notes from many of my students when they are in college or are productive adults in society. At that time, my effectiveness as a teacher can be measured. I may, at that time, find you and send you some copies of such letters. By the way? How many "thank-you" letters do you estimate you will be receiving?

Albert Barragan

This "value-added" rating doesn't reflect that in 2010 I had two students form another country. One came from Guatemala and the other from Honduras. Both didn't speak any English when they came to my class. It also doesn't reflect that two other students spent a year in Mexico and missed school before coming to my class. These students transfered to my class in January. I also had a little girl from El Salvador that came to my class a couple of months before the CST. Lastly, in 2010 and in 2011, I was teaching a Spanish 50-50 Dual Language Program. This does reduce the time that I can teach English Language Arts.

Rocio D. Ascano

My students were transitioning from a bilingual Spanish third grade class. This was their first full year of using an English Language Arts program (OCR). Many of my students made several gains acquiring the English language that was not acknowledge on the CST.

Derin K. Lowry

Regarding the validity of the Value-Added Method utilized by the L.A. Times, please read this article by Jesse Rothstein of the National Education Policy Center:

A study released last month by the Gates Foundation has been touted as “some of the strongest evidence to date of the validity of ‘value-added’ analysis,” showing that “teachers' effectiveness can be reliably estimated by gauging their students' progress on standardized tests” [http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/11/local/la-me-gates-study-new-20101211]. However, according to professor Jesse Rothstein, an economist at the University of California at Berkeley, the analyses in the report do not support its conclusions. “Interpreted correctly,” he explains, they actually “undermine rather than validate value-added-based approaches to teacher evaluation.”

Rothstein reviewed Learning About Teaching, produced as part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s “Measures of Effective Teaching” (MET) Project,for the Think Twice think tank review project. The review is published by the National Education Policy Center, housed at the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Education.

Rothstein, who in 2009-10 served as Senior Economist for the Council of Economic Advisers and as Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor, has conducted research on the appropriate uses of student test score data, including the use of student achievement records to assess teacher quality.

The MET report uses data from six major urban school districts to, among other things, compare two different value-added scores for teachers: one computed from official state tests, and another from a test designed to measure higher-order, conceptual understanding. Because neither test maps perfectly to the curriculum, substantially divergent results from the two would suggest that neither is likely capturing a teacher’s true effectiveness across the whole intended curriculum. By contrast, if value-added scores from the two tests line up closely with each other, that would increase our confidence that a third test, aligned with the full curriculum teachers are meant to cover, would also yield similar results.

The MET report considered this exact issue and concluded that “Teachers with high value-added on state tests tend to promote deeper conceptual understanding as well.” But what does “tend to” really mean? Professor Rothstein’s reanalysis of the MET report’s results found that over forty percent of those whose state exam scores place them in the bottom quarter of effectiveness are in the top half on the alternative assessment. “In other words,” he explains, “teacher evaluations based on observed state test outcomes are only slightly better than coin tosses at identifying teachers whose students perform unusually well or badly on assessments of conceptual understanding. This result, underplayed in the MET report, reinforces a number of serious concerns that have been raised about the use of VAMs for teacher evaluations.”

Put another way, “many teachers whose value-added for one test is low are in fact quite effective when judged by the other,” indicating “that a teacher’s value-added for state tests does a poor job of identifying teachers who are effective in a broader sense,” Rothstein writes. “A teacher who focuses on important, demanding skills and knowledge that are not tested may be misidentified as ineffective, while a fairly weak teacher who narrows her focus to the state test may be erroneously praised as effective.” If those value-added results were to be used for teacher retention decisions, students will be deprived of some of their most effective teachers.

The report’s misinterpretation of the study’s data is unfortunate. As Rothstein notes, the MET project is “assembling an unprecedented database of teacher practice measures that promises to greatly improve our understanding of teacher performance,” and which may yet offer valuable information on teacher evaluation. However, the new report’s “analyses do not support the report’s conclusions,” he concludes. The true guidance the study provides, in fact, “points in the opposite direction from that indicated by its poorly-supported conclusions” and indicates that value-added scores are unlikely to be useful measures of teacher effectiveness.

Michele D. Brice

My last day as a classroom teacher for LAUSD was September 24, 2004. I was the teacher of record for this class, but I taught the students whose test scores are the basis for this rating for 3 weeks.

Alexis S. Coleman

Academic achievement is fostered through rigorous instruction, classroom management, and various enrichment opportunities.

Leah D. Joubert

I do not think it is fair that I am being judged on the year that I was on medical leave for pregnancy complications. I had the same issue with the last round and was told it was my worst year.

Josefina Zacarias Ay

NOTE: The teacher did not have this class the entire school year. Josefina took the class in January after the class's teacher passed away.

R J. Ricard

Although my scores in these areas of your data were both listed in the most effective range the first time they were printed and are still better than much of your new data, I strongly feel that you are doing a disservice to the teaching profession. You correctly stated above that these scores "capture only one aspect of a teacher's work", yet you give the public the idea that teaching is only about passing tests. This is all that education has become, passing tests. There is no mention about our many other responsibilities in teaching children, like teaching values for example. It makes me realize that most critics of education today have likely never been in a classroom or spent much time there. I taught for 31 years before retiring last year & I can tell you that the children coming into schools today have many issues they didn't have in past years. They are just reflecting our societies issues. By the way, why is parent accountablity rarely mentioned by critics? Are there lazy teachers out there not doing their jobs adequately? A small percentage that needs to get out of the profession. But if one thinks that every classroom is comprised of only average & above-average learners eager to learn, he/she has a lot to learn about education today. The whole system has to change & those supposedly in charge, don't get it. Making education all about testing is NOT the answer.

Gloria J. Garibay

I have been in the education profession since I graduated from High School, I've gone through all the courses, a masters program and yes, summer classes given by LAUSD. I use methods that I learned and gained through these classes and yet I am considered less effective. This rating does not show proof of my teaching or that of my peers. You do not consider the students abilities or lack of abilities in reading or math; their language levels (ELL); their support groups; or even if we as teachers raised individual scores in reading, math, or second language. How can we as educators expect our students to pass a test that is not related to the subjects or concepts that we are asked to teach? They are not allowed to use the everyday manipulatives that they use for reading and math during the test. The everyday language of the curriculum books and quarterly assessments, do not correspond to the language in the CAT6 or other State Mandated tests that our students are given and expected to pass in May. My effectiveness is seen by my parents and my students, they have gained in every subject and ELL level, I am very proud of them. I am a product of LAUSD, so if I am "failing my students, does it mean that LAUSD failed me?".

Lilia A. Alzate

First of all, L.A. Times, it is absurd that you think I may use profanity, personal attacks, or threats in my response to your rating me as a teacher. Even "least effective" teachers such as I would not respond in that manner. Also, it is unfortunate that you wish to scapegoat the variety of problems of our educational system mostly on "teacher effectiveness" based on their students' test scores.

As your publication knows, our socially diverse society has a plethora of language proficiency levels, varied parental involvement, and a tradition of tracking students by language and academic need to a specific teacher(s). This situation makes teacher effectiveness based on student test scores invalid. ALL STUDENTS ARE NOT THE SAME. We're not talking about widgets. It is true that you state test scores are not the only consideration in rating a teacher. You know better.

No matter what, many people are HIGHLY INFLUENCED by student test score publications. Your publishing these test scores have kept teachers awake at night, including myself. Could it also be that some who have suffered a degree of emotional instability may not have survived your ratings? Do you plan to contribute to the "improvement" of education that way? Are you aware of the fact that some of the "least effective" teachers are highly respected by colleagues and administrators, and well liked by students and their parents? In the future would you quantify that information? On second thought don't bother. That data is probably not dramatic enough and too positive to be newsworthy. Now those of us who once again have received the L.A. Times scarlet letters L.E. for "least effective" must join the ranks of those teachers who must consider teaching to the test, even for those students not proficient in English.

Carlos A. Hernandez

I have not taught math for over 7 years, so this does not even accurately measure the progress of the subject area in which I have taught.

In addition, I have been out of the classroom for 3 years now, but my value-added scores keep fluctuating even though I have not taught additional students.

These scores are misleading, and I do not support the sloppy methodology utilized by the Los Angeles Times.

Steven H. Butts

Just a thought
How about publishing the names of the highly effective and effective teachers only. This would recognize the successes of those teachers, and also let parents know if their son's or daughter's teacher were not in the top brackets. I've never once posted my students' scores on the board for all to see, as I don't believe that public humiliation brings about positive change (not in the classroom, not in sports, and not in the job world). I do however believe that more positive recognition for the successful teachers would encourage all teachers to strive for excellence and seek the guidance from those who have proven results year after year.
Thanks,
Steve

Miko T. Riley

I'm confused at my rating. The time period reviewed is 2003-2010. I was teaching half-time for the majority of that time, splitting a room with a room partner who covered one half of the curriculum while I covered the other half. I returned to full-time status for the 2009-2010 scholastic calendar, during which time I had, I believe, no more than 25 students. Yet my listing indicates that my value-added scores are based on the records of 75 students. Are my scores weighted to reflect my employment situation in the 2003-2009 scholastic years, where in a given year I was responsible for either Math or Language Arts but not both? I'm not satisfied that the value-added method addresses alternative scenarios such as split classrooms.

I'm curious what my scores would be if based exclusively on the scolastic year during which I was the sole instructor in the classroom, 2009-2010, as I feel this would more accurately reflect my performance. Since it doesn't seem to, I'm not sure how to interpret the information provided, or if it is useful at all to my present situation.

Mona Huizar

The methodology used here assumes that students are with the same teacher for math and English language arts. Overland students are assigned a homeroom teacher, and then placed in math and English language arts classes with different teachers based on their performance level. In other words, this teacher rating is not attributable to a single teacher, but rather a team of teachers.

Holly I. Ellman

I'm disappointed to see this again, because once again, the data is inaccurate. This data represents 2 years at 2 different schools! How is this a measure of progress of my teaching from student to student if they're not even looking at the same grade level, school or kids? Also, it is important for me to point out that at my school in 4th and 5th grade, we departmentalize for math instruction and so these scores from my students are not even a reflection of MY teaching. While I completely support the work my colleagues have done with my students, is it fair to call this MY teaching record?
Oh and thanks for making this rating the #1 hit on google when someone searches for my name... even though my scores are good, this DOES NOT define me!

Monica Perez

These scores are based on one year in which I was on maternity leave.

Garland E. Ratcliffe

The LAUSD should be lobbying to keep effective teachers instead of pink slipping them because of seniority. The administration at school sites should be evaluating poor teachers out and keeping teachers like Ratcliffe among their ranks.

The tenure system is a primary reason that the U.S. ranks so low among other countries.

Vicente Mercado

This is an example of how inaccurate the value added evaluation can be. It does not take many realities into account, such as language ability, motivation, behavior, and parental support. I did have wonderful children and parents, but at the same time had a challenging class. It included all the third grade’s track A severe discipline problems, some of which were cross tracked, both LEPs and EOs; recent arrivals and other students with very low ELD levels; more than half of the class were at the below basic and far below basic score at the beginning of the year. The then administrator goes around boasting around the state about the gains the school made under him. It was simple, he took the majority of the advanced, proficient, and high basic scoring students in each grade level, placed them with his cronies, the most challenging students were placed with teachers he did not like -mostly veteran teachers at the top of the pay scale. As a farewell gift to the district, he encouraged all the top fifth graders to transfer to a charter school, most did.
The discrepancies between the english and the math scores had to do with the language issue. Math computation can be done in any language, and there are key vocabulary words that trigger the type of computation needed. I worked my tail off.
I left the area, but some time later it was reported that the FBI, ATF, DEA, L.A. County Sheriffs Department, LAPD, and several small town police departments joined forces against the local gang. It took all those agencies to deal with the environment many students came from. All the teachers in the schools in the area deserve praise and encouragement for facing daily the effects that violence, crime, poverty and other society’s ills have on children. Unlike law enforcement, their only protection and weapons are dry erase markers, chalk, patience, positive reinforcement, and a smile. STOP PICKING ON TEACHERS until you know what is like to be one.

