A new teacher evaluation system in Louisiana requires frequent classroom observations and the use of test score data in teacher ratings. The Hechinger Report has partnered with The Times-Picayune in New Orleans on a four-part series of in-depth stories examining the possible benefits and pitfalls of the new policies. The front-page series, “Grading the Graders,” also looks at how the new system is playing out on the ground as teachers and principals adjust to it.
Teachers worry about more testing under new Louisiana evaluations
When Scott Harris looked at recommended French tests he could use to measure his students’ progress this school year — and, by extension, his own success or failure as a teacher — he felt stymied by the lack of suitable options. For instance, the state’s suggested tests for Harris’ French I students at Louisiana State [...]
Louisiana’s new evaluations challenge and confuse teachers
Toward the end of a spring day at Chalmette High School, Alexandra LaPres’s drama class was wrapping up its final rehearsal of the “Merchant of Venice, Louisiana,” a mix of Shakespeare and local flavor. Dressed in a maroon and khaki uniform, Portia slammed a law book on the desk of a petite, blonde judge and [...]
Teacher evaluation architect warns of lawsuits against Louisiana’s new system
The new teacher evaluation system Louisiana launched this fall may be too simplistic, according to the architect of one of the most widely used evaluation systems in the country – and the one on which Louisiana’s new system is based. Charlotte Danielson is the creator of a method of observing and rating teachers based on [...]
Louisiana launches controversial new teacher evaluations to praise, fear
Teachers in Louisiana have all but lost the tenure rules that once protected their jobs. Beginning this year, all 50,000 of them will be evaluated and ranked on an annual basis, often with test scores factoring in heavily. Soon, consistently “ineffective” teachers will no longer be welcome in the classroom.
