Cynthia Baker

A 5th grade teacher at Vermont Avenue 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, Baker 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.

Baker's LAUSD teaching history

2002-03 through 2008-09 academic years

Vermont Avenue Elementary, 2009 - 2003

Cynthia Baker's Response:

I think that solely rating a teacher based on student test scores can be misleading. For example, my students this past year all previously scored proficient and advanced in both math and language arts. My job was to keep the advanced students at advanced and maintain or improve the proficient students. If I was able to do so, I would show no "value added" and be determined to be less effective.
Also, for our mostly latino students, it IS a matter of doing a lot of test prep if we want this population of students to test well. As a product of LAUSD, this certainly was not what my education was based on. If we want well educated students who are able to test well, then we need to improve conditions for these students and their families outside of the school setting. If all we care about is testing well, we may as well just teach 6 hours of test prep each day.

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.