Debra E. Curry

This was based on scores from 74 students out of the 250 I taught over 9 years. I have had an out of classroom position since 2008.

Jacquelyn L. Mcdaniel

It's sad that the effectiveness and value of a teacher is soley judged by the achievement on a biased test that lacks culturally relevancy. It's sad that instructional pacing for teachers usage is created for exposure to skills and concepts, not mastery of them. It's sad that the effect of a student's socio-economic status and skill mastery from the previous grade is not taken into account. It's sad that the judgement doesn't consider if a student's core needs are being met. Those core needs are food, shelter, safety, and clothing. It's sad that the effects of tracking aren't taken into account. It's sad that parent participation and assistance with students learning is not incorporated. It's sad that the sole responsibility is on the teacher, not the student or the parent. Teaching is a team effort. That team consist of the teacher, administration, students, parents, and community members. It's sad that the Los Angeles Times would publish something so detrimental to a persons character without fully doing the research. It's sad.

Melissa L. Corleto

I fully support teacher accountability, but by simply presenting only one measure of effectiveness, this system is presenting an incomplete assessment of a teacher. In addition to test scores, why not publish comments from parents, students, and administrators? These graphs do not represent the social and emotional gains that students have made, nor do they show the service learning, art, and music projects in which students participate. Finally, the numbers that are printed do not even reflect the students I actually taught. We divide our kids into math groups, so I did not teach my own (homeroom) students math. If this information is going to be printed publicly for parents, colleagues, and future employers to see, it should at least be accurate.

Angelica G. Barraza

I have been a teacher for about 15 years and I have devoted my career to educating children in one of the most underprivileged neighborhoods in Los Angeles. I love teaching and working with my students. Therefore I was saddened when the LA TIMES began to post “grades” for teachers based on test scores that cannot possibly begin to measure the intelligence and potential of my students, or for that matter my dedication to being a good teacher.

I’ve seen the disheartening effect of your scoring system on excellent teachers that I have had the privilege of working alongside with for more than a decade. One teacher in particular comes to mind. He's the type of teacher who is first in and works through recess and lunch. A good teacher who was made to feel that his efforts as an educator were meaningless based only on test scores. "What more can I do," he asked as he reviewed the ratings himself, trying to figure out what led to his poor showing.

I am dismayed that the Los Angeles Times has chosen to target teachers – one of the most undervalued, under appreciated, and underpaid group of professionals in the country. How can we defend ourselves without seeming defensive. How can we stand up for our children without seeming overly sentimental. We are professionals who must help children deal with societal issues – poverty, domestic violence, abuse, drug use, gang violence--in a classroom that barely has the basics, and then guide them as they learn to read, write, and do mathematics. My goal is to teach my students to be thinkers, life-long learners, and leaders and not simply good test takers. What is your goal?

Is this a ploy to sell papers, to dismantle the union, or rattle the LAUSD?

By making teachers a scapegoat you are not serving the students, but simply promoting an agenda.

Dawn M. Garcia

I am extremely cognizant of state testing, but I highly value creativity, the ability to work well with others, scientific thinking, and effective writing on a daily basis in my classroom even more. As such, the measure of my worth as a teacher is limited using only this data. Traditionally, about two thirds of my incoming students earn a perfect score on their third grade math CST. Even if I were to be able to sustain their perfect score with the increasingly difficult fourth grade math concepts and practically doubled class size, I could only be an ineffective teacher by this rating scale for these students. Without an actual increase in CST scores, the results are poor; no credit is given for maintaining a perfect score. This, and other inadequacies, should be addressed in the evaluation process. However, I do help my students become independent thinkers able to prove with evidence. They become increasingly well-rounded in reading, writing, math, history and science. They learn to become conscientious students in charge of their own progress at school. Our learning, and my capability as a teacher, is much more than what is revealed by this data. I am proud of what we accomplish every day.

Cynthia L. Fluharty

I don't like reading of my self as "Fluharty". I am "Ms." Fluharty, not "Fluharty". I am only "Fluharty" to the closest of my friends, and I do not rate the Times as one of those friends.

I do not care that you have changed this slightly, it is still not reflective of everything I do and deal with. I have successes and failures, and yet now I shall be judged only on this isolated bit of data.

Thank-you.

Patricia Camacho

As a dedicated educator holding positions in and out of the classroom for fifteen years at LAUSD, I believe that these results do not reflect my accomplishments as a teaching professional.

Not only is this LA Times assessment based on just one class’ data (my first and only year teaching this grade level), but much relevant information, such as historical trend analysis seem to be missing.

Ultimately, most teachers welcome feedback that is constructive and can be used as a tool for improvement. However, it appears the LA Times’ methodologies fall short of this goal, and using just one year’s worth of testing results to summarize a 15 year career isn’t just an unfair generalization, but one undoubtedly full of compounding variables.

Nevertheless, I still agree that it is important to hold teachers accountable, but trying to over-simplify a complex issue causes more harm than good. Even the LA Times admits that “For teachers with relatively few students, the ratings have less certainty.” Yet, the LA Times feels justified to use one year of data - a tiny sampling of students and a sample full of “less certainty” according to the LA Times - to summarize a 15 year career? That’s simply poor statistics.

In summary, I am confident that current and former students, their parents, colleagues, and administrators would agree that this information is not representative of my teaching career.

Karina J. Trinidad

Unfortunately, test scores are the only thing that the public has at hand. I personally feel that so many important factors cannot be measured by these test results. First, this "graphic" only shows two years of test results vs. my actual teaching history. It does not reflect the high rigor that is evident in my planning and delivery. Nor does it represent these students as being Dual Language students. These third grade classes both received 48% of English instruction throughout their instructional day because that is what the program entails while the majority of their instructional time is spent learning standards-based content in Spanish. By the way, 71% of these English Learners scored at either Advanced or Proficient levels in Spanish Language Arts and 75% in Math in the Standards Test in Spanish in 2009. In 2010 as well, 56% were Advanced or Proficient in Spanish Language Arts and 68% at Proficient and Advanced in Math. Both years, I have had only 4% of my students at Below Basic or Far Below Basic. So, is it my teaching or is it an unfair testing tool (in a second language) and the Language Arts Program that is LEAST EFFECTIVE??? Both years, my students did very well when the standardized test was in their native language and as experts know, it takes at least five years for a child to learn a second language at a proficient level. As Dual Language research also proves, in a few years these same students will outperform their English counterparts. Furthermore, other crucial factors like a child's home support, maturity level, their physical and emotional well-being, learning styles, and individual stories play a huge factor in their academic success. Finally, my students (and all Dual Language students districtwide)) test for three consecutive weeks. They spend one week testing in Spanish and right after that, they test for two more weeks for the CST. It is exhausting!

Robert J. Katz

No Mama Grizzly Protecting Us!

It is disheartening that some people who should know better, such as Superintendent Cortines and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, did not publicly condemn the Los Angeles Times for releasing teachers' value added scores via the internet. Now every looky-loo with too much time on their hands can peruse what should be confidential personnnel information. Mr. Duncan actually came out in support of releasing the scores, and peppered the media with flippant remarks like "What is there to hide?" . Thus he never directly addressed teachers' legitimate concerns.

Since my ranking is based on how I did compared to other teachers it GUARANTEES that forty percent (20% less effective and 20% least effective) of my fellow teachers will be cast in a negative light. One would hope that one's employer would take offense at allowing forty percent of his/her employees (teachers in this case) to be publicly labeled less or least effective on any part of their job performance.

In my opinion value added scores do have a place in helping me improve my job performance, but they should be kept private and not included as part my formal evaluations.

Natalie G. Skolil

I am concerned that there wasn't enough data collected for accurate results. I should have data from 03/04, and o7/08. In addition, I job shared in 08/09 and only taught math. I am uncertain if the data from that year was split in half. It would also be nice to see the list of students included because 41 students seems to be a little low for two years worth of test scores. In the end, I really can't comment on my score because I feel that it is inaccurate.

Evelyn T. Soo

Parts make a whole. A well rounded education develops the whole child. Focusing only on English and Math instruction the entire day does not provide for an encompassing well rounded curriculum. What parts are missing? Subjects such as History, Art, Music, Science, Physical Education, Drama, Geography, and Technology. By teaching those subjects I am filling in the missing necessary parts of a child's knowledge.
How can one ascertain teacher effectiveness based on testing two subjects out of many others a child has learned in my classroom?
I address and nurture the social and emotional, as well as the intellectual, aspects of a child. We need all three of those parts. How can the social and emotional growth of children in my classroom be measured? Paper and pencil testing does not determine that.
I teach and encourage a child to think out of the box, not how to fill in a circle with a pencil. By providing a well rounded education my students have the knowledge and life skills they need to grow and succeed.

Michael L. Thacker

I do not give you permission to print my name or any of my information in the newspaper, online, or any other place. Your judgment of my effectiveness is inaccurate, slanderous, and libelous. You are basing your opinion on faulty data. The CST is a biased assessment. Your "methodology" is faulty. You fail to consider the true facts. Your data does not consider the fact that students at my school are tracked by their ability. This greatly affects the performance of the class as a whole. You also fail to consider the personal factors that influence student performance. Personal experiences greatly influence student performance. I could continue with additional reasons (like parent influence, inadequate/unhealthy diet, school safety, etc.), but I know my union has already presented their position. I merely wish to let you know that if my name or information is published, I will hold you (the newspaper, owner, editor, and writers) financially responsible for all damages caused by your publication of this biased attack on me. If you need help in researching the above mentioned points, I would be glad to steer you in the right direction. Again, I do not give you permission to print this or anything else connected to my name.

Peggy P. Stierman

www.evergreenroom216.weebly.com

Kimberly A. Terry

The students at this school do not come proficient into their grade level. Students are usually 2 to 3 years behind both in mathematics and language arts. There was excellent school leadership, classroom support, and exceptional professional development from 1996 through 2005. During the years spanning from September 2005 until I left in December 2009 there was a lack of school vision and leadership. Additionally the classroom support declined tremendously as well as the effectiveness and relevance of professional development. During the academic year of 2009 to 2010 I taught a 6th grade class for only 10 weeks. I left in December of 2009. Finally research has shown it is the parents level of expectations and involvement in the monitoring of the child's education that makes the most difference in their achievement and success no matter what language the parents speak.

Gretchen E. Garrett

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.

Genie G. Penn

During that school year, our grade level did teaming. My math class reflects the fact that I taught the "intensive" level group, those who were not proficient in that area and therefore may not have done well on the CST tests. My language arts class was the "advanced" group and most probably did well on the CST tests. Of course I would be least effective in math and more effective in language arts based on the make up of the teaming groups! If you have teaming groups you cannot rate a teacher accurately at all! This point has been made to the LA Times by other teachers and does not accurately reflect whether that teacher is a "good" one or not!

Ada B. Okoro

First of all, I was a Math Coach from 2001 to 2005. I came back to the classroom July 1,2005. In order to smear my reputation or get as sensational as you can get, you published my name in all the schools where I worked as a Coach. All I can tell you, Mr. Research and Publication is this- I dare you to spend one full day in any classroom with 30+ LEP students with their various personal needs. One full day . Then come back and we can compare notes.Do I have your permission now to get back to my students , now that lunch recess is over?

