tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post796934148424007128..comments2024-01-06T06:09:29.140-05:00Comments on An Urban Teacher's Education: Loss Aversion: Paying Teachers More and Less in the Wrong Directionjames boutinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-66710897333645227042012-08-01T21:40:31.719-04:002012-08-01T21:40:31.719-04:00Thanks, Nancy. It's always nice to hear you ap...Thanks, Nancy. It's always nice to hear you approve ;)james boutinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-53819770653672464042012-08-01T10:30:00.536-04:002012-08-01T10:30:00.536-04:00Of all the blah-blah written on loss aversion (jus...Of all the blah-blah written on loss aversion (just typing that phrase makes my gorge rise)in what should be professional practice, this is by far the best and most comprehensive analysis of why letting economists tinker with educational "metrics" is flat-out wrong. Thanks.Nancy Flanaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00047575960944913289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-63579572785053092452012-07-31T18:17:11.311-04:002012-07-31T18:17:11.311-04:00Absolutely! Also see what Barnett Berry has to say...Absolutely! Also see what Barnett Berry has to say about the study below:<br /><br />http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/advancing-teaching-profession/07-2012/economists-return-your-salaries-producing-flawed-studiesjames boutinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-69359599911893415782012-07-31T17:58:53.691-04:002012-07-31T17:58:53.691-04:00This is a fantastic piece. It is hard to even begi...This is a fantastic piece. It is hard to even begin a discussion when the phrases "teacher quality" and "student achievement" are used as if they are synonyms for higher test scores. <br /><br />What most of us want is the conditions that allow us to do our jobs well: Necessary supplies, mold-free buildings, supportive, non-abusive administrators, and minimal time lost to test prep, testing, makeup testing, babysitting other teachers' classes while they are testing, etc. <br /><br />Instead we get, "our self-commissioned research tells us that teacher quality is the most important factor in student achievement." See above for the definitions of those two phrases. And look, we financed another movie about adorable kids cheated of their education by teachers who don't care as much about kids as profit-motivated non-teachers.Roxanna Eldenhttp://www.seemeafterclass.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-55989975069137551312012-07-31T14:06:18.658-04:002012-07-31T14:06:18.658-04:00I have a bunch of stories, because I have been rec...I have a bunch of stories, because I have been recording my memories over this past year. <br /><br />After huge amounts of interventions and lots of data collected to prove the interventions were not working for Destiny, we were finally able to get her into a program for students with emotional and behavior disorders. I think her new teacher will be the experience and expertise to help.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-73119040632044663192012-07-31T13:41:40.236-04:002012-07-31T13:41:40.236-04:00Thanks, again. This story really beautifully illus...Thanks, again. This story really beautifully illustrates how little test scores often mean. We should flood people who remain unconvinced with them.james boutinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-40008649405735894222012-07-31T13:34:50.816-04:002012-07-31T13:34:50.816-04:00Great point, Sorrel - just because test scores go ...Great point, Sorrel - just because test scores go up doesn't mean students are moving in the direction we want them to. At least it's a "success" you can try to build on with her, though.james boutinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-89292724790138822012-07-31T13:33:08.801-04:002012-07-31T13:33:08.801-04:00Here's another story that I would like to shar...Here's another story that I would like to share....<br /><br />The MAP scores indicate that Apollo (not his real name) has not met progress goals. A letter to his parents will tell them that Apollo is in the 1 percentile for his age group, and that he has not made progress. Apollo has autism and an IQ below 70. The MAP computer program said that Apollo has not made progress. The important people in his life are awestruck at the phenomenal progress he has made in the 3 years since kindergarten. Apollo was a runner. The only way to keep him safe was to sit behind him or hold his hand. He scream for 45 minutes straight. He threw counting bears, blocks, and crayons, and so forth instead of using them. He bit and spit. He spoke in echolia or two words phrases. He’d stand swinging his arm and make roaring sounds when not occupied. He stared at the ceiling instead of looking at his work. He had to be taught through hand-over-hand method. Beyond playing chase on the playground, he never played with toys or with other children. He needed the attention of an aide the entire time he was at school in order to be safe and productive. That was then. <br /><br />Now he will give you the brightest smile you have ever seen, and address you by name even if he only met you once before. He loves to run errands, and will do them exactly as directed. He has known the names of every adult in the school since kindergarten. He has learned to invite peers to play games, and has offered to teach them how if they don’t know the games. He speaks in complete sentences, and will ask how people are and where they have been, and listen to the answers. He will tell about events in his life, such as when his sister was in the hospital or his father was going on a trip without prompting. Honestly, his academic skills have remained low. He is still working below grade level, and struggles with retention and recall, but he loves reading Go Dog Go and Cat in the Hat. He’s beginning to answer questions about familiar text. He can be productive for increasingly longer stretches without the constant attention of the aide. I could go on and one. What does a computer program designed by strangers know about the progress Apollo has made? Nothing! <br /><br /><br />A computer spews out numbers that indicate that this child has not made progress. Apollo has taken the MAP six times by now, and has clicked through it each and every time. The usual six minutes he takes to finish yield consistently low scores. He does not connect that he is rushing, and does not understand what the scores mean. I’ve tried having him practice with other computerized quizzes, such as Tumblebooks quizzes and Moby Math, but he gets bored and restless. He does not have the patience or the understanding to read through answer choices A through E, and frankly nor do I. He doesn’t know that his scores may one day affect my evaluations or pay.<br /><br />--SorrelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-33943519517282349922012-07-31T13:26:04.049-04:002012-07-31T13:26:04.049-04:00One of the oddest things about this level of nasti...One of the oddest things about this level of nastiness is that the student I feel that I made the least amount of progress with showed progress on her high stakes tests this year. <br /><br />How come increased test scores have not cured "Destiny?" <br /><br />“You never believe me when I am lying?” 4th grade Destiny complains through the thumb she got stuck in her mouth. I just look at her. “Sometimes I am not lying,” she declares. I resist asking when exactly she is not lying, and talk about the hard work of building trust. Destiny had over 90 incident reports in less than two years for disruptive, violent, or threatening behavior, but her mother only consented to have Destiny evaluated at the end of last year. One time she was suspended for listing the classmates that she wished to kill, and the ways she planned to kill them. She has vandalized the bathroom with horribly obscene drawing. Parents have threatened to pull their kids out of school because Destiny has caused so many disruptions to her class. This is the first year that Destiny has received the intense level of support she needs, and she has made some progress academically with unsustainable level of support. An instructional assistant or I have to work with her individually to do anything that remotely resembles her work. That has taken away my prep, his breaks, and most of my lunch, because there are other students who still need us. (Her mother refused consent for evaluation until the end of last year, and only decided to sign consent for services on the last day of school last year). Despite multiple interventions and counseling, she has made little progress in accepting responsibility for her behavior, and making better choices. She still can’t be trusted to be respectful to a substitute, attend a field trip, or participate in a group activity without trying to pick a fight or make another child cry, or stay in her regular classroom without making multiple disruptions. All of her antisocial behavior is always someone else’s fault, but hey, her MAP and state test scores went up.<br /><br />SorrelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-79103519405169150502012-07-31T13:21:37.817-04:002012-07-31T13:21:37.817-04:00Exactly. It makes you wonder what's next.Exactly. It makes you wonder what's next.james boutinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-79196535825340376802012-07-30T22:53:21.952-04:002012-07-30T22:53:21.952-04:00omg, that's such an awful idea. just when you ...omg, that's such an awful idea. just when you think it can't get any worse . . .Rachel Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06844728669493681943noreply@blogger.com