Reply #82: I've worked with many "excellent" teachers.

[sakura]

Let me describe one I am working with now. She teaches sixth grade at an inner city school with an impoverished student population. The entire school qualifies for free and reduced lunch and the kids are from multi-generational poverty-- in other words, it's the culture they are used to. Most do not have someone to read to them from birth, to give them opportunities outside of school in which to think and learn, etc. The school does its best-- a nonprofit has volunteers to come in to read with kids from kindergarten, and there is an excellent after school program. But it doesn't take the place of parents who are missing because of working two to three jobs, not understanding how the school culture works, being addicted to drugs, in jail, etc. This teacher is the testing and technology coordinator for the school and also has five classes of twenty eight kids per class. About 1/2 are identified as special ed, and therefore need federally mandated modifications to their lessons (and the mods differ for each kid), another 1/4 are emotionally disturbed (but mainstreamed, so she deals with their issues in the classroom) and the other 1/4 haven't yet tuned in to learning, although she is doing her best to make this happen. Her principal specifically asked her to take on teaching this grade as compared to the other grades it has more problems than usual. She is recognized as the best, yet she is still having problems with these kids. She works twelve hour days and works weekends. She is single and her life revolves around her kids. She gives and gives and gives. If she could give her blood I know she would do so.

She is amazing.

Despite this, many of her kids won't pass the state assessment this year. Last year 50% of these kids passed their fifth grade state assessment in math and reading. In writing only 40%. The scores haven't changed much over the past three years, but NCLB mandates 100% passing by 2014. That's all groups, by the way. Think they'll get there? This teacher has done more than many teachers, but a good number of the kids still are not on grade level in reading and math. So based on NCLB, she fails. And based on the merit schemes that have been tried by states in the past, she wouldn't qualify for merit pay. Worse in most schemes teachers have to compete for a limited number of merit awards with other teachers. I've seen it happen-- it ends collaboration.