Stephanie L. Logan

I don't think this is a fair or accurate measure of my effectiveness as a teacher. I had been given 3 students with extreme behavior problems at the beginning of the year and I dealt with it. However, as the year progressed, I gained 4 more from teachers who were unable or unwilling to work with them. Two students were fourth grade (older) students that had been so threatening and disruptive to their teacher's class that the teacher refused to take them anymore. I, however, refused to give up on them. I may have seen some progress in their behavior by the end of the year, but I know there was a price. Instructional time is only one cost to be considered. I had a much harder job to do than others at my grade-level who chose to "get rid" of their discipline problems. In the area I teach, it is rough and I can't blame some of those students for having emotional/ behavioral issues. It wasn't an even playing field. Where did you factor that in? What about all the students that were mainstreamed from Special Ed. classes that other teachers said they wouldn't or couldn't work with? I feel like I'm being punished for being responsible and not saying no when I was asked to take students. I feel hurt and humiliated to be rated like this. Should I have refused to take those students in like the others? Where would they go? I know I'm not the only teacher to have been put in a situation like this.

Amy E. Cruz

I am so pleased with the scores that I recevied because I know how hard my students and I worked to help them achieve mastery of the grade-level standards. What is disheartening is that this information will not save my job in any way. My pink slip still hangs over my head everytime I come into work to do what I do best, teach the future of America.

Matthew S. Snyder

I really am at a loss for words. I can't believe the Times is going to do this again. Despite this flawed evaluation system's opinion of me, I am not an ineffective teacher. My students know more when they leave my class than they did coming in, and they are prepared for the next grade as well. The test scores do not reflect that because the lessons I teach are not directly in line with what is tested. Standardized exams do not test writing or history, which make up 75% of what I teach during the course of a day. I have not taught math in 5 years, because we team teach at my school. Nevertheless, the performance of my students on math exams is used against me. Is this an accurate evaluation of a teacher? No, it's not. Yet, whether I agree with it or not, this is how people will judge me from now on. It is so irresponsible for the Times to do this AGAIN. I don't deserve to be slandered this way.

Emily M. Vuoso

Whatever! How can you report this? In 2003-2004 I was a first year teacher in 5th grade AND in 2009-2010 I served as Reading Intervention Coordinator and as a Reading Specialist worked on small group pull out RtI Intervention. Basing this on CST data with a school that is in Program Improvement 5 should not be reflected as the teachers "least effectiveness". How about the countless hours of planning, committee work and professional developments that I have provided. WHERE are the ratings for those?? Sad, sad way for the LA Times to report on this. More data needs to be considered in addition to those outside of the classroom factors that teachers can't control. 12 years with the District and RIF'ed with a Masters Degree, Reading Specialist Certificate and Admin Credential. Just another way for someone sooo disconnected from the classroom to report on who they "THINK" is at fault. Just taking a piece of an evaluation and presenting it as truth is invalid and unjust. As a coordinator for the Student Success Team meetings and I took one aspect of a student's academics and therefore deemed that child as a failing student I might be questioned by parents, reprimanded by administrators and would have to show plenty of documentation prior to labeling the child as needing an assessment. Sound familiar? Oh wait, that is a process and you might HAVE to be on a school campus to know that THAT exists! I am actually a proponent of value added measure to some extent when it rolls out systematically and fairly with guidelines as I care, am dedicated to my profession, and want to make a difference. Does my label as Outstanding Teacher of the Year count? I have data to prove it!

Chelsea M. Tusak

First year of teaching.

Joseph H. Mac Donald

The LA Times has once again decided to publish student test scores for a group of elementary LAUSD teachers. However, the newspaper has still not secured an evaluation of the tests themselves. With so much at stake, the paper must ensure that the results are valid evaluations of student mastery of the state standards. The Times needs to have the tests assessed by a team of independent experts. Until then, it is irresponsible to publish questionable data about the hard working teachers of our city.

Erica F. Solorzano

What I don't understand is the rationale the Times is using to publish this information. They state,"Research has repeatedly found that teachers are the single most important school-related factor in a child's education." I'd like to read that so called research. Education is a partnership, between parents, students, teachers, administrators and the community, everyone counts in school-related factors. Schools need all stake holders involved in their students education.
I believe socio-economic status is a more likely predictor of test scores. Compare schools in economically disenfranchised communities vs schools in more affluent communities. Why not compare apples to apples; school to school in similar neighborhoods? It seems like the Times would like to actuate policy rather than uncover facts.

Estela G. Garcia

Before labeling a teacher effective or least effective by solely using test scores, LA Times is ineffective in fully researching a teacher. Had LA Times properly done their research on me, they would've seen that I was on back to back maternity leaves of absences during the school years 2003-2004 and 2004-2005. I was not even at the school site to give the students the assessments that LA Times is basing their findings of labeling a teacher effective or ineffective. During those two years I was busy trying to be an effective first time parent.

Sandra C. Meredith

These statistics are not reliable and are by no means a true indication of teacher effectiveness. For example, I had a 3/4 split for one year. I kept my fourth graders and "farmed out" my third graders. This was the principal's decision. Students checked in with me in the morning and checked out at the end of the day. They were with the other teacher the bulk of the day. When teachers are forced to split their class student standardized test scores are a reflection of both teachers. Has this ever been taken into consideration?

Dan F. Bauman

Last year for language arts, my students went up an average of 33 points. Looking at scores, 21 students went up, 3 went down. Looking at bands (far below basic --> advanced) 8 went up 1 band, 6 went up 2 bands, and 2 went down 1 band.

For math, my students went up an average of 13 points. 15 students went up in scores and 6 went down. Looking at bands, 2 went down 1 band, 7 went up 1 band, 1 went up 2 bands, and 1 went up 3 bands!

While I don't have the scores handy anymore, the year before was nearly the same. This means I am "less effective?" If my scores show me as less effective, that means that most teachers did better than I did. If that were true, LAUSD would have much better scores than they do.

Don't trust this model. Don't trust LA Times for objective reporting. Look to the LA Times to support an effort to bust unions and destroy public sector jobs. Where is the LA Times evaluation of charter school teachers using this same model? Charter school evaluations where students are not so diverse and hand picked, and where students who prove difficult or failing are "counseled out" and sent to public schools.

Lizeth M. Bendana

Instead of feeling defensive about not having a high score, I feel proud of what I was able to accomplish with those two groups of students. It was my first and only time teaching 5th grade in 04 and 4th grade in 05. The first year of any grade level can be overwhelming, but I was fortunate enough to have a great group of students both years. Many of the students and I, from both those years continue to stay in touch. Some of them have really blossomed into life long learners in their own right.
Data like this is just a tool for me to reflect on my teaching, it is not a complete survey of me as teacher. It doesn't make sense for people to perceive the value added scores as anything more than one form of data.

Amy P. Miller

As a team teacher, I would like to have access to the data from my other class to compare results with my homeroom, which is what I assume this data represents. Is that possible? Does this data take into account the 3 years I taught 3rd grade as well, or just the year I have taught 5th?

Being a relatively new teacher, I welcome feedback that will help me to adjust my teaching to best fit my students' needs. It is, however, only one data point. The CST seems to be designed to test stamina and question interpretation ability, rather than true reading comprehension. The 5th grade test requires students to stay focused through 7 long reading passages and questions in one testing session. If the test was truly a test of ability, it would not be this long, with questions asked in such obtuse ways. As a result, I have to devote more time than I'd like to helping students learn to decode the questions to have a fair chance against the test makers, rather than being able to focus solely on teaching reading comprehension. Being evaluated by a tool that is not truly testing students' knowledge and abilities is one of the primary frustrations teachers face today.

Fernando M. Mendoza

These value-added scores brings a sense of satisfaction that we daily work tirelessly to uplift the spirits and creactivity of our students.

This rewarding experience, I may say is equivalent to when I earned the Masters Degree in Educational Administration and concluded my advanced degree by being invited to participate in becoming the Secretary of Education for the country of Mexico.

In September/1998, I communicated with a presidential website established by the Vicente Fox.
In March/1999, President Vicente Fox, First Lady Laura Bush and Former Governor Gray Davis
were standing before me and all my teacher colleagues to congratulate us on a job well done and kudos. You may reach me at fmend1@lausd.net . Thanks

Melanie A. Podley

Just for the record, these ratings are not always a true measure of one teacher's individual effectiveness. Rather, they often reflect the entire school support and intervention system. Though my rating slightly "improved" in math from the previous year, I don't credit myself, as I had some students receiving extra help daily from the math coach as well as many students in after school intervention classes. Be careful when praising or demeaning teachers based on these scores alone, as they may not tell the whole story.

Brian K. Little

To all concerned:

This correspondence is in reference to some results of an 'effectiveness' outcome for teacher scores the L.A. Times intends to publish (again). I received this 'effectiveness' score Friday April 8, 2011 and I have been asked to respond voluntarily.

First of all thank you L.A. Times very much for demonstrating an ability to display raw data with its limitations. Unfortunately, this doesn’t reflect with any accuracy, the effectiveness of me or my teaching. It does show a five year period of administrative turbulence and bias at the site in question. However the scores exhibited here are dismal at best. Again they aren’t accurate. I’d also like to know if our precious tax dollars are funding this research. If so, what is the cost if for the most part the results lack some validity?

I do not intend to make excuses. This L.A. Times study and publication is showing raw data. It is what it is. What is shown is not a teacher effectiveness gauge, but a combination of mismanaged class assignments.

The nature of that dilemma is neither here nor there. The graphical representation though represents the effects of the dilemma.

Any reader must know that any student (high achiever or low achiever) can be transferred into a teacher’s class within months or weeks prior to a state exam. Does the L.A. Times’ researcher Richard Buddin consider that? Should we include students with this transience or their prior knowledge or limited to no prior knowledge?

Should we be teaching students and parents to be self sufficient and responsible for their outcomes? Should they be responsible for their scores as well? Based on these scores this L.A. Times publication exhibits, should I go to each of my past teachers and say that my experience has not led to value added outcomes for my students? Should I label them ineffective? Where does this ridiculous nature end?

If the intent of this display with my name attached is to represent truth and accuracy in teacher effectiveness, I think the prudent thing to do would be to include the LAUSD OCR (Language Arts) Data and Math scores for the past 3 years. In addition, parent surveys may need to be included in this mix as well. If those are included, the graph would be at ‘most effective’ because there is for the most part, an increase in student scores from student entry into my class to student exit. Parent satisfaction would also be a factor for rating effectiveness. Therefore it would show effectiveness and bring the scores up.

The state tests do not incorporate the strategies teachers, like myself, must use. We use learning maps and visual representations, group discussions, etc. to help with comprehension that may not be so available when the tests are given. Math is done with manipulatives but the state test allows sharpened pencils and rulers. This is a rough outline but the point is some items just don’t align with the state test format. Each school may be different but we’re expected not to teach to the test.

We have also used strategies to pinpoint and isolate areas to raise scores by a few points in one area or another. It is a great strategy and could show an increase in a component here or there and perhaps even manipulate data. Is this a value added method? Are we to teach to the test?

Does that really show teacher effectiveness?

Now my question is whether this publication (LATimes and the Richard Buddin findings) has intentions of publishing LAUSD OCR (Language Arts) Data and Math scores for the past 3 years on my behalf (or any teacher who may have switched grades)? If this publication wants to display my name to the public, it should have the decency to be accurate with all assessments that are used. If the focus is simply the state tests, then when this publication publishes its results (as was done last year) it represents inaccuracy and it is misleading. The results are just perpetually the same since I’ve taught a different grade for three years thereafter. There is nothing cumulative about it. It shows a period frozen in time that happened to be a turbulent time at that. Now year after year the same results are shown to the public.

It can work both ways. Think of a teacher who just taught one year of 5th grade with solid outcomes. After that taught elsewhere 'ineffectively' but perpetually looks strong with this type of publication.

Am I to be inaccurately defined by this data indefinitely or perpetually for having to be subjected to a biased administration for the results generated? I hope the parents, friends, students, colleagues, peers, administrators, or anyone with a general interest just understands what the numbers mean. I doubt anyone would consider these numbers to define my effectiveness.

Please keep in mind that teachers aren’t measured effective unless they are teaching grades 3 or 5 in this L.A. Times publication (to the best of my knowledge based on what was presented to me in the email hyperlink I was led to prior to publication). State tests are key in this publication. Why not show every teacher in the district or the state?

