Testing Teachers

By: Kyle McMindesENG 1023/27/12

Does the Licensing process for becoming a teacher reinforce the

values looked for in teacher evaluations, or does it provide a false

sense of what it is to be a teacher?

Teacher Licensing

• Receiving a teacher license is no easy task.

• You have to know much more than simply the subject you are attempting to teach.

3 Key Licensing Criteria (#1)Student Development and Learning

• A teacher must be able to analyze their students strengths and weaknesses and adapt accordingly.

• A relatively good understanding of the human psyche is essential to a teacher.

3 Key Licensing Criteria (#2)Instruction and Assessment

• Teacher lessons and instruction must help children grow not only academically but socially as well

• Assessing students is also considered on both the academic and social field.

3 Key Licensing Criteria (#3)The Professional Environment

• Teachers are professionals and are required to do many things other than simply teaching.

• They also must know how to handle issues such as speaking with parents in a professional manner

Things looked for in Teacher Evaluations

• Teachers are graded on clear and precise performance expectations.

• The absolute most important factor in the evaluations is evidence that the students are learning the material.

• This is most commonly observed through state mandated testing.

Reasons for the Teacher Evaluations

• Teachers are expected to be learning from the feedback that they receive.

• If they are not adapting and becoming more successful their must be consequences.

Why are evaluations considered important

• They allow for teachers to have an outside source offer feed back and encourage growth even for already established teachers.

• Teaching needs to be a very flexible field because generations are constantly changing so the evaluations offer a quick way to find out new successful teaching trends.

Issues (1)Imbalance in social and academic

• The Licensing process and test to become a teacher focuses heavily on both the social and academic requirements teachers must possess.

• The teacher evaluations however focus primarily on student performance.

Issues (2)No professional follow up

• The process to become a teacher requires a knowledge and understanding of the professional environment.

• Evaluations pay literally no attention to a teachers professional manner.

Issues (3)Lack of Creativity

• Since the largest proportion of your rating comes from state mandated testing teachers begin to only teach to the test.

• Originally creativity in assignments and lessons was encouraged, however the evaluations make it dangerous to try new styles of teaching.

Issues (4)Scores made public

• Some evaluations are displayed so the public can see.

• These statistics cause pandemonium in school districts and humiliate teachers rather than encourage growth.

Are Evaluations Successful?

• They try to pin point the scores of the evaluation mainly on state test scores.

• They very often contradict the skills learned and developed through the licensing process.

Can they be Successful?

• There needs to be more than just state mandated states as a means to judge the success of teachers.

• Ranked just as highly needs to be the teachers ability to help kids develop socially (Social surveys?)

• Also direct praises and criticisms from higher ranking officials needs to be totaled in.

Bibliography

• "Evaluation 2.0." . The New Teacher Project, 2009. Web. 26 Mar 2012. <http://tntp.org/assets/documents/Teacher-Evaluation-Oct10F.pdf?files/Teacher-Evaluation

• Friedman, Stephen. "Grading Teachers Grading Policies." . N.p., 1995. Web. 26 Mar 2012. <http://www.middleweb.com/PrinGrdng.html>.

• "New York State Teacher Certification Examinations." . N.p., 21012. Web. 26 Mar 2012. <http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/>.