The following letter to the editor was printed in today's Washington Post:
The debate over teacher evaluations is not about whether to include student data but how to do it and whether it makes sense to use state tests that are not aligned with the Common Core State Standards that Maryland and 44 other states have adopted. New tests aligned with these standards will be implemented starting in the 2014-15 school year. The Montgomery County Public Schools have begun implementing curricula that align with these standards, but as Superintendent Joshua P. Starr pointed out in his Feb. 8 op-ed, “Time out on standardized testing,” we need time to roll out the new curricula.
Holding teachers accountable in a prescriptive way for tests that do not match what we are teaching is not fair and works against effective implementation of these standards statewide. Our Teacher Professional Growth System, which has been in place for 13 years, already holds teachers accountable and results in high student achievement. Should we agree to a system that impedes progress?
Doug Prouty, Rockville
The writer is president of the Montgomery County Education Association
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