Should this publication marginalize my good name (or any teacher for that matter) because I (or any teacher for that matter) was given some questionable students during this timeframe? Can you prove in that timeframe under the same circumstances someone would have been more effective? If so, what are these factors? I’d also love to see the time machine.

Do you or your research team intend to publish effective and ineffective parents? Do you or your research team intend to publish effective and ineffective UTLA representatives? Do you or your research team intend to publish effective and ineffective LAUSD administrators? Is this just finger pointing?

I am all for merit pay but make everyone in the child’s life accountable. Label everyone effective or ineffective or value added or subtracted. Not all teachers get the high achievers. Not all classes will have the same outcomes. Should we go merit pay and attach the pay to the score, I will take the high achievers and the gifted. Who wouldn’t?

I know I am effective and so does the community I represent and serve.

Thank you to any reader for reading this response.

Thank you LA Times for publishing these numbers.

For further reading, consider, ‘Research Study Shows L. A. Times Teacher Ratings Are Neither Reliable Nor Valid’ which shows the simplicity of value added concepts of these attempts from Richard Buddin’s findings (Briggs, 2011). It lacks too many factors.

That may show some balance to this continuous saga.

Sincerely,

Brian Keith Little

References:

Briggs, D., Mathis, W. (2011). Research study shows la times teacher ratings are neither reliable nor valid. Retrieved from
http://nepc.colorado.edu/newsletter/2011/02/research-study-shows-l-times-teacher-ratings-are-neither-reliable-nor-valid

If possible, I may add more prior to publication as time permits.

Katrina S. Blowitz

This year, my administrator has departmentalized the school in grades 2-5 (each teacher teaches only one subject, just like middle school and high school). Therefore the students on MY 5th grade roster are receiving instruction in math from a teacher other than myself. The instruction they are receiving from this teacher will be reflected in this year's CST. If their scores drop in math, it will appear as if this is due to my instruction. I am highly concerned and do not want my value added rating posted if it does not truly reflect my instruction.
Sincerely,
Katrina Blowitz

Cecilia W. Leung

After much consideration I finally decided to respond to my VAM. Yes, I feel horrible as a teacher that my students did not score as well on the English Language Arts and Math portions of the CST. And yes, one would think that the fact that I have taught fifth grade for five years consecutively would have made me master teacher at test-taking. However, this is not the case. Have I done a disservice to my students that they did not score Proficient or Advanced? Have I ruined their chances to be identified as GATE so that they may move up along the academic rungs of LAUSD schools? Now that I have been pink slipped and reflecting on my past 8 years of teaching I realize that despite my students' CST scores I have made a difference in their lives. I have implemented a structured PE program and encouraged the whole entire staff to fulfill the minimum required PE instruction. Former students return to show me their bling from 5K, 10K, and marathons. When we no longer had a math coach, I continued to organize Math Olympics at my school. I along with my upper grade colleagues strive to support our staff to teach science starting from the primary grades. I show up to my students' football, basketball, and softball games, cheering them on because I love seeing the smile on their faces when they see a familiar adult rooting for them. I teach visual arts, theatre, and dance because it is important even though the district has now cut down the elementary arts program down to 13 teachers for the upcoming school year. I share my experience and expertise in culinary arts by cooking healthy snacks and meals with my students and teach them how to analyze what they eat. Some of my former students tell me they still have the cookbook we made together and ask if we still cook in class. In past years, my colleagues and I met with GATE students during lunch and afterschool to create student-produced monthly newspaper and yearbook. I could go on and on...I am not only my students' teacher, but also mother, sister, counselor, nurse, etc. but most importantly their listener who will respond accordingly and hope to guide them along their path of success. It saddens me that so many people choose to represent a teacher or a student with a test score. What ever happened to the human quality of teaching?

The state and value of education in our country has made the (involuntary) end of my service to LAUSD bittersweet.

Patricia A. Hill

Once again you have violated the right to privacy of thousands of teachers. As I stated in one of my many responses to your August exposé, this information belongs at the school site and with the district. Value added is not a reliable data analysis model, yet you present it as an "objective" measure of our efficacy. This is not true, fair, or accurate.

Your on-going battle with UTLA uses teachers as pawns. Publishing our ratings is not beneficial to anyone. Rather it promotes ill will between colleagues, teaching to the test in lieu of a well-rounded education, and in the case of Rigoberto Ruelas, the final straw in an incredibly stressful profession. I hold the LA Times responsible for his death. I hold the LA Times culpable for irresponsible and politically motivated reporting. I hold the LA Times responsible for slandering and attacking professionals who have far more integrity than your publication. I hold the LA Times responsible for being a major contributor to the privatizing of public education.

Micaela Leon

These scores reflect an accurate account of my teaching practices, although the results could be higher in English effectiveness. But, based on the knowledge I have of my students' levels, I am pleased with these results.

S Niane Greene

It is all very well and good to rate a teacher, but what you should also take into account are the parents who don't make their students do their homework or study the academic materials taught during the school day. The parents who don't come to parent conferences because they are to busy watching the novelas or soap operas on tv. The parents who only show up at the end of the year at culmination and want to glad hand you and take a picture with you. These are the parents who should also have a value rating and that rating would be failure.

You want to blame the teachers who don't teach and I to would love to get rid of ineffective teachers, but how do you do that without also holding parents and administrators accountable for not doing their job also.

Orli G. Wallace

I appreciate the spirit behind the L.A. Times' effort to rate teacher effectiveness. I think everyone would agree that our students deserve effective teachers. That being said, I hope the Times and the public take into account that reading, math, and learning English in LAUSD are required to be taught with heavily scripted and micro-managed politically correct textbook programs imposed by edict by principals and above, stifling teacher skill and creativity. This teaching is heavily policed. Supplementing with other, more academically effective materials is forbidden and punishable, and taught at the teacher's peril.
I'm disappointed that the Times overlooks additional measures of my effectiveness, e.g., parent satisfaction with my teaching; the progress in English of immigrant children in my classes; my work building up the self-esteem and self-confidence in my students that they can learn, because many of them come to me thinking they can't learn to read or compute; and my successes teaching academic subjects not covered on the standardized tests, i.e., social studies, science, health, music, art, and physical education.
I hope the Times and the public remember that we are teaching the whole child, including character education, and teachers ought to be evaluated -- and appreciated -- for this broad teaching, as well. -- Orli Wallace

Julie R. Flores

As I continue to say, the students reflected on these scores were students from another teacher's classroom. These teachers were part of a program that I was the coordinator for and they retired or took a leave of absence during the above mentioned years. As the coordinator, my responsibility was to put my name on their classroom rosters in order to give their students report card grades. Therefore, the scores shown above are reflective of students who had another teacher for most of the school year, with the exception of one. I would also like to add that it is shameful of the LA Times to continue to publish information that could potentially hurt teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District as a way to boost newspaper sales and profits! Shame on you LA Times!

Edward M. Mitchell

During the years in question we were mandated at our school to teach 3 hours of Language Arts and 1 hour of Math. We were held to those specific time constraints. In addition the district was constantly revising the pacing plan which they called the Math Instructional Guide or MIG. Each year they would take the lesson that had already been organized in the Math text book and switch them around- omitting lessons that built understanding for future learning and have us try to piece together some threads of understanding. The Math instructional program was a mess but I followed it exactly as we were told to- by my administrator and Math Coach. Additionally, I have a bilingual certification, so I was always working with students who were English Language Learners. For students who did not have the language skills to access the curriculum learning English was a priority. Was that factored into this measure? Furthermore two of the years that I am being rated on for Math I actually didn't teach Math at all! We were departmentalized at my school and although students were listed on my roster, I taught students from two classes and I only taught Language Arts, Social Studies, Art and Technology. I did not teach Mat! Another teacher was responsible for Math, Science, Health and PE. And just for your information the first year I participated in the departmentalized program one third of my students moved up in Language Arts while almost all the other student maintained. The following year out of 60 students I was able to move half of the students up (30), while almost all the rest maintained. These are just a few of the factors that have influenced the scores and which demonstrate the lack of validity in this teacher effectiveness measure. I am an award winning teacher, board certified, and have conducted numerous inservices in Language Arts, Technology, and yes, Math. I have also contributed to the learning communities I have been apart of by bringing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and donations to our schools. Parents lobby my administrators in order to have their children in my classes, and anyone who knows me knows I have the highest professional ethic. But according to your data, I just some average and seemingly deficient instructor.

Nancy Grzybowski

All this proves is that some teachers are better than others at teaching test taking strategies. It does not measure writing, English language development or even general reading progress. And who can trust the accuracy of any LAUSD data base? In 2003-04, I was teaching a grade that was not even tested which makes this invalid! It's a shame that your reporting has sunk to the level of the National Enquirer.

Doris E. Oquendo

There are so many different factors that influence a teachers' effectiveness in the classroom. We shouldn't be concentrating on these numbers. It's an injustice to all of the learning community.

Kimberly S. Mclean

I again am dishearted by this publication and its misrepresentation of my work as a teacher. First of all, I taught more than 79 children in the years between 2003-2006. During that time, I was responsible for teaching approximately 200 fourth grade students language arts. Our school made the decision to departmentalize because the teachers felt we could better serve students if we specialized instruction based on our teaching strengths. This data is obviously inaccurate because I didn't teach math during this time and my language arts scores are averaged in with the scores of the two colleagues who I teamed with during those years. Furthermore, I was rated "more effective" in language arts last time my rating was published and "average" in math. I see that things have mysteriously shifted and now my language arts rating is "avearge" and lower than my "average" math rating. Please explain! I asked for my information to be taken down during last summer's publication because it is inaccurate, and my request was refused. I was told to comment which to me is not a satisfactory response.I wonder how any of you reporters would feel if you were inaccurately rated publicly based on your work. I again request for my name to be removed from your data base. I have been a literacy coach and reading intervention teacher since the 2007-2008 school year and have not had my own class during this time since Iwork with small groups of students throughout the day. Although this is upsetting, I take great pride in the work I do as a reading specialist and will continue to teach as many kids as I can to read and write proficiently before they leave elementary school.

Maria C. Ashton

I have five years of scores considered in this "value added" system. I concede that is is likely that I was not highly effective my first year or two. I do however know that my third and forth year of teaching over fifty percent of my students test scores increased or remained proficient or advanced. Maybe this is not enough to be highly effective according to the LA Times but it sure was effective for those children. In addition, I know the Times claims that there is no need to control for race or socioeconomic status, but a 2010 Study conducted by Stanford University and Berkley said differently. It claimed that the races of the children in the "value added" scores could effect the overall effectiveness rating. My career began at a school where 100% of the students were socioeconomically disadvantaged and all minorities, and I'm sorry Times, but no matter what you claim, that does matter. Finally, last year I began with a fourth and fifth grade combination class, by November I was renormed into a substitute position and then in January given a class of the school's 22 lowest scoring FBB students as an intervention. I worked with them until May when I left for maternity leave and the students tested with another teacher. I don't even know which group of children that I taught last year is even included in my "value added" score. Whichever children it was did not receive my instruction for more than three months in total, but I have their test scores to exclusively represent my test scores and effectiveness as an educator. How do you control for that Times? At the end of the day, you can keep printing "value added" scores. You can even contend that they define a teacher, however those of us that actually work in a classroom everyday know that simply cannot accurately represent the real effectiveness of a teacher. I know people want data, and statistics, and numbers to crunch. Well perhaps less people could focus their time or arbitrary measures that include only a snapshot of a teachers impact, and more time focusing on figuring out ways to keep even us "least effective" teachers from being fired every year.

Barbara J. Heughins

I wonder how many value-added will be this year after a year of harrassment and retaliation from my principal. Can you add that in?

Faye B. Ireland

OMG my rating has not improved since the last data base was published. Maybe it is because I RETIRED in 2007.

This rating is based on only three (3) of my forty-five (45) years of teaching. That is only seven percent (7%) of my career.

