Sharon Tamura Dornberg

A 3rd grade teacher at Park Western Place 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, Dornberg ranked:

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

Dornberg's LAUSD teaching history

2002-03 through 2008-09 academic years

Park Western Place Elementary, 2009 - 2003

Sharon Dornberg's Response:

I teach at a math/science gifted/high achievement magnet where the students are expected to score well. When we had the norm reference test CAT6 we could see the true extent of our students and get a better idea of where to improve our instructions. On a criteria reference test CST it is difficult because our students will always score well because there is no way of showing the results of the enrichment and the push beyond grade level. When 88% of my 48 students (I team teach with another teacher, I teach the math and science) score advanced in math, I am still shown as an average teacher. I have an NBC, Bilingual/Bicultural competency certificate (a forerunner of the bilingual credential), and am the lead support provider in LD8 for the BTSA program. But according to your results I am an average teacher.

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.