Ashley Collett Tanger

A 4th grade teacher at Tulsa Street Elementary in 2009

These graphs show a teacher's "value-added" rating based on his or her students' progress on the California Standards Tests in math and English. The Times’ analysis used all valid student scores available for this teacher from the 2002-03 through 2008-09 academic years. The value-added scores reflect a teacher's effectiveness at raising standardized test scores and, as such, capture only one aspect of a teacher's work.

Overall value-added effectiveness

Math effectiveness

English effectiveness

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

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

Average overall.
Average in math. Students of teachers in this category, on average, did not gain or lose significantly on the California Standards Test compared with other students at their grade level.
Average in English. Students of teachers in this category, on average, did not gain or lose significantly on the California Standards Test compared with other students at their grade level.

Tanger's LAUSD teaching history

2002-03 through 2008-09 academic years

Tulsa Street Elementary, 2009 - 2007

Ashley Tanger's Response:

The real truth is that I get evaluated by more than 30 people everyday I teach. I get evaluated on whether or not I listen to them when they tell me things that they have never told anyone else. I get evaluated when I see in a child’s eyes that they do not understand and I need to come up with three other ways to present a concept to them. I get evaluated when I have to break up a fight or mend a friendship. I get evaluated when I stay after school to help kids with homework whose parents can’t or worse won’t. I get evaluated when former students come back to visit me and recall specific lessons they did 5 years ago. I get evaluated when a student struggles and finally succeeds with a smile. Yah, I get evaluated more often than any other job on earth. According to your research the only data that matters to my evaluation is the 4 days out of the year my students are tested, when in reality I see every day as an evaluation and I sure hope in my students eyes that I pass as being something more than “average”.

The Times gave LAUSD elementary school teachers rated in this database the opportunity to preview their value-added evaluations and publicly respond. Some issues raised by teachers may be addressed in the FAQ. Teachers who have not commented may do so by contacting The Times.