A lousy way to rate teachers
Sent to USA Today
USA Today argues that gains made by students on standardized tests should be used as part of teacher evaluation (“Teacher evaluations, once a joke, hold a key to better schools,” March 22).
Everything is wrong with this idea.
A number of studies have shown that rating teachers using test score gains does not give consistent results. Different tests produce different ratings, and the same teacher’s ratings can vary from year to year, sometimes quite a bit.
In addition, using test score gains for evaluation encourages gaming the system, trying to produce increases in scores by teaching test-taking strategies, not by encouraging real learning. This is like putting a match under the
USA Today argues that gains made by students on standardized tests should be used as part of teacher evaluation (“Teacher evaluations, once a joke, hold a key to better schools,” March 22).
Everything is wrong with this idea.
A number of studies have shown that rating teachers using test score gains does not give consistent results. Different tests produce different ratings, and the same teacher’s ratings can vary from year to year, sometimes quite a bit.
In addition, using test score gains for evaluation encourages gaming the system, trying to produce increases in scores by teaching test-taking strategies, not by encouraging real learning. This is like putting a match under the