This rating only shows ninety-three (93) students out of over 1,300 students. That is only seven percent (7%) of the students I taught.

This rating dropped the 02/03 school year and added the 09/10 school year. At that rate it could possibly be four more years before my name is dropped from this data base.

That is possibly four more years of being listed as a least effective teacher in math and English, with no change, because I am RETIRED.

A new “rookie” principal was assigned to Los Feliz the last two years of my career.
1. She did not allow me to use my previously successful methods.
2. She harassed and forced some teachers to switch students for some
subjects.
3. Therefore all 93 of those students used for my rating were not
necessarily taught by me.
4. The morale as well as the school’s API score plummeted.
5. Los Feliz went from a “High Achieving School” to a “Program Review
School" very quickly after she was assigned as principal of Los Feliz
Elementary School.

Kathryn A. Eisenstein

I wish you would have taken into consideration which children's parents are going through divorce, cancer treatments, and the like. I wish you would have included who didn't sleep well the night before, or forgot to eat breakfast the morning of testing. I wish you would have included behavioral problems that ceased because of a teacher's involvement. I wish that instead of lumping all LAUSD teachers in the same box of ability (or lack thereof), you would have taken into consideration teachers who have less than 20 children in their class because parents have actually pulled their child out of a particular classroom based on a particular teacher's inability to control students and educate them at the same time. I do the best I can, and on any given day results will be better or worse. I personally wish you would have included my second- and third-grade class scores, where most, if not all, my students scored proficient or advanced in math. This doesn't validate me nor my ability to teach -- it only validates this reporter's lack of insight into our profession.

Isabella Yurkovetsky

On one hand I am happy to be rated most effective, on the other hand having taken statistics, I recognize that 35% margin of error renders this data at best inconclusive, at most invalid. LA Times has been a pioneer in backlash against public school teachers, an example of biased journalism & a champion of charter schools which skim our most promising students with promises based on falsified data. I challenge any reader who denigrates the efforts of teachers to come into my school and teach for one day. As to those who cry against the large proportion of immigrant children in LAUSD schools, where were your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents born? Blame the society that does not respect learning & is proud of its ignorance (Sarah Palin for President is one example), for the ills of the education system not the teachers. The witch hunt perpetrated by LA Times is driving many great teachers away.

Joseph J. Matthews

Both of these charts seem to display normal distribution, yet in both cases you put the average ranking left of center. Why is this? What is the range, scale, and label for the X-axis? What is the standard deviation? Each teacher's data should be able to be placed on a scatter plot, and if so, what is the correlation coeficcient for each teacher? Without these basic elemtents of labeling and description it is hard to take this data that seriously. Furthermore, how did adjust your process in response to the substantial criticism from the National Education Policy Center (at http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/FactSheetTwo.pdf) of your processes and finding?

Anne Marie Wotkyns

In our departmentalized magnet program, I do not teach my own students math. They have another teacher for math class, and I teach that teacher's class science. These math scores are not a reflection of my teaching and should not be linked to me. This data base should be adjusted for teachers in situations like mine in which we do not teach the all of the tested subjects.

Hanns M. Botz

I have no idea about the very small sample size (33). Hence, the standard error of measure results in a greater range (area) in which the true score lies.

I may have been the " teacher of record" in 20o6, but not the teacher in deed. I left the classroom in 2006 to assume a position with LAUSD in which I was an advisor in the state's new teacher induction program. My students were taught by another teacher or teachers.

I thoroughly enjoyed my 27 years of service as a classroom teacher with LAUSD and remain so joyful to have successfully taught hundreds of students during my career.

Respectfully,

Hanns Michael Botz, Ed.D.

Helene S. Solomon

I continue to have serious reservations about this data. Regardless, it would interest me to see the two years side by side. I understand you averaged several years, dropping 2003-4 and adding 09-10 but if you are looking to establish a review of growth in ability or lesson delivery you would need to see the data history.

Milay A. Sinatra-Rutz

This is different from last year, even though I have not been in the classroom for years now. Can you just delete my name from this thing please?
And my last name is Sinatra. or Sinatra-Rutz, but NOT Sinatra-Rut.

Stephanie J. Minor

In looking at my revised ranking, I am concerned about the algorithm for determining this ranking. The Times says the ranking "is a statistical approach that estimates a teacher's effectiveness at raising student performance on standardized tests." So, my question then is, what if a student comes into my class with a perfect score and gets a perfect score the next year? I am considered a "highly effective" teacher? After all, the test score didn't raise at all. Or, what if that student the perfect score enters my class, then misses just one question on the CST. Am I then an "less effective" teacher? I have no problem with the performance of my students being considered as part of my performance as a professional, but the VA should not be the ONLY method to determine a teacher's performance. I'm glad the Times points this out.

Patricia B. Lucas

It's amusing to see the lack of knowledge displayed here about statistical validity. Two samples from eight years of teaching is statistically meaningless. It is not an adequate sample size. Furthermore, the fact that these two samples were from the first two years I taught, make the evaluation even less meaningful, as it is a skewed sample. I understand that the corporation that runs the Times is in bankruptcy, but there must be a better way for the Times to make money than denegrating teachers.

Brian S. Holland

Celebrate growth and progress; they come in small increments.

Edward E. Sarnoff

This value added model is flawed because the statistics do not accurately asses the value teachers add to student learning. In most cases, the California Standards Test for Language Arts is not an accuarate measure of student progress and should therefore not be used for teacher evaluation. Let me show you why. Imagine your a fourth grade teacher, with a group of 7 students on the second grade reading level. After a year of instruction, you manage to get them to the third grade level, a difficult accomplishment considering you teach a fourth grade curriculumn. Now, to accurately measure the progress, would you give them a second, third, or fourth grade reading assessment??? The state chooses to give a fourth grade assessment. What is the problem with this? This would be like giving kids who have just mastered their addition facts a multiplication test to see if they have improved in their addition. I am deeply disapointed in the integrety of the LA times as a credible news organization and I have to wonder if Eli Broad, the billionare who meddles in school board elections has paid off the Times to print these useless statistics. Remember, a teacher killed himself over this and your still at it again. Dishonorable!!

Deborah V. Harrison

You still have not validated your results satisfactorily for me. Nowhere in your data do you account for students' knowledge prior to 5th grade. If they were already low, maybe they did do better. Nowhere in your data do you show what may have occured in the students' lives -past or just the night before. This effects learning. Nowhere in your data do you show students who are not test takers. They freeze or they play a game of dot-to-dot. Nowhere in your data do you respond to how class size affects learning or even whether students' continue to study at home.
Your data will never convince me that I was a less than effective teacher. It does show that your newspaper/reporter has no concern for human beings already being kicked around and how they will react to your data. No, I won't commit suicide because I KNOW that I was an excellent tracher and I was effective. I taught my students from where they entered my room and using high expectations and any means necessay to teach them, my students learned. They exceeded my expectations. Standardized testing cannot show all of a student's learning. It is limited to certain information that the student may or may not know.
Until you walk in my shoes(not for a day, but for years) you cannot evaluate me or any teacher. Good administrators are those who spent years in the classroom and know what to look for. Teachers need to get back their power to plan, teach, and evaluate. They need stop trying to teach to the test. I have been curious why aren't you evaluating doctors, dentists, or even lawyers. They too provide a service. I think the reason is simple: People can critize/evalate teachers because every individual has spent years in a classroom and tends to feel they know about teaching. WRONG!
I am now retired. You should be happy. I would have spent any extra time I had this last year critiquing /evaluating your newsarticles. I would have bombarded your offices with letters, my students' work(some ungraded--for your grade and timespent), requests for the reporter to get down into the trenches--not use useless data.
I am so disappointed in your newspaper. I give you a failing grade for these articles. GRADE = F

Grace O. Yasuhara

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. It is one test, on one day.

Mary S. Yacoubian

I have not been teaching for 2 years, and prior to that I never taught those subjects. I have no idea how my name is being used in all these rating scales. Please check all you facts before publishing! These reports are NOT accurate are are causing unnecessary damage and harm to the individuals involved.

Sheila M. Suarez

We should all be asking ourselves, what is the LA Times trying to accomplish by publishing these scores? We are not being told anything we haven’t known for years. Publishing these dubious scores has done little but divide schools across the district at a time when we should be pulling together. My scores are based on only 3 years and 110 students. I have taught over 400 students in the past 17 years. It is a very small and poor sampling and would be considered invalid in any real research.

Shelley G. Tenen

I believe that these scores are not always accurate, due to the fact that each year, the type of students teachers work with are different. For example, if I have students who score advanced in an area the previous year, and they score in the advanced range in the same area when they are in my class, then there is really no value added. Yet, they have scored in the advanced range. The real advances show up when a student scores well above where they had scored the previous year. These scores should not be placed solely on one year with a teacher. Many factors go into effect, such as a sight or hearing problem; a divorce or death in the family; an illness which the child was suffering during the test (without letting the teacher know; maybe it was coming on). Not all teachers have the same make up of students. One teacher may have a smart group of children who pay attention and achieve excellent results, while another teacher may have a challenginf group, and the test results are not as high as the teacher had hoped. Yet, both teachers may have done an excellent job with classroom management and lesson preparations. To me, value added judgments do not seem fair as a rating for teacher performance.

Teri C. Passerino R

These scores are based only on the 2009 through 2010 school year with a class which included a 30 percent special education population. The la nguage arts level of the class in general was a year below grade level upon entering the grade. A large portion of the class entered with below grade average math skills including the need to master third grade skills of multiplication facts. If you look at the progress this class made from the previous year, the class increased their scores dramatically which is indicated in the API scores and not reflected in this evaluation. Prior to 2009 the teacher taught only primary grades which testscores are not included in this study.

Paul F. Barger

These are not my scores. These 19 students are from a 3rd grade class at Alta Loma Elementary School. I was a substitute teacher in this class. I arrived as a substitute two weeks prior to state testing. Their teacher had become sick early in the year. This began a string of at least 50 substitutes for this class.

When I arrived just before state testing, there was total chaos. Almost no work had been completed in any of the workbooks. My take on it was that the entire school year had been lost for these students. I’m sure many tried, but when there is a new substitute every day for months on end, the class falls apart. When that happens, no one will stay. (One day and… no way!)

Because I am a credentialed teacher, they made me the teacher of record so that I could administer the state testing. I was still in a substitute position. Obviously, I never would I have dreamed that this situation would come back to reflect on me… and publically.

When the principal, Ms. Manzanera, asked me how I thought the testing had gone I replied, “Look… from what I saw the whole year had been lost. I got them calm and focused for testing; however it takes a year’s worth of learning and hard work to show a year’s worth of growth.” There was no other way to put it.

I had taught many years, and my scores always went up. Betty Castaneda, my principal for seven years at Los Feliz Elementary School wrote this on my letter of recommendation, “He always met the anticipated benchmarks for his students in their ongoing assessment and the test results for State Testing always showed that each student progressed from the previous year.”

Working hard and getting results has always been important to me. I was a business major in college. It makes sense to me that I should be able to see growth and success on state testing. If I don’t, I need to change something.

I also know that in two weeks, you cannot make up for a lost year. (It takes more than two weeks just to turn chaos into a real learning environment.)

Here is the letter Lisa Manzanera (Principal of Alta Loma in 2007) wrote me:

June 29, 2007
Dear Paul,

Thank you again for taking on this third grade class and so determinedly teaching them! I really honor and appreciate how much you care and how skillfully you teach! Their academic progress proves the point! Thanks again –

Lisa Manzanera

Entering this class, I immediately gathered work samples and documented what I saw. Two months later as school ended, I demanded that Liza Manzanera take home the before-and-after work samples. My success in that classroom was well documented.

I doubt I ever had a year where my State Testing results were not at least average. I care about them. They are important to me. (Even average can be hard when following excellent teachers!)

