Starr vs. Weast: The line in the sand

Joshua Starr, the new superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, seems to get it.     From the Gazette:

I’m struck by how outcomes-based the organization has been — and I am a believer in outcomes. You have to be accountable and responsible for outcomes. I learned after a few months that there was an orientation toward: Get the result. The shift that I am trying to make is to have the conversation about how we are getting the result. I still expect the result. In fact, I want a better result. ... So it goes back to how do we do it. ... If we orient ourselves to what do we do every day... to make sure that our kids are fully engaged in high quality instruction, what does that mean with our daily work, with teachers, with principals, with kids? And that is the change. I am not big into initiatives. I am not big into naming things and rolling out the banner and saying here is the big thing we are going to do now. It just doesn’t work. What works is having great instructional leaders leading in every building, having good curriculum and professional development and helping teachers and other folks in the system get better at what they do every day with the kids. That is what works...

This is the ideology behind real progress.   Almost makes me wish I still taught in Montgomery County.

An SAT meeting with results that matter

Dr. Jerry Weast likely learned a very important lesson in 2003.   Messaging is important.    By 2009 the message was far more refined, but the results would be no less contrived.  Every high school in Montgomery County would be invited to attend "Leadership Training" on the SAT, ACT, and Accuplacer tests- the three college placement exams.   What would go on at this meeting?  It would  certainly not be a repeat of 2003.

SAT ACT Accuplacer Confirmation


However, the results would be instantaneous, and just in time for Jerry Weast's retirement.   The year after the "Leadership Training" in 2009, 483 fewer students in Montgomery County Public Schools would take the SAT.  Of those 483 students, a disproportionate number would be minority students.   Hispanic participation would drop by 18% in 2010, African American participation would drop by 12%, while white participation would drop by a relatively modest 4%.

 The MCPS Office of Shared Accountability described the decline in this way:

For the MCPS class of 2010, slight declines in SAT participation were balanced by record increases in the number of students who took the ACT in lieu of the SAT.

This was the full extent of the MCPS analysis.    There would be no discussion of the who, why, or how.  There would be no detailed analysis of the massive drop in participation.  The analysis simply claimed that the 483 student decline in SAT participation was balanced by a 267 student increase in those students who only took the ACT.    An odd balancing act to say the least.

But what remained were legitimate questions.   Were the record SAT scores in 2010 worthy of celebration?  Was it a sign that all that had been done in Montgomery County Public Schools over the tenure of Jerry Weast had finally paid dividends?  Or was it as current Board of Education member and then principal, Michael Durso, explained in 2003, a way to make it on 60 Minutes.   Sometimes, the simple answer is the more likely one.

The value of a contract

For a few months now, I have developed an interest in the work of Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist from Duke.   His work has many applications in the world of teaching.   In his this most recent blog post- Ariely talks about the value of the handshake.    Union members, on the other hand, often harp on the importance of the contract.   We can't work during lunch.   We can't be required to come at this time or that time.  Or from the other perspective, I can't believe so and so left before the duty day ended. I think we'd all be better off if things were settled with a handshake.    I once read that one of the least happiest professionals is the attorney.   They bill by the hour- or rather, the 6 minute.   Constantly reminded of the market value of their work- their happiness is drained.  


I suppose many see the handshake as something straight out of Utopia.  But as the Montgomery County Council- and the state of Maryland begin their budget decisions- they will most likely remind all teachers not of the handshake- but of the written contract.   I suppose we'll have to wait see what the result will be.   From Ariely's post:

All contracts deal with the direct aspects of the expected exchange and with unexpected consequences. Incomplete contracts lay out the general parameters of the exchange (the part that we shake hands over), while the unexpected consequences are covered by social norms governing what is appropriate and what is not. The social norms are what can motivate me to work with you, and what would establish goodwill in resolving problems that might arise.


As for complete contracts, they too specify the parameters of an exchange, but they don’t imply the same adherence to social norms. If something is left out, or if circumstances change, there’s no default to goodwill—it’s happy hunting season for all. When we use complete contracts as a basis for working together, we take away flexibility, reasonableness, and understanding and replace them with a narrow definition of expectations. That can be costly.

New Evaluation?

Want to really close the achievement gap?

Want real school reform?

Identify ineffective teachers (a small minority)  and replace them,   due process provided, with effective and  instrinsically motiavated teachers (a large majority).

Is that what happened at Broad Acres Elementary School?

The Board of Education has the power to do this.  From the MCEA teacher contract:

 Process for Changing the Evaluation System: The current unit member evaluation system, including the instrument and the teacher evaluation system booklet of the Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, Maryland, (also known as the Professional Growth System Handbook) shall not be changed without following the procedures set out below:
1. Preceding the proposed implementation of any proposed changes, the Board shall notify MCEA of its desire to change the evaluation system.
2. Thereafter, the parties shall confer in good faith over the content of any proposed changes in the evaluation system, until agreement is reached, or until 90 days following receipt by MCEA of notification that the Board desires to change the evaluation system. The conferring teams shall be headed by the chief negotiator for each party.
3. If no agreement is reached within 90 days following receipt by MCEA of notification that the Board desires to change the evaluation system, the Board may unilaterally implement changes in the evaluation system.

We need Board members who are willing to question what's best for education in Montgomery County- not rubber stamp the latest program.   Build and attract the greatest professional staff of teachers in the United States- and watch real reform happen.   Not a pipe dream.   A decision.

Board of Education- Lisa Lloyd

Some position statements from Lisa Lloyd's relatively new website:

"Evaluate the Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) program, to ensure that it is providing both the support and assessment to teachers as was intended, or whether it is being used inappropriately to remove teachers. If the teachers are satisfied, then it is doing its job. If not, it needs to be reworked."

