“We won't be just teaching to the test,” he said. “If a teacher has good test scores, but their classrooms are devoid of caring and encouragement, or the attendance rates are too low or the special education referrals are too high, that teacher won't do well.”Let's take his statement point by point. First, Taylor implies that teachers will teach to standardized tests in order to increase student achievement or, more likely, help increase test scores in order to keep their jobs. We're not interested in developing life-long learners anymore, just a bunch of automatons who can fill in Scantron sheets. But a teacher "won't do well" if his classroom is "devoid of caring and encouragement." Fine. No argument there, but I seriously doubt he'll find many who fit that description.
Here's the red flag in the above quote: If "attendance rates are too low or the special education referrals are too high," the teacher is held responsible. How in the name of Horace Mann does Taylor think teachers will increase student attendance? As to special education referrals, those are supposed to be made by professional educators based on classroom data and their interaction with individual students. Again, the implication here is that if a teacher makes too many professional judgments - no matter how accurate they are - and refers too many kids to special education, it's the teacher's fault!
more after the jump
Unbelievable. I talked to a fellow teacher from Wyoming last night who is taking a significant pay cut over the next two years in order to keep his job. He said this of Taylor, "Boy, I sure wish someone would offer me $400,000 to leave my job."
Taylor will get his wish before he leaves GRPS. He'll be well on his way to getting rid of teachers who've disagreed with him, and he'll have done more than any superintendent in GRPS history to eliminate buildings, programs, services, and professionals. Just like he did in Kansas City.
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