How could I not have thought about the consequences of being named the teacher of record for state testing in a classroom that had experienced at least 50 substitutes before I arrived? I had two weeks with these 19 students before state testing. I still have all the documentation. (Two months later, at the end of the year, I was still a substitute in that position; however I had become their teacher. The calmness of the class and their progress proved that. Ms. Manzanera, the principal, was witness to this.)

Yvonne M. Burch-Hartley

Clearly, I should have been teaching math all day! It would have been a more efficient use of my and my students' time. While I worked equally hard at teaching English, my passion was and is teaching math.

I support the use of this type of data as a part of teacher evaluation. At the very least, this data should be openly discussed and analyzed by teachers and administrators. It should be used with other data to adjust instructional practices. The CST data is used by teachers to help build a profile of struggling or accelerated students. If it is valid for that purpose, it should also be valid for reflecting on instruction.

Sandra L. Blank

Classes are not organized equally so you cannot compare effectiveness.
The "GATE" are clustered in one main class every year,the resource and ELD in another, so how can a fair comparison be made?

Claudia C. Williams

I was on maternity leave September 2008 to mid-March 2009. My 2004-2005 scores were excluded here in this evaluation, and I did work that entire year. You should include 2004-2005 as part of my teaching history and exclude the 2008-2009 for a fair and accurate evaluation.

Denise A. Noah

I agree that our school system needs reform. With a greater than 30% drop out rate and more than 50 % of students failing to reach proficiency according to CST measurements, something needs to be changed.

What the LA Times rating system fails to consider is that the teachers being evaluated are using a "scripted" program called Open Court, and that most teachers have principals who require them to rigidly follow the script. Aren't these scores more a reflection of the fact that this "scripted" program has failed 60% of students and that principals and the district need to allow teachers to teach more effectively?

The LA Times ran an article about a Pacoima teacher who is "highly effective" and is sharing his methodologies with his peers. I can guarantee that his techniques are not in the Open Court Teacher's Guide and that many principals would reprimand a teacher for using them because they are not part of the "scripted program". I also know that Wonderland, one of the highest ranking schools, does not follow the Open Court program. When is someone going to see that the emperor has no clothes?

Robert J. Moore

This data has been shown to be unreliable by an independent study:

"A new study published today by the National Education Policy Center finds that the research on which the Los Angeles Times relied for its teacher effectiveness reporting was demonstrably inadequate to support the published rankings. Due Diligence and the Evaluation of Teachers by Derek Briggs and Ben Domingue of the University of Colorado at Boulder used the same L.A. Unified School District (LAUSD) dataset and replicated the methods of the Times’ researcher but then probed deeper and found the earlier research to have serious weaknesses." - National Education Policy Center BOULDER, CO (February 8, 2011)

Andre Noble

This will certainly be higher for me in the upcoming years. I support the district's use of objective statatistical analysis to evaluate teacher effectiveness.

Heide A. Jenkins

These graphs seem to show that the majority of teachers "rate" as average or above average. However, because of the mass media focus on teachers as the blame for the state of education in this country, you would think that the majority lie in the less than average portion of the graph. Right now, I feel it is open-season on teachers. And yet your statistics show that most teachers are effectively doing their job, despite all of the tremendous obstacles that are put in our way on a daily basis. The majority of teachers that you rated seem to be effectively teaching children, not because of anything, but despite everything.

Barbara Finsten

The use of testing results as a rating system for teachers is unfair. This system does not take in consideration students' native languages, socioeconomic levels, and family issues that cannot be controled by teachers.

Souad K. Gallegos

Thanks for the good rating, but if anyone takes you guys seriously anymore than it's a real shame to us as a society. Your new and improved scale is supposed to be accurate "this time". How do we know?

David R. Clark

Interesting... every year I compare my student's growth over that of the previous year on their Math and LA CST scores. My Math scores always show a greater average increase (per student) than my LA scores, so would I not then be seen as being more effective in Math than LA? And yet the results here appear to be the opposite.

Carol J. Clark

For two years I worked in a collaborative team at Teresa Hughes Elementary. During that time I taught students that were actually on the roster of another teacher. These students were instructed by me for language arts, and some of them made susbstantial gains, but these gains are not reflected on me. In addition, some of these students were English Language learners, and rose from "far below basic" to either "proficient" or in one case "advanced" but this growth is reflected on their homeroom teacher, not on me.

Henry C. Ramirez

"Because this is a statistical measure, each score has a degree of uncertainty," headlines the second paragraph of my ratings preview. If this is true, then this score is meaningless to me. I need valid data.

Glenn M. Fukushima

Though personally disappointed in my performance over the period of observation, I support this data based approach. It is not reflected here, but this school year, I have taken several steps to reflect on and improve my teaching. I sincerely believe that without objective data to allow us to see who we really are, we will not improve.

A couple of points to consider:

-Administrators at individual sites and across the district should also be highlighted. The leadership (or lack thereof) in our schools is critical to student success. Too long have our administrative types been allowed to hide, while the teachers take the punishment. I've been teaching long enough to know that ineffective or destructive leadership can put a school into disarray, or worse. A great leader will lead you to victory. A bad leader will push you into defeat.

-Fear of knowledge. I am surprised at how many teachers are afraid to face the truth of their situations. Many refuse to even look at their rankings. I can only attribute this to an unwillingness to change and improve? As I teach my students, the path to success is driven by making mistakes and learning from them.

-To the Times: as you look forward to next year's rankings of the 2010-2011 year, you may consider separating out that year from the aggregate data, since this will be the first year we have had the information in hand, and would have had the time to make a change. I, for one, would be very interested to see if this is making a difference or not in our teaching (for those that actually took the data seriously, instead of sticking our heads in the sand). I am hopeful that this will spark honest discussion, and positive change.

Vickie Y. Sakado

I have had SEVERAL special ed. students in my class over the years, w/various learning disabilities, some w/multiple learning disabilities. Yet their scores are included in my rating. So, b/c the district won't release that info. to you, you publish these ratings anyway..... In 2010, I had 5 sp. ed students in my class. Their scores are judged like a regular ed. student. I am being penalized for teaching my sp. ed. students the very best I can. Does that seem accurate or fair to you? Your scores hurt teacher morale more than anything. Why can't you see that?

Ryan M. Mullen

Being seen as "most effective" is wonderful. I cannot stress enough, however, how difficult it is to have children excel on a test, that for them has no meaning or value. There are countless teachers being judged here on test scores that reflect a mere few hours out of a 180-day school year. These test scores are dependent on so many factors outside of an educator's control. Did the child get enough sleep? Did he or she eat breakfast? Does he or she care what kind of score is attained? I have been fortunate, in that the majority (certainly not all) of my students over this time period have been serious students who wanted to do well.

Mark H. Ponedal

When the economist who compiled these ratings was a small child, was he accidentally dropped on his head? The fact that these ratings can fluctuate so much suggests that you've used unreliable measurements, and shot from the hip to sell more papers. Haven't you learned what can happen when you take pot shots at the reputations of conscientious people?

Carmel M. Miller

I work very hard to give my students a California standards-based education. I believe I DO give them "value" that cannot be measured by a statistical graph. This value-added system does not reflect ALL that I give them. I do not merely teach to "the test" as many teachers do, but I bring music, art, drama, social studies, health, and life skills into the classroom. This will enable them to grow up to be well-rounded and productive members of society. Question: Does the value-added rating system take the attendance of the student into consideration? Unfortunately, the school where I teach has high absenteeism and tardiness. Needless to say, this also effects academic progress, and should be taken into consideration, if it is not already. Additionally, we deal with behavioral problems on a daily basis. This leads to constant classroom disruptions that stop the flow of instruction, and impede student learning.

Thanks for reading my comments. Undoubtedly, we all want what's best for the students of California.

Carmel Miller

Georgette K. Haverluk

In the nine years I have taught at San Miguel, over 270 students have taken the CST or CTBS standardized tests. Yet you chose to base the results on 169? Point 2: Bell shaped curves went out in the 1990s because of the inconclusiveness that your study again demonstrates. Point 3: How do you answer the fact that CTBS is not comparable to CST?

I am a National Board Certified Teacher, one of the 5% most qualified and effective teachers in the nation. Last year I redesignated 15 out of 16 L.E.P. students, three of which were learning disabled and consequently under my tutelage were exited from Special Education. The 16th student was autistic and went from a F.B.B. to a B.B. He also was exited from Special Ed and now is on a 504 and as needed consultation basis in middle school. All my student raised their scores in Language Arts, however may not have changed levels....oh yes that is a year's growth for a year's education, and furthermore my six F.B.B.'s rose to B.B. and Basic, which is two to three years' growth of learning. This apparently is not value based in your eyes, but is more effective than anyone else in my grade level yet who you deem to be more effective than myself.

Effective teachers get the least effective students, but we move them further than ever before and although we may not work miracles, we get results that no one else was capable of doing. Just ask Jose, my current 5th grader who came in reading 42 words a minute (135 is 50% of grade level and thought proficient by OCR, not by my standards) and had a first grade comprehension level in September. He commented this afternoon "Hey Ms H , isn't weird to see me reading all the time?" as he put "Desperaux" in his backpack to finish this weekend...and he will. He is now reading at fourth grade level and asked if he could redo the Quarter 3 comprehension test because 85% just wasn't good enough. I taught a 10 year old who was expelled from a neighborhood school as a third grader not only how to read but to enjoy it enough to read between soccer games,,,no small feat. Hey you might think I am one of the least effective teachers in this district, but Jose will say different and I will as well. Shame on you and your audacity to slander my reputation and career WORLDWIDE through the internet! This is the epitome of journalistic ineffectiveness and the most disregarding and utter devaluation of information I have ever come across in 34 years of teaching. How dare you call yourselves journalists; you defame and putrefy the concept and I am ashamed I ever encouraged a student to aspire to become one of your kind.
Georgette Haverluk, N.B.C.T.

Monica Maravilla

Had I been given autonomy to teach in a manner that I thought was to the best interest of my students, this rating would reflect differently. I used a scripted program for Language Arts, a pacing plan for math and science, and standardized testing for all three content areas. I was not allowed to use primary language texts to allow English language learners access to content curricula, I was not allowed to use different textbooks for different reading levels. In short, differentating for students was made extremely hard. In summary, I do not mind my "least effective" label. I see it as a validation of my opinion that LAUSD does leave some children behind. Label me what you wish, just fix a system that is largely broken. I taught with great individuals and I am proud of the efforts we all exhibited. I left LAUSD to teach for the Department of Defense. I am now happy to be able to finally teach to the best of my abilities. DoDDS trusts me to teach in a manner that is best for each individual child. LAUSD, please trust your teachers and let them teach. Teachers, do not worry about the label. It is a reflection of LAUSD policies and mandates. Parents and students, let teachers know how you feel about them.

Fern Goldstein

This rating system is faulty and shameful......in this worst of times for this district, this 'paper' continues to place blame on teachers .......instead of researching the bad management and mishandling of monies within the district. The most experienced and effective teachers are retiring early because
we have had enough.

Henri F. Amigo

Thanks for publishing my scores. I was blessed to have had the opportunity to work with some great kids with little in the way of material wealth. They came to me with an insatiable desire to learn, and we worked long and hard to improve.
I am still in touch with many of my former students, and the work and habits we formed are serving my kids now, and I am sure they will be successful, productive members of our community.
I am so very proud of them all!!!

Peter Stern

Teachers who have classes with a high percentage of English-language learners or children of college graduates are the ones who are most likely to see an impact on their score. I had neither a high percentage of ELL's or many children of college grads. I did have administrative interference as I did not teach to the LAUSD prescribed, scripted, daily lesson. It was my feeling that children deserved a well rounded approach to learning rather than the top down narrow lesson presentaion required by administrators.

Looks as though I did fairly well in spite of all the roadblocks.

