To Whom it May Concern

This past Friday was the day teachers have come to dread.  The day that makes good teachers second guess their instructional practices, and even their career choice.  Teacher value-added ratings were posted.

Talking with my colleagues, I have again come to the realization that the education system is going about this whole education thing all wrong.  As I sort my thoughts, I figure the best way to express them is in an open letter to the Ohio Department of Education and all others who feel these reports will improve the quality of education in our state.  As well as some other amazing educators who need a little confidence boost right about now. Here it goes...

To Whom it May Concern:

I am currently in my 4th year teaching at the middle school level.  My dream as a little girl was always to be a teacher.  I never even thought of any other career option.  In my early stages of my career, I fear it is not the career I imagined due to the expectations and assessment styles put on teachers and students alike.  I am lucky enough to be in a district where we are on the cutting edge of innovative, authentic, and technology-integrated instructional practices; however, I am afraid that even though this is what we want in our schools, this is not the way we are assessing our schools and/or students.

To me, there is a very clear irony in the current educational system.  We are increasingly told that best practice includes ongoing feedback, authentic/alternative assessments, opportunities to allow for problem solving, implementation of stations and ePortfolios, use of 21st century skills, and tracking student growth.  I am no expert at all of these, but I can honestly say I put an earnest effort forth to attempt to be the best teacher I can be and address all my students' needs, even those non-academic ones that we all know have a huge impact on their education.  However, these very best practices are not used when assessing our schools, teachers, and students.

We are told to rely on many formative and summative assessments to track progress; however, the state uses one assessment to track progress.

We are told to offer creative, unique, and alternative assessments to allow for students to show what they know; however we assess our students using a 3 hour, paper and pencil, bubble in the circle, "google-able" question test.

We are told to assess using written feedback on each standard, yet the state assesses our schools using the traditional A, B, C, D grading system.

We are told to reach students on their level, meet their needs, and create relationships, but none of that comes into play when they are tested on a day when they just weren't themselves.

And what human being would be okay with their child's teacher choosing ONE test and weighting their grade book where that child's learning for the whole year was based 50% on that ONE test?  I am not a parent yet, but I know I would not agree with that methodology.  

I have a hard time understanding this paradox.  I also have a hard time understanding how some teachers can go from most effective to least effective to approaching average all while only improving their instructional practices.  Why such the large discrepancy?  Perhaps, we are still failing to acknowledge the human factor that largely comes into play.

I am in no way trying to come off as a whiny teacher who does not want to be held accountable.  PLEASE hold me accountable.  Please.  I want that ongoing feedback that is considered best practice.  That's what I rely on to improve my instructional practices.  And I will accept any rating thrown at me.  But I still do not feel this is the best assessment style.  Sure, we need some sort of quantitative data, but why weight that ONE source of data as 50% of our evaluation? We need to be breeding learners who think critically, who solve problems, who come up with creative and innovative ideas.  That theory is largely supported in the educational realm, yet we still spend large amounts of money on creating an assessment that goes against every grain of the 21st century learner theory.

My fear is that teachers will understandably become nervous and anxious about their potentially public value-added rating, that they will abandon all "best practices" and adhere to the test-taking instructional methods.  I am a teacher with a household to support, and I fear this is what the educational assessment system is forcing us to do.

My final plea.  Please rethink your methods.  I work with amazing educators, who on Friday were all feeling completely and utterly defeated.  Please think about the students with open, bright futures.  Please let us give them the educational experience they deserve.  The one that will make a difference in this world.  Otherwise, don't expect anything to change.

Sincerely,
A concerned educator