Worcester’s Teachers Feel Pressure of Potential Performance-Based Licensing

Thursday, October 30, 2014
Patrick Sargent, GoLocal Worcester Contributor

In a report submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in September, the Keystone Center (an independent consultant) laid out options for the state to begin a system of performance-based teaching licensing beginning in the Spring of 2015.

Marty Green, Democratic Candidate for State Representative for the 9th Worcester District, and recently endorsed by the MTA, said “Teachers are evaluated on a yearly basis by their administrators. Teachers performance, whether we like it or not are evaluated based on MCAS results. There are lots of licensing requirements that are already in place to make sure that our teachers are qualified and learning the best practices every single day.”

Dawn DeSavage, a middle school teacher in Worcester, said "Worcester is an urban district. The variables in student's lives aren't common variables of everyday interactions at home and at school. And we don't have control over those variables. There's also a piece of this that's tied into test scores. As a teacher you can employ multiple strategies, differentiated instruction, take into account those variables, and alter your instruction to best meet the needs of the child."

"When the child leaves school, at whatever time of day school ends, they go home and there's not a quiet place to do homework, there isn't food on the table, or there isn't even a home to go home to, or they didnt have a foundation of reading as a child. No one read to them when they were younger, they didn't develop those skills. Those are things that are out of control of myself or any other educator," said DeSavage.

DESE Plans Under Scrutinization

The DESE proposed three different models as options for the renewal of teaching licenses. The first model is based on “summative performance ratings of at least proficient,” and the growth of MCAS and DDM scores.

The second model is implemented if a teacher fails to show progress and growth identified in the Educator Plan and only on the condition of additional coaching will the teacher be allowed to extend their license for one more year.

Finally, the third model is based on completion of at least two of eight “bullet points.” These include recommendation from employing Lead Education Agency (LEA), satisfactory results from student feedback, and successful parent engagement.

The MTA opposes all three options because they believe performance reviews should not determine lisencising. From the MTA website, “to link licensure to job performance would further extend the state’s reach into the choices educators make in the classroom.” With the amount of mandates and intiatives teachers are responsible for, this proposal is piling a surreal amount of pressure on every classroom teacher.

An elementary school teacher in Worcester said "This would be horrific. They are basing it on grading teachers and it's really based on the kids. There will be a lot of pushback. Every teacher will be up in arms, especially inner-city teachers. We don't have the backing of parents or anyone acknowledging the fact that we have tough kids. Any teacher would feel the pressure of having to keep our jobs based on performance. We aren't prepared for it, now that we know our job is on the line, the pressure will be greater."

Worcester Teachers Have it Tough

For first year and new teachers, the amount of requirements are startling. If the DESE implements one of these models, a new teacher would not only have to immediately worry about their license from year to year, but it would be on top of their lengthy “to-do” list. This list includes a Mentor-Mentee program, mandatory new staff orientation, completion of two district approved PDP (Professional Development Points) courses, an SEI (Sheltered English Immersion) endorsement, and within five years they would need to complete a Master’s program in order to move up to professional status.

The Worcester Public School District has an Accountability and Assistance Level of 4. This is specifically due to two elementary schools being considered level 4. The district is classified at the level of it’s lowest performing school. 22 of Worcester’s public schools are Level 3 (14 elementary schools, and 8 middle and high schools). According to the DESE, "Schools are classified into Level 3 if they are among the lowest 20 percent relative to other schools in the same school type category statewide...or if they have very low MCAS participation rates for any group (less than 90%). The lowest achieving, least improving Level 3 schools are candidates for classification into Levels 4 and 5, the most serious designations in Massachusetts' accountability system."

Here are just some of the challenges Worcester’s teachers have to face: Worcester has the highest percentage of English Language Learner (ELL) students in the state (31.7%). Last school year, nearly 30% of students in Worcester had more than nine unexcused absences. 73% of Worcester’s students come from low-income families and 20% of it’s students have some form of disability. Across the district, the average student to teacher ratio is 17.4:1.

"Everybody should be on the same playing field. Good teaching practice is not to teach everyone the same way. We are brought up as professionals to take each child and treat them as individuals. You develop your lessons to accomodate their needs. But, this evaluation is a one-stop shop. All teachers are going to be assessed the same exact way, no matter what district they teach in," said Savage.

Green said, “We’ve got one of the best education systems in the country. What’s the focus here? What are they trying to accomplish? Here is one problem that pops up: What if your working in an underperforming and underfunded school system, why should it fall to the teacher to be accounted for things that are out of their control?”