Jindal Scores Big Win On Teacher Accountability Bill Final Passage
With a 68-22 vote in the Louisiana House of Representatives this afternoon, Gov. Bobby Jindal’s teacher accountability measure will now go to his desk after clearing both houses of the state legislature.
The bill, HB 1033, will measure teachers by the progress of their students during the school year, and the evaluations of teachers based on those measurements will take place yearly instead of the every-three-years program currently in place.
The teachers’ unions hate this bill with an almost pornographic lust. When the state Senate passed HB 1033 by a 22-17 vote on Wednesday, Louisiana Association of Educators President Joyce Haynes had this to say:
“Teachers have an incredible impact on the lives of students, but we are not the only influence. Its proponents may believe that HB 1033’s value-added system of measurement sufficiently accounts for all the variables which affect student learning, but those of us on the frontlines—as do researchers—beg to differ.
“It’s unfair to rely mostly on student test scores for determining the effectiveness of a given teacher. It’s also unthinkable and disrespectful to the profession which is why we believe HB 1033 seriously weakens Louisiana’s efforts to recruit and retain, especially in our high-needs schools.
“Sure if teachers are forced to focus on a single, narrow measure of achievement, students may improve—that is at taking a test. But they won’t develop deeper understanding. They won’t perfect the ability to use what they learn in new situations. HB 1033 would undermine our efforts to prepare students for a complex and fast-changing future. It will be them who will ultimately pay the price.
“All students deserve great schools—with great teachers and leaders working collaboratively and focused on the needs of children. Public education will improve, and our state will progress, but only when the entire education community works together and the professionalism of all educators is affirmed.”
The LAE was at least pleased that the bill was amended before passage in the Senate to include charter school teachers and administrators in the evaluations, a provision not made in the original House bill.
This is most important bill of the session and its passage will have a signifcant impact on the quality of Louisiana public education. As a teacher, I can tell you that teachers are naturally cooperative, and dislike being graded in the same kinds of ways that they grade their students. This bill will end up hurting some inferior teachers' self-esteem. Good. It's long past time that we stopped pretending that all teachers are good teachers. I know teachers who are good people but crummy teachers, and I know some teachers who are both bad teachers and bad people.
The next step is to use these new evaluations in determining teacher pay and scrap the system that system that simply rewards longevity. That's a bigger fight, but it's the next step if we want to start drawing intelligent, successful people into teaching (intelligence is a strong predictor of a teacher's success). We'll have to spend more money as a state to get this through the legislature (because we won't win if we try to cut the salaries of ineffective teachers), but it will pay off big time in the long run.
I don’t like your comment. You’re fired. While this sounds far-fetched, under this system it could easily happen. Rather than improve teaching, such bills ensure the best either don’t become teachers, or leave our state to those with less harsh laws.
This is most important bill of the session and its passage will have a signifcant impact on the quality of Louisiana public education. As a teacher, I can tell you that teachers are naturally cooperative, and dislike being graded in the same kinds of ways that they grade their students. This bill will end up hurting some inferior teachers' self-esteem. Good. It's long past time that we stopped pretending that all teachers are good teachers. I know teachers who are good people but crummy teachers, and I know some teachers who are both bad teachers and bad people.
The next step is to use these new evaluations in determining teacher pay and scrap the system that system that simply rewards longevity. That's a bigger fight, but it's the next step if we want to start drawing intelligent, successful people into teaching (intelligence is a strong predictor of a teacher's success). We'll have to spend more money as a state to get this through the legislature (because we won't win if we try to cut the salaries of ineffective teachers), but it will pay off big time in the long run.