Reviewing education reform for the year highlights that teachers need to be included in the conversation about reform.

See Valerie Strauss, Washington Post Blogger

The Answer Sheet: Reviewing education reform in the 2010-11 school year

By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 12, 2011, Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/reviewing-education-reform-in-the-2010-11-school-year/2011/06/10/AGx7ZBSH_story.html

“Deborah A. Gist, Rhode Island’s education chief and a former top D.C. education official, said Obama’s agenda spurred important innovations. But she said she worried about what teachers make of it all.

“The most detrimental occurrence of this past year has been the blow to teacher morale nationally and in our state,” Gist said. “We must address this issue and bring teachers into the center of this work.”

You might want to take a look at the article posted in the Washington post on

June 5, 2011

Md. teacher evaluation redesign bogs down

http://www.washingtonpost.com/maryland/md-teacher-evaluation-redesign-bogs-down/2011/06/03/AGJmG3IH_story.html

“Bogged down by political infighting, large gaps in technical know-how and regulatory hurdles, Maryland recently applied for a year’s extension to fully execute the evaluation system it has yet to develop.”

The part that is very exciting is the possibility that districts might be able to create some of their own assessments.  One professional tool they could consider is teachers’ self-study of their practice as a self-assessment with peer review. One can only hope that someone goes and asks the teacher.

“In addition to standardized tests, districts will be able to choose from a list of state-approved options — including, potentially, portfolio-style tests and classroom observations. They also can develop some measures on their own.”