Teachers are evaluated thoroughly and often, by just about all their "superiors".

[madfloridian]

It really angers me to see politicians talking about holding teachers "accountable."

Good heavens, through the years we were held accountable for every word, every action, every restroom break (how dare we go too often).

It is outrageous to think teachers are not evaluated. There is just no need for all this "merit pay" stuff. It is meant to start conducting schools like a business.

Ok, fine. Run the county offices on a business model, run the district and school offices in a business-like way.

But hire good teachers and let them teach. Provide a good curriculum, but please don't give them a script to read....if you hire good teachers they are also good communicators.

My principals were constantly keeping an eye on us. They heard from parents, they heard from the students, from other professionals who worked with us.

We had regular visits by the principal to our classroom, unannounced. Then we would meet for a summation and critique. This was often. Then we had the yearly evaluations in our permanent files.

In addition, we often worked with counselors from the school and from the county. We had to fill out forms for doctors, and if they were not well done principals heard about that as well.

We would often meet to "staff" children into special programs. The staffing would consist of at least one guidance counselor, a staffing specialist from the county who conducted the meeting, usually the principal or vice principal, and the parents at the 2nd meeting and sometimes the first as well.

We were judged by all of those people on how we conducted ourselves, how we spoke of the children's progress and needs. It was a critical bunch overall, and it was most certainly considered an evaluation tool.

In Florida we had to renew our certificates every 5 years by extended in-service hours or two college courses. In between there were trainings and faculty planning sessions as well.

There have been yearly standardized tests forever. The scores were kept on record and used as an evaluation tool. I remember years ago my students were scoring nearly off the charts at two schools where I taught. I don't know if they still use stanines, but the highest was 9. I had students regularly averaging 8 and 7 and sometimes 9 at just ordinary schools. Principals and others noticed.

It was called merit evaluation. It has been around for decades.

There is more to the push for "merit pay" than meets the eye. This whole thing in my mind is a way to need more testing materials from more companies that provide them. And the more people fail the more "materials" and "supplies" they need.

I know the DLC's main goal for years has been charter schools. Ok, I have seen good charter schools. HOWEVER, they are a school that uses public money in conjunction with the business community. It is an easy first step to turning the schools over to businesses and getting our government "out" of the "business."

You know, the "bathtub" theory...just drown the government in one. No more public schools, more profit for businesses who are getting their feet in the door. More profit for testing companies and suppliers of materials....it's the start of privatizing our once great school system which has been talked down about and tested to death.

I spent the day in the classroom with human beings, not little test taking machines. Teachers and students I talk to here now are getting angry at the constant testing, the teaching of only what is going to be on the test because there is no time for other things. The students overall know they are not getting a good rounded education. Art and music are being done away with in many cases to have more time to train for the "tests."

I think legislatures and congress need to quit trying to run the schools. Let those trained in education policies and theories do it. Hire good teachers, pay them well, let them teach.