My 2 Cents on VAM

  As part of our Race to the Top carrot chase a new teacher evaluation system was put in place. This is not anything new. We created the TLE commission to oversee this new process. The evaluation system has three moving parts. It has the supervisor evaluation making up 50% of the evaluation. Then you have a section called Other Academic Measures. This section is more of whole school items like attendance. Which basically means 15% on things a teacher can't control. The last 35% is worse. It is based off of individual student testing. It is suppose to measure some component of individual kid's growth on tests. For a teacher who has subjects that are in the state testing wheel house that component is called a VAM, value added model. For a teacher in a non state testing subject it is called an SLO, student learning objective. If an employee is a counselor they have a SOO, student outcome objective.

  Here's my two cents. We have a 800 teacher shortage. Which is probably low and also doesn't include the other support jobs that Oklahoma public schools have been forced to cut as well. Teachers have been beaten up with how they are lazy, overpaid, underperforming. So now we will set up a system where some teachers get to set a locally decided SLO to see if they are achieving "adequate growth" or some will get a state set VAM on their tests that have had numerous problems the last few years. It sets up a two tier system which is not fair. Both may be evaluated for growth, but not the same way and with the same instrument. It just makes no sense. It will lead to more disgruntled teachers. We have a tough time finding Math, Science, and Special Ed teachers. The last few years, it was tough to find any teachers. This does not help the problem.

  Here are few unintended consequences from this 35% part. Why would you teach in an area of low socioeconomic students? Why would you teach in an area with a high concentration of special education students? Why would you teach in an area of a lot of limited language students? These are the students who need the most help typically. They need the best of the best. The TLE calls for dismissal of a teacher with two years of bad overall evaluations. Why risk it when there is no reward? Does a $2,000 raise make it worth it to lose your job based on a student's test score? Here is the other thing this does. You remember that administration cost thing you always here the legislature screaming about? Guess how many reports, meetings, and paperwork it takes to make this 35% work. I really hope this is an area the legislature and the State Department of Education look at as a way to combat the teacher shortage. This is definitely an area that needs to be local control.