-
Login
-
Digital Edition
-
Print Edition
- Most Commented
- Most Commented
- Most Emailed
- Most Emailed
- Popular
- Popular
« News Home
Pilot program evaluates teachers in Youngstown district
TweetBy Denise Dick
Youngstown
A teacher-evaluation system operating as a pilot in the city schools this year reflects the standards outlined by the Ohio Department of Education.
The pilot was negotiated as part of the most recent contract between the school board and the Youngstown Education Association, which represents district teachers.
Fifty teachers each from the elementary-, middle- and high-school levels were selected randomly for the evaluation, said Karen Green, assistant superintendent of human resources.
The current evaluation tool just rates educators as satisfactory or unsatisfactory. “It wasn’t based on standards,” Green said.
The pilot evaluation is — and includes a pre-observation, observation and post-observation and rates a teacher as basic, proficient or accomplished based on their performance.
“To become accomplished takes a lot,” Green said. “They’re the best of the best.”
The new tool also looks at strategies, goals and building rapport with students, with parents and the community, she said.
“It’s the whole education process,” Green said.
In evaluating teachers, principals must see evidence of meeting the standards.
Four representatives from the board and four from the union designed the evaluation pilot.
Will Bagnola, president of the YEA, said teachers are going through training regarding the new evaluation pilot. He said that the union wanted it to be in place in September, but that didn’t happen.
Because it’s a pilot, the evaluations performed of teachers this year won’t be part of their personnel file. Once the process is completed and teachers, principals and others provide input on what worked and what needs improvement, the system is expected to be implemented for the 2012-13 school year.
Green said the first evaluation this year is expected to be done by January with another evaluation conducted before the end of the school year. After the first evaluation, the teacher and principal will meet to review the evaluation so the principal may explain areas for improvement and the teacher may ask questions.
School board members last month expressed concerns about whether the school district has time for a pilot program in light of the state superintendent’s statements that Youngstown has to make progress faster.
“There is an urgency, but even with the urgency, we need to produce a quality product,” Green said. “That’s what we’re going to do.”
Comments
What happens if a teacher is found unsatisfactory? How 'bout if they have tenure?
We'll have to wait and see what, if anything, is done with the evaluations. There should be a progressive training and continued education program -one that teaches real skills, innovations, and techniques an "unsatisfactory" rated teacher may not have had the chance to learn. I wouldn't expect the teachers not to be retaught the way some students have to be, but teachers should be just as accountable as the students. Continued problems should be terminated. We'll see what happens. Hopefully the trend of throwing the old ways out with the superintendent is continued.
That cannot be all though. Parental accountability needs to be pushed now. Start grading parents too. Homework not done & turned in? Hold the parents accountable -required service hours (ie. detention) in the schools. Start requiring attendance at parent teacher conferences, and start having them every grading period too. I blame the Youngstown teachers for a
lot, all of which is their fault, but no one can blame them without blaming the parents too.
db,
if a tenured teacher gets rated unsatisfactory. They are worked with , a plan is developed to assist them to improve or they are fired. this should take two years for this to happen. Thus tenured teachers are fired when they fail to met the standards. This happens more often than you would think. Non tenured teachers can have the best evaluations and still fired with no reason given.
That's why I agree that tenure is needed espicailly in places like Youngstown.
What needs evaluated is the students and their parent/parents.The overwhelming problem with the Youngstown School system is what walks thru the doors on a daily basis. How do you fix that? How do you reach someone that does not want to be helped?
Real focus needs to be an evaluation program for parents and school administrators.
Teachers should be allowed to evaluate administrators.
Administrators and teachers should be allowed to evaluate parents.
I'm delighted that I'm not "a fool", "naive", "in the minority" or " the only nut that wants that", as the Youngstown Board of Education & superintendents office have stated I am every time I raise the issue of evaluating parents & holding parents accountable too. Students are evaluated and held accountable through grades, diplomas, college admissions & scholarships. Teachers are becoming more and more accountable in more and more communities. Hopefully that trend continues. All of it will be for naught though without holding parents to the same level accountability. I wonder how many people who agree & are posting the same sentiments pick up the phone & call the the board offices about it every day. I wonder how many people have sent letters to that effect to board members (and the teacher's union).