The answer is "yes," of course.
Chaz's School Daze:
It appears that NYSUT and the UFT caved in to State pressure to gain RTTT funding by agreeing to a new teacher evaluation system. This system will allow teachers to be evaluated into four categories.
* Highly effective
* Effective
* Developing
* Ineffective
This new teacher evaluation system will make it easier for Administrators to remove senior teachers by labeling them "ineffective". While our unions claim that there will be additional protections to help and support struggling/targeted senior teachers, I'm not buying it. It is really a "gotcha program" to swiftly remove highly-paid senior teachers out of the schools. In my opinion the unions prostituted themselves to get RTTT funds and put their members in danger.
Smart administrators will load up targeted teachers with the worst students, fail to supply them with proper support, and write damaging observations to ensure the teacher gets two consecutive "ineffective" ratings and termination sixty days later. What were our foolish union leaders thinking? A possible short term funding gain at the expense of teacher due process? What will stop administrators from rating ATRs "ineffective"? Nothing according to this agreement.
Teachers will be fired on bogus charges in order to save money, while the real culprits--principals--will continue to get away with murder. Once fired, especially for being "ineffective," they will NEVER be hired anywhere in the country again.
A couple of good comments following the post:
reality-based educator said...
Yes.
Seniority means nothing if they can use test scores to declare you ineffective two years running.
Tenure means nothing either.
The evaluations tied to test scores is a HUGE cave by Mulgrew and company that will ultimately lead to no teacher making it past ten years.
Right around 8 years they will start to declare teachers ineffective and they will get them off the payroll before the ten year vestment.
The effect of this cannot be understated.
All veteran teachers who have more than 7 or so years to go to retirement need to start making plans for an alternative career.
Because in a few years time anybody with any time will be out on their asses.
Those with 7 or so years to go might be able to finagle a way to survive this and make it to retirement.
As for the effect on the classroom, it will be terrible.
Just teach to the test.
Obama ran against teaching to the test.
But his policies have expanded that to EVERY grade and EVERY subject.
What a scumbag.
Obama made no secret of his hostility toward public education and teachers.
Another comment:
Anonymous said...
AND, teachers will be fired within two months after the two years.
I'm numb all day. I can't believe our "union" would cave like this. What did the UFT get in return?
This is the issue that the teachers in Florida marched against and swayed their governor to veto. And we in the great , sophisticated, progressive New York City get a midnight, back room deal shoved down our throats? It figures, this is how oligarchies work. The little people matter little.
What do you expect from a shop teacher from Grady? You think that bald headed pimp Mulgrew stood any chance of standing ground , or WANTING to stand ground against the Big Boys? He's feathering his nest, and those around him. I just don't understand what kind of a "union" will be left in the future for the UFT. What are they thinking? Isn't this suicidal for the UFT's future?
The answer is "yes," and that's the whole point.
From the
NYT:
The State Education Department and New York’s teachers’ unions have reached a deal to overhaul teacher evaluations and tie them to student test scores, brokering a compromise on an issue the unions had bitterly opposed for years.
The agreement, reached in time for the state’s second bid at $700 million in federal education grants, would scrap the current system whereby teachers were rated simply satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Instead, annual evaluations would place teachers in one of four categories — highly effective, effective, developing and ineffective. While the deal would not have any immediate effect on teacher pay, it could make it easier for schools to fire teachers deemed subpar.
“We believe that if done correctly this will change the landscape dramatically,” said David M. Steiner, the state education commissioner. “This is not a gotcha system. This is about creating professional development that can really improve education.”
Teachers would be measured on a 100-point scale, with 20 percent points based on how much students improve on the standardized state exams. Another 20 percent would be based on local tests, which would have to be developed by each school system. After two years, 25 percent would be based on the state exams and 15 percent would come from the local tests.
Ed Notes Online:
We told you that Mulgrew was more style than substance and would turn out to be Randi light. Check out how the AFT in Colorado and in New Jersey is caving on many issues while the NEA is putting up a semblance of a fight. I will say this time and again. Watch Mulgrew and the 800 Unity caucus members we are paying for in Seattle this summer cave into every sell-out policy.
Watch New Action Mulgrew supporter bloggers try to explain this one away - maybe by raising some questions in a disingenuous "who me" manner while remaining silent at Delegate Assemblies and Executive Board meetings.
I'm more proud than ever to be a 9 per cent dissenter rather than a 91% Mulgrew assenter.
Coming soon:
Merit pay based on the above - leading to total salary schedules being revamped.
And of course, lifting the charter school cap resulting in the UFT loss of another 3% of the members as they flail about helplessly trying to organize these teachers into the union - with a separate and unequal contract. Look for a dues increase to make up the shortfall so Unity can continue to live the life style they are accustomed to.
Public education is all but dead.
Accountable Talk:
Bloomberg and Klein were never our allies and strove from day one to sound the death knell for public education. They were, however, far from the only guilty parties. The charter school people have stuck the knife in as well, hoping to privatize a public system so they could pilfer their share of the education pie. Obama, who was supposed to be a friend of education, has tried to shank us with the Race to the Top funds that rip a page from the Republican playbook. Rookie teachers like those cretins involved with E4E slashed us and got praise from the chancellor in return. Randi Weingarten, Richard Ianuzzi, and David Steiner ran us through as well.
The reason today's betrayal hurts so bad is that it seemed to some--even me at times, that Michael Mulgrew was different--that despite being Randi's handpicked successor, he just might have some backbone and stand alone as the person who would stay his hand. And then he plunged the knife in and twisted.
Public education is now effectively dead, and just about everyone has blood on his hands.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