Carolyn M. Wells

My comments reflect a clarification of my time at the stated schools. At Saturn Elementary I came into the school mid year to replace a teacher who left and I did not teach while at Westside Leadership Magnet. I was at Westside Leadership Magnet as an interim Magnet Coordinator which is outside the classroom. I then returned to Saturn Street Elementary, once again mid year, to replace a teacher who moved on to another position within LAUSD. The scores for both 2005 and 2008 reflect 1/2 a year of the previous teacher's efforts and 1/2 a year from my efforts.

Thanks,
Carolyn

Edward Y. Chang

It's still quite silly to have these 'value-added' scores. Our students at CMCS perform well on these standardized tests from Grade 1. Although the children rise in score, it's very little compared to a school that is not high performing. Students at CMCS go up only a few in percentage since majority of them are in the mid-80 to 90 percentile already. For instance, they go from 88% to 91% or 94% to 99%. This is little compared to other schools where students could score 45% to 70%. From that jump, the teacher gets a higher rating. This is stupid.

Todd S. Lesner

I think that these ratings are inaccurate and somewhat amusing for the following reasons:
I have been a teacher at Westminster Elementary and Westminster Computer/Math Magnet for 30 years, the past 4 years spent as the Magnet Coordinator. During my teaching years at Westminster,
including the one year that I have been listed as a 5th grade teacher (2007) I worked in a departmentalized program where my students went to another teacher for math instruction, while I taught other subjects, including Language Arts. Therefore, my value added score (as well as all the other teachers teaching in this or any departmentalized program) can't possibly tell the whole picture, or the correct picture of what kind of teacher I am, or they are.

Laura S. Rodriguez

I must say that I am both pleased and satisfied with my rating result. It is unfortunate that many in my field see"value-added" rating along with any other critical look into our education system as an attack on teachers. I am an LAUSD teacher. I strive for excellence in my profession and set high standards for my students in academics and in behavior. I do not feel that analyzing data from standardized tests is an attack on me. Tests alone should not determine a teachers effectiveness, however it is a useful measurement that should be looked at, and has in the past been ignored. This is a great opportunity for the Los Angeles community to have a serious conversation about how we run our education system and how we value / assess our teachers. This data base is analyzing data that already existed. As far as "teaching to the test" (as many complain this type of rating encourages) I teach my grade level standards with deliberate planning and tremendous effort. I do not need to teach to a test, by the time my students take the test, they are more than prepared. As a result they pass and even excel. I aim to inspire my students to love reading and value their learning. That is not directly measured on this scale, but is somewhat reflected in our CST results. Every teacher should welcome self reflection and data is a useful tool for that. These tests are meaningful ways to identify where we as professionals are successful and where we are falling short. If we close the dialogue we do ourselves and our students a disservice.

Karla C. Dearden

How about rating the effectiveness of parenting? The effectiveness of administration?

Dennis L. Hagen Smith

Dennis Hagen Smith's Response:

• Your article substitutes simple answers (one type of assessment) to complex questions for the more detailed investigation necessary to produce positive results. By focusing upon a single criteria (test scores) to classify teachers’ “effectiveness,” your article will result in continued pressure upon teachers to “teach the test.” It does not address the more important issues of student motivation, parent involvement, or the students’ retention of knowledge. Some teachers “teach the test,” and see a rise in their students’ test scores. Yet, those same students demonstrate little retention of those skills beyond the test. In fact, many students enter the next grade level unable to complete the most basic assignments. Their performance is clearly incongruent with the test scores from the previous year. We are asked to believe that the students simply forgot that information. Yet, the retention of knowledge, or the ability to apply that knowledge (two essential components of effective teaching), are completely ignored by your article.  
• Your article fails to track the students further than fifth grade. The goal of educating our students is to prepare them for their best possible future. You need to research the continuing education of the students. You state that research shows that “teacher effectiveness is the single most important factor in a child’s ability to learn.” Please cite that research, and as effective journalists, also discuss the plethora of research that cites other issues such as home environment, nutrition, parents’ education levels, & socio-economic status, have a great impact upon a child’s ability to learn.
• After 22 years of teaching, your article represents the first time that the L.A. Times has mentioned my name. It has used this skewed data to judge my effectiveness as a teacher. Yet, the L.A. Times has ignored the many students who return to my school each year and tell me that I’ve been one of their most influential teachers, the many students who’ve left our Title I community to attend colleges (including M.I.T., NYU, UCLA, etc.), and the numerous projects I’ve undertaken with students to provide motivation and an ongoing desire to learn.  
• In assessing my “effectiveness,” the L.A. Times has ignored a number of professional accomplishments which demonstrate the effectiveness of my teaching:  o As a result of my work with students, I was awarded the Historical Society of Southern California’s highest honor, the Joseph O’ Flaherty Distinguished Teaching Award.  o I have appeared in Who’s Who of American Teachers (nominated by former students for the positive effect I’ve had upon their education) three different occasions. Additionally, I earned very high scores while becoming our school’s only National Board Certified classroom teacher.
o I’ve collaborated with numerous public institutions to bring greater educational opportunities to our Title I students. The Skirball Cultural Center, the Geffen Playhouse, the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society, the Center for Civic Education, the UCLA ArtsBridge program, the Art Center College of Design, curators at the Autry National Center & the Huntington Gallery, the Zimmer Children’s Museum, the NoHo Arts Festival, Azusa Pacific University, the UCLA History-Geography Project, the UCLA Writing Project, former school board member Jon Lauritzen, the L.A. County Natural History Museum, Tree People, Burbank DWP, the Digital Divide Conference at UCLA, Windows-on-our-Waters Environmental Education, the Children’s Nature Institute, and the Autry National Center have acknowledged my accomplishments developing effective classroom practices.  
o While working with the Center for Civic Education, I was asked to collaborate with a number of other educators to write the Scope and Sequence linking their National Civics Standards to the California State Social Studies Standards. In addition, I brought Project Citizen to our school. This project encourages students to make a positive difference in society by using a multi-step process to identify a problem, find and review potential solutions, and then create an action plan to implement the policy. Through this program, my students, who called themselves the Positively Green PowerShifters, made short- and long-term proposals to implement policies converting Toluca Lake Elementary School into an energy efficient prototype. Working with a graduate student from the UCLA ArtsBridge program, the Positively Green PowerShifters made their project into a film to better inform the community about ways to take action locally to reduce global climate change.
o I have often been asked to share teaching insights with other educators including the presentation of curriculum the Center for Civic Education, the Skirball Cultural Center, LAUSD, the UCLA History-Geography project, the UCLA Writing Project, Center X at UCLA, & Constitution Day conferences. In addition, I have worked as a mentor teacher for LAUSD, and a master teacher for the ACT program of the California University of Northridge. I was appointed as the Articulation Coordinator in LAUSD’s District B (North Hollywood) creating links between middle and elementary school teachers in the area (funded by an Annenberg Grant), and helping to organize a Summer Bridging program to help elementary students make the transition to middle school. Also, I worked on the development of student curriculum detailing the history of jazz for the Thelonious Monk Jazz Institute’s website, as well as the creation and testing of LAUSD’s new model curriculum, “United States History & Geography: Making a New Nation.”  
o I’ve initiated and edited a monthly school newspaper (The Toluca Lake Times), a school web page, a school recycling program (Cycle-of-Life Club), an alumni volunteer program, an ArtsBridge program utilizing graduate students from UCLA, a school-wide basketball tournament, and numerous outreach programs with local museums and environmental organizations.  
o I am a firm believer in integrating curriculum to provide students with important real-world connections. I have led students in the creation of a number of performances utilizing the arts to immerse his pupils in the curriculum. Students learned about literature and social studies while performing “Tom Joad.” This play incorporated the music of Woody Guthrie with aspects of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Students wrote and performed monologues voicing the concerns of individuals from the classic novel. After viewing this performance at the NoHo Arts Festival, Lee Baker of the Community Redevelopment Agency brought the students into a studio to film their play for public access. Other performances created by my students include “The Wizard of Paz” (integrating aspects of Don Quixote with The Wizard of Oz), “Another Christmas Carol” (a modern interpretation of the Charles Dickens’ classic in which Scrooge is now an energy baroness), Harlem Jazz (a historical recounting of the development and influence of jazz and blues throughout American history), “Now Let Me Fly” (50th Anniversary of Brown vs. the Board of Education), and the creation of animated films with the Zimmer Children’s Museum’s youTHink program. My students also wrote and performed a Toluca Lake Holiday. This musical production presented a history of the local community as an extension of the Community Treasures Project sponsored by Thomas Brothers Maps. During the Community Treasures project, students read local history, researched the archives of a local newspaper (The Tolucan), and took numerous trips around the neighborhood to conduct interviews and photograph important sites for this project. Their finished work was displayed at the school and at a local art gallery in the NoHo Arts District.  
o In 2002, my class won a nationwide contest with the Peace Corps enabling his students to speak directly with their pen pals in Romania. Esteemed actor and director, Ed Begley, jr. has twice welcomed my students to view his play, Cesar and Ruben (about Cesar Chavez & Ruben Salazar) and conduct exclusive interviews with the cast (published in the school newspaper). My students’ poetry is annually displayed at the Japanese Community and Cultural Center in Little Tokyo. In 2008 and 2009, I was awarded a Keeping History Alive grant from Azusa Pacific University. This grant funded his students’ participation in the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read of Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. This fine project integrated history, geography, science, writing, and the arts. The project included a guided tour of the Jack London papers at the Huntington Library by curator Sara Hobson. The project culminated with the creation of a student-made film, The Call of the Past. This film portrayed Buck, the protagonist from The Call of the Wild, overcoming a variety of fictional challenges as he travels to several salient moments in American History: aboard Christopher Columbus’ ship the Santa Maria, in Tenochitlan at the time of Hernando Cortes’ invasion, in Colonial Jamestown, with French fur traders along the St. Lawrence River, at Plymouth Rock, in New Amsterdam, with George Washington crossing the Delaware River, escaping along the Underground Railroad, and visiting President Barack Obama in the White House. Writing these stories and creating this film helped students gain a better understanding of these important events in American history.  
• Your article gives those unfamiliar with public schools, the idea that the “value added” methodology is something new that has been ignored by schools in the past. Yet, for many years my school has made that data available to teachers and provided many hours of professional development to help teachers enhance their instruction. Had you taken the time to effectively research your topic, you would have found this information. Journalism, the fourth estate, is a great responsibility. Effective journalists thoroughly research their topic, evaluate alternative perspectives, and present potential solutions. Unfortunately, your article fails accomplish these tasks.
- Dennis Hagen-Smith Toluca Lake Elementary  4-08-11

Steven A. Lafollette

I've got an idea . . . let's base a reporter's effectiveness and pay on the newspaper's circulation rate ?

Bonnie B. Mac Adam

Teaching bright students who are eager to learn is every teacher's dream, but it was more than a dream to me. Every year I taught at Carpenter Elementary School, each class was an exciting challenge to meet. There were gifted 3rd and 4th grade students who were ready to learn Algebra and to read high school level books, while others were ready and willing to move ahead--and did. I passionately believe that our kids are ready to learn much more than they're given, and we should be encouraging acceleration whenever it's appropriate for the student. I'm a great champion of technology, but I think providing more mentors and tutors would be a far greater valuable educational investment than the purchase of any computer. Although I retired from LAUSD last June, a teacher who delights in teaching never truly retires, and we never, ever forget the kids we reached, nor the ones we didn't. I believe that standardized tests reflect neither the whole of a child's learning, nor the scope of his/her teacher's instruction. How can any written test discern that a student has acquired metacognition, where he has learned to analyse his own learning? On the other hand, tests can and do provide certain concrete comparisons. I welcome both the LA Times' "Value Added" scores and the scores of the annual standardized tests. They're useful tools, but they should not be treated merely as black and white teacher report cards since both the kids and the teachers are so much more.

