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Public Comtmentary Dear Editor: Standardized tests are the wrong instruments for determining what makes a good teacher. As president of the Amityville School Board, Michele Sikhrangkur should know that. (See Letters, April 10, 2008.) Fortunately, Governor David Paterson and legislative leaders recognized that student test scores are an inappropriate way to gauge whether probationary teachers should earn the due process protections of tenure. The recently adopted state budget wisely prohibits school boards from linking the two. To help explain why Amityville teachers and their statewide union New York State United Teachers - opposed the idea, let me offer an analogy: Imagine bringing your car to the shop for a vehicle emissions test. The mechanic attaches a long tube to the exhaust pipe and starts the engine. He waits while a computer carefully measures how much carbon dioxide and other pollutants your car is spilling into the atmosphere. Vehicle emissions tests are a proven way to measure air pollution from automobiles. But how would you react if the mechanic studied the data and said you needed new brakes? After first getting angry, you would probably insist the mechanic put the car on a lift, remove the tires, and examine the brake drums, calipers and pads. That's the right way to determine whether a car needs a brake job. Standardized tests say very little about teachers' abilities. They are designed to measure something specific, such as how well a third grader grasps certain math concepts. Tests are not designed to measure a teacher's effectiveness at teaching. And, not all teachers give tests. At NYSUT'S convention last week, a music teacher from Central Islip led a concert choir of 100 beautiful voices in song. The teacher is preparing his students for a tour of Italy. But, his students don't take tests in music. How would the school board measure whether he is a good teacher? If school boards want to measure teacher quality, there are a number of good ways to do it. School boards can look to a teachers' growth as part of a mentoring program or through the peer review process. They can weigh a new teacher's ability to collaborate with other teachers and work closely with parents. Certainly, competent administrators should visit a new teacher's classroom regularly and observe lessons in progress. Good evaluations by administrators are welcome and critical to helping new teachers to hone their craft. Teachers explained that if the Legislature created a system like the school boards wanted, new teachers would naturally gravitate to the classrooms full of the brightest kids and the most involved parents. Why would a new teacher, no matter how talented, want to take on a class of low-achieving students in a high-poverty district, especially if they knew their job and their careers would be based on a raw, misleading number? Teachers embrace accountability and believe in the highest standards for those who teach New York's children. But teachers also want to be accountable for what they can control. And, they want to be evaluated based on appropriate measures, designed for that purpose.
Like vehicle emissions data, student test scores have a place. But when test data is used inappropriately, real damage can occur to children. People's careers - or their automobiles. Too bad Ms. Sikhrangkur didn't grasp that. If she had, she would understand why the state needed to put the brakes on this half-baked idea.
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