By STEPHEN BARTLETT
Staff Writer
---- — PLATTSBURGH -- Educators largely dub standardized tests biased, one-size-fits-all measurements that shortchange some students and overlook others.
Yet a nationwide movement would marry teachers' careers to test scores, and the casualty list is growing.
Some North Country teachers and parents question linking educators ratings to a system they see as flawed.
DISAPPOINTED
Special-education teacher Mandi Moore Bordeau is one of the people who thinks the concept is flawed.
"In theory, it may seem like a good incentive for teachers to receive bonuses for above-average student achievement or for their salaries to reflect student standardized test scores to improve academic achievement.
"However, the reality is that test scores should not be a reflection of a student's education or a teacher's effectiveness," she said.
"I find it disappointing that our government considers scores on a standardized test a reflection of the teacher's or student's ability.
"Each child should be taught individually based on their strengths and interests to help them develop a life-long love of learning. An effective teacher is able to do that, but currently they are limited in their ability to do so due to standardized testing."
TIED TO FEDERAL FUNDS
That sentiment is echoed by educators nationwide, yet the climate is ripe to link teacher pay, evaluation and tenure to test scores.
As states drown in debt, President Obama's administration is offering billions through the Race to the Top program, which strongly encourages linking teacher compensation to scores on exams.
Teachers argue they can't control everything that goes into good test scores, such as adequate sleep, breakfast and a family that actively supports a child's education.
They say tests can be biased toward certain groups, only measure one aspect of a child's academic ability, ignore students who excel yet test poorly and tell children if they don't succeed in this one area they aren't up to par.
WORSEN PROBLEM
Ben Wright thinks high-stakes testing is driving sports and arts out of schools. The Plattsburgh State educator, who has two children in the Plattsburgh City School District, feels linking teachers' pay to test scores will make it worse.
"Our Plattsburgh schools already teach to the state tests, and this would exacerbate the situation," Wright said.
"All kids can't all fit into the same box. This would only increase the stakes and ultimately could lead to teachers blaming students for blowing their pay raises."
Merit pay should be constructed to bring out teachers' best traits and encourage positive behaviors, he said.
Teaching to a test prevents teachers from altering curriculum to meet the needs of students.
"Teachers are professionals, and we need to let them do their jobs as they see fit."
At the same time, Wright said, unions must stop protecting unproductive teachers and should better police their ranks.
PEER REVIEW
Plattsburgh City School District is including peer assistance and review in an evaluation system that would have teachers share tools and best practices, among other improvements.
Rod Sherman, president of the Plattsburgh Teachers Association, said measures of student outcomes should include portfolios, student creativity, language skills and teacher observations of how they socialize.
"When you throw in a system of pay for performance in education you lose the collaboration and teamwork piece that is so essential to success," he said.
"Plus, I might have kids who perform really well this year, but it might not have anything to do with what I did with them."
Sherman advocated creating a climate in which people embrace change that doesn't bite them in the back when it doesn't work.
TEACHERS FIRED
Some teachers feel bitten.
States that wanted a piece of the Race to the Top pie scrambled to eliminate legal barriers that prohibit tying teacher pay to test scores.
Evanston-Skokie School District 65 in Illinois tracks test scores, and if students don't make sufficient progress, teachers may have to worry about their raises.
In Washington, D.C., a congressionally imposed evaluation system utilizes statistical models to predict how well a class should do over a year.
Last month, the chancellor of that public-school system fired 241 teachers and sent a strong message that educators will be held accountable for students' standardized test scores. More than 730 more employees were given a year to improve or be fired.
'IT'S NOT RIGHT'
Kathy Barcomb is more worried about students and fears such a system will result in further teaching to the test and strangle creativity.
Plus, rural areas provide a different pool of students than urban centers, said the Northeastern Clinton Central School teacher, and each year teachers have a new class of children with an array of backgrounds, learning styles and environmental circumstances, all of which can cause scores to fluctuate year to year.
"I don't agree with it," Barcomb said. "It's not right.
"Everyone learns differently."
E-mail Stephen Bartlett at: sbartlett@pressrepublican.com