Carol T. Banks

There is so much more that goes into test scores than shows here. It is all about WHERE the students are when you receive them as students. If they are already at the top there is no room for improvement. If they are LOW (as my students generally were) then it is easier for dedicated educators to bring up their test scores. It is a shame that the "be all and end all" has to be test scores. What about reasoning, problem solving and critical thinking skills? All the emphasis on testing is, I am afraid, going to result in a group of test takers who don't know how to solve problems. I wish the so-called "experts" would spend one day - or at least one week - in the classroom and they would better understand the issues education is REALLY facing.

Marian D. Shellenberg

Since I began teaching in 1967, I have had immediate positive feedback from students and their families and I have had long-term feedback from students and their families. (In fact, after the first "slander" the LA Times printed about me, I have had many former students contact me in outrage at the injustice!! And, fortunately, the families at my school were not fooled by this and still were supportive and happy to have their children in my class!) I teach the curriculum and provide a rich, well-rounded program to my students. I am always very responsive to students and their parents. My colleagues and administrators have always observed that I am an excellent teacher...and I am!! Your evaluation in the "least effective" type of evaluation I have ever seen. Do you realize that this makes good, hard-working, dedicated teachers like me feel helpless? Do you realize that this drains our enthusiasm for teaching? Fortunately, our real bosses (the parents) do really know what we are doing for their children and show their appreciation and support! This undue emphasis on standardized testing is part of a whole political "game" that, if continued, may doom public education. Why would young people want to put in the effort to obtain this job to earn pay that is not commensurate with their level of education and to receive unfair criticism in a public forum? In fact, recent surveys show that less and less people are going into education. I don't blame them. The joy of emparting education does not outweigh the mud that is being slung on educators! Also: Value-Added Models exacerbate the overreliance on standardized test scores. We are heading down a road of no return that will lead to the further narrowing of the curriculum, teaching to the test, and the exclusion of critical thinking skills, the arts, and any other area that is not measured by the standardized tests.
- Value-Added Models rest on a faulty premise—that high-stakes standardized student test scores can measure a teacher’s effectiveness. Standardized tests are imperfect measures already. They often do not test what students really know and, worse, they often test low-level skills.
- As stated in a July 2010 report by the U.S. Department of Education, more than 90 percent of the variation in student test scores is due to student-level factors that are not under the control of the teacher.
- Standardized test scores do not come close to measuring everything that teachers do. They are just a snapshot of a single point in time and should not be substituted for evaluating all the work the teacher has done the other 170-plus days of school.
- My fellow teachers and I do not support keeping a teacher in the classroom who clearly isn’t making the grade, but standardized test scores should never be the basis for determining that.
- VAM is another example of a “quick fix” that some policymakers embrace instead of doing the harder work of pursuing long-term solutions for public education. We already know what works to improve student learning: smaller classes, more resources for schools, relevant professional development for teachers, and time for teachers to work collaboratively on lesson plans and curriculum.
- The research base on VAMs is currently insufficient to support the use of VAM for high-stakes decisions about individual teachers or schools. Even supporters of VAM admit that it is a flawed, inconsistent system.
- Standardized tests were not designed to evaluate teachers and they are not valid instruments for doing so. Using standardized test scores to evaluate teachers will do nothing to tell teachers how to improve their practice.
- My colleagues and I agree that the evaluation system for both teachers and administrators needs to be overhauled, but using standardized test scores isn’t the way. The evaluation system should be designed to support teachers and help them grow in their profession.

Tomas Parra

I scored higher in math effectiveness eight months ago. I'm now working harder and more efficiently than ever! Why such a dismal change in my rating? There are far too many variables not being considered. Your model continues to be flawed and trigger-happy.

Nam P. Pho Berg

In August I wrote:
"I taught in a school, in a system, where social promotion almost always supersedes standards-based promotion. Consequently, every year my class was composed of students with an overwhelmingly wide range of abilities. Even though I was assigned one grade level, I felt obligated to cover previous grade-level standards, while introducing new grade-level content and skills, modifying for those behind, and adding complexity for those few advanced.
I can accept that I may not have been as effective as other LAUSD teachers, whose class compositions may or may not have been similar to mine, in preparing my students for the 5th grade state tests. However, I DO NOT appreciate the LA Times implying, with their “less effective” ranking, that I was in negligent in tending to my students’ education. While essentially teaching a multi-grade-level class, I worked hard and long hours (much longer than my contracted time) to meet my students’ learning needs. The standardized test scores, on which my label is based, represent one snapshot of a narrow set of standards covered in my classroom."

I still feel my LAT ratings do not reflect how tirelessly I worked to help my students become articulate and self-motivated learners with strong foundations. However, I am glad to see that the Times does qualify, "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. " Raising standardized test scores does not always equal educating.

Carol K. Walker

I find it rather interesting that my ratings went down, however, i am not surprised. We have a larger student per teacher ratio, more special education student inclusion, more requirements, less support, less pay, less time due to furloughs, more students currently needing medication(and at times coming to school without it) to control ADD and ADHD, more parents who lack the basic educational skills to assist their child should they fall behind in ANY subject, did I say less support? And let's not forget the child who bubbles in anything because they are too disinterested to take their time and actually read the material. Am I upset, sure, because i work very hard, but i am not surprised. I have 4 children of my own, (2 out of college and 2 graduating next Spring)so i know what is required of a parent with school age children. Here are some pointers if you want to support your child and their teacher. Check your child's backpack(finding molding fruit from weeks past is not a good thing) at least once a week...stay informed. Check their homework for completion and correctness...is you are unfamilair with the subject, find someone to help them who is. Be prepared, have supplies on hand and send them to bed early so they can wake up ready to learn. And above all, teach them manners and self control so i don't have to correct them all day long. I need that time to TEACH!

Julieanne R. Harmatz

Your data does not reflect who or what I teach. Many teachers in LAUSD partner teach with others and this data misrepresents them. I've analyzed my data for the students and the subjects I teach and the data diverges tremendously by class. Same teacher...same kinds of students demographically... different results....umm... wonder why? Maybe because this snap shot is just that: a snap shot. One picture could be more accurate than the other. OR maybe both are inaccurate. Do two days of testing reflect a child's learning over a whole year? It might measure their development at this point in their school career that has been built by multiple teachers over the years. Thoughtful people won't judge a student or a teacher on just this one picture. The data is valuable from an instructional stand point, as are all assessments. But certainly not for making wholesale judgments as to a teacher's value or the "value" that has been "added" to the child.

Kathy M. Pullman

What a difference a year makes! Last time I was most effective. Gee, I must have lost my skills . How many more teachers will you drive away from the profession or just drive to their end? This is utterly and completely invalid. How many parents have you interviewed or assessed for their work the other 18 hours in a day? How many children have you spoken to about how they feel about school? Do you blame the doctor if his patient refuses to follow medical directives? I'll bet you'll find a way to blame the police for felons. This is the kind of thing that makes me consider retiring.

Stephenie Sun

I noticed that my ratings for both subjects changed. I did read the side panel regarding ratings changes and realize that it may just be due to the addition of 5,000 more teachers to the data pool. I'm pretty sure the first possible cause listed (dropping scores from 2002-2003) would not affect me since I began teaching in LA Unified in 2005-2006. It seems that the second possible cause (adding scores from 2009-2010) would likely not affect me either since in 2009-2010, I was teaching 2nd grade, and not in 3rd through 5th grade, from where student data is being pulled. I just wanted to be sure that there was no error in my rating calculation because of a grade level change for the 2009-2010 school year.

Teresa Kennedy

While I am pleased that my test scores reflect effective teaching, I question the role the LA Times has taken in making this information public. I also question the role LAUSD has not taken in eliminating ineffective teaching. My wish is for all students to receive effective instruction. I also wish for the district to remedy the problem when students are in a classroom where effective instruction is not taking place. With effective instruction all students will show growth, no matter who their parents are or where they live.

Tascha L. Folsoi

This job is a great joy in my life. In an effort to grow both as an educator and as a human being, I have dedicated a great deal of time, money, and spirit to improving myself and my craft. Each student I have had has taught me a great deal and has been a great gift in my life. I am thankful for every day I have spent as a teacher.

Mitchell W. Jacobs

A red line that is a GUESS! Shaded areas that I'm either more effective or most effective in math and can be least effective, less effective, average or more effective in language arts. Moreover this time the Times dropped the fact that there is more change in math scores and does not have an overall rating which last time had me rated as more effective. Meanwhile if you read the fine print they added in best guess adjustments for english language learners, poverty, gender and parent educational achievement. They admit no adjustments for special education or the fact that classes are not randomly assigned to teachers which is required for a true value added analysis. In my case, as a rare male elementary teacher, I am given the high energy boys. This alleged analysis is based on a series of unproven assumptions.

Deborah R. Abram

I have not worked for the district or as a teacher for four years and would prefer my name not be published. Thank you, Deborah Abram

Scott R. Lebo

Although the value added scores supposedly reflect only one aspect of a teacher's work, the mere publication of these scores for the world to see, sends the message that test scores are the most important data from which to judge a classroom. The real value added score should be the beneficial effects of what students are able to do with the tools they gather in all of their classrooms throughout the years.

Joel I. Robbins

What about teeachers who did not teach in grades 3-6, or those who taught otherr than math and English. How is the effectiveness of those teachers being rated?

Eileen S. Anderson

I was Average in ELA when the scores came out in the Fall. I am now brought down to less effective! Last year's test scores are what was added in. In ELA, of my 29 students, I had 16 students move up a level. The final scores were 16 Advanced, 10 Proficient, and only 3 were Basic. The class total points went from 10,845 to 11, 683. I don't know your formula, but something is drastically wrong here. I can mail you my scores print out. I believe you are putting out false information and I have proof to back this up. Please do your math over!

Mary S. Weiss

How can you rate my effectiveness after just ONE year back in the classroom after being a Math coach for eight years? I would love to share with you the details of my class last year. It is insulting that I am rated "least effective" in English without all the facts. I am canceling my subscription to the Times after over 30 years. Thank You.

Thelmo Garcia

The classrooms that are represented in this data are GIFTED and ADVANCED students who made little progress because they stayed at the Advanced and Proficient Range. The test changes from 3rd to 4th grade in their expectations. So the fact that I was able to maintain their scores at their current level shows more progress than me lifting students from B or BB to P or A. As a gifted teacher I find this information inaccurate and libelous saying I'm ineffective in sustaining and raising student scores on a test that is given only once a year, without taking into consideration the populations and areas I work in, or the students progress throughout the year.

Laura N. Mc Cutcheon

You show me teaching 2005-2010, but I started teaching at Menlo Ave. Elem., LAUSD, in 1995. I have state standardized test scores dating back to that time, as I've always taught 3rd, 4th, or 5th grades. I've taught 20 to 32 students each year. When I looked at this website in August,
you showed me as most effective for 6 years. I'm a bit confused. Are you showing me most effective for 6 years still? Does 2010-2005 encompass 5 or 6 years? But in addition, I had very high scores released after you first released this data, that would be at least 7 years in a row. However, I always keep in mind that the CST scores are but one measurement of a student's success. I work with Sierra Club's Inner City Outings to provide my students wilderness experience, important for our inner city youth. I've also done numerous curricular trips each year to bring them to museums, concerts, and other cultural and curricular events, including seeing the play THE LION KING. Some years I take them on train trips to Carpinteria or for swimming lessons at the L.A. Olympic Swim Stadium in Exposition Park. But all this pressure around state testing makes officials nervous about teachers taking kids on trips--kids who desperately need their classroom extended into the widercommunity. How do you measure the value of a trip? I'm so sad these test scores loom threatingly over teachers to cause stress and distress undermining our teaching. LA TIMES doesn't talk about the challenges of inner city schools anymore--dealing with community poverty, crime, gangs, lack of food in the homes, drugs, single working parents, undocumented immigrant parents, no English at home, poor attendance, lower education, etc.--all which affect academics. Everything comes down to a state test score and the fault of only a teacher if it's not high. What a shame. You ought to do some deep investigative reporting to find out how really hard and successful inner city teachers and students are--in spite of the attacks on us and the odds against us.