The Peer Assistance and Review program is run- in part- by MCEA.  If teachers don't like this- then we've got a serious problem.

Also this- the printing of illegal campaign materials.   Whoops.

Montgomery County Board of Education- League of Women Voters Responses -

From the League of Women Voters:  Pulled the Race to the Top question as that seems to get closest to candidate beliefs regarding a new evaluation system that more effectively identifies underperforming teachers.
Shirley Brandman:

“RACE TO TOP": Race to the Top's worthy goals of college/career readiness and measuring teacher effectiveness by student achievement are already part of our Board's existing reform efforts. We should now strive to preserve our successful professional growth system and not change what works just to chase funds.

Lisa Lloyd

Did not submit response.

Judith Docca

"RACE TO TOP": The premise of "Race to the Top" is to improve the academic outcomes for all students. I have concerns about using test scores to evaluate teachers because of the differences in student cohorts each year. Working collaboratively with staff, parents and the BOE will strengthen planning instruction.

Mike Ibanez

"RACE TO TOP": Maryland is eligible for $250 million from President Obama's RTTT. How much of that money will come to MCPS is unsure but the consequences for county schools could mean dumbing down curriculum standards, linking teacher evaluation and pay to student test scores, and more teacher union concessions.

Mike Durso

"RACE TO TOP": I have some concerns with " RaceTo The Top ", especially as it ties school systems -states to a fairly restrictive set of guidelines. Though student progress as measured by test scores is one indicator of teacher effectiveness, it is not the only factor. There are many other variables involved.

Martha Schaerr

"RACE TO TOP": Although I commend the state BOE for participating in the Race to the Top program I believe the state’s strategy needs to be focused more on empowering parents by giving them the information and tools they need to help their children succeed.

Montgomery County Board of Education: Michael Durso vs. Martha Schaerr

Traffic to this site is up heavily as the election approaches so I'd like to take some time be clear about my intentions for readers who might approach this blog with something of a healthy skepiticism.
1) I believe voters should make educated decisions in the upcomming elections.
2) I do not believe the Apple Ballot encourages citizens to make independent decisions- especially given that  MCEA did not interview any of the challengers for Board of Education.
3) I am a member of MCEA.
4) My primary agenda item is improving education- namely through the creation of a new more robust teacher evaluation system that more readily identifies and removes ineffective teachers.


Onto the elections:

Michael Durso has proven to be the one current member on the Board of Education willing to question the policies of Superintendent Weast and the other generally supportive members of the Board.   He was also one of two Board members to ask for more time to consider an MCPS parternship with Pearson Education.  The Board was provided 48 hours notice to vote on this contract- a contract with the potential to have lasting impact on the county and the way it does business.   Healthy discord on a Board of Education is a must, and Michael Durso does not appear shy about voicing his opinion.

Durso's responses to the MCEA questionnaire prove he is a reflective practitioner that he does not reject ideas out of hand.  He serves on the board of a DC charter school- proof positive that the charter school movement does not have to be the front line enemy of public schools.   In my estimation, these are the type of thinkers our county needs on the Board of Education.   He appears driven by ideas rather than politics.

Challenger Martha Schaerr has some excellent ideas about how to reform evaluation systems in Montgomery County.   I'd like to put aside her apparent social conservative history as it would likely be a singular and dominated voice on the Board of Education, but that's not in my make-up, and Durso has already proven he can be a powerful minority voice when he deems it appropriate. 

Durso earns my unequivocal support.

Montgomery County Board of Education- O'Neill vs. Smith

Montgomery County Board of Education candidate Patricia O’Neill has become all too distant from Montgomery voters to deserve reelection. Consider the following:

O’Neill has no reelection website. This is the access point of choice for many constituents in the 21st century, but O’Neill is the only incumbent that has made no attempt to establish this connection. I recommend voters visit Karen Smith’s website at http://www.karensmith4boe.org/.

O’Neill completed a 15 question MCEA election questionnaire in just 651 typed words. Perhaps this is a lesson in efficiency, or perhaps she does not feel it necessary to spend much time communicating with the public or earning the ever important Apple Ballot recommendation. Regardless, with these several words she was able to win the endorsement of MCEA.

I emailed her opponent Karen Smith my own three questions (Smith was not asked by MCEA to complete a questionnaire). Smith answered the three questions I posed with more than 700 thoughtful and well organized words. I asked O’Neill to answer the same three questions via email but she did not respond. Lest you think I’m bitter- I intend to endorse three other incumbents who did not directly respond to my questions.

When O’Neill has communicated to the county she has preferred to communicate to citizens via editorials and press releases that often tout data of dubious educational value. For instance, she celebrated a rise in the average SAT scores in 2010 as if had nothing to do with the historic drop in SAT participation. In fact, over the last 5 years the percentage of graduating seniors earning a college ready score of 1650 has actually declined. The Gazette has reported similar concerns about the data frequently championed by O’Neill.

Lastly, O’Neill has proved to have a narrow and unyielding policy agenda despite valid and conscientious concerns voiced by the public. When some questioned the speed at which a new contract between a for profit education company and MCPS was recently finalized and approved by the Board of Education, including two of its own board members, O’Neill simply replied that some people will always say ‘no’ and “maybe they ought to run for Board of Education.”

When you have served on Board of Education for more than 12 years, I’m sure you become very well connected and have a keen sense of how to get things done. But I wonder if one is likely to forget how that seat was earned in the first place- at the foot of the people. From what I have researched and learned of Karen Smith voters should rest assured- your voice can still be heard loud and clear should you choose to vote in the upcoming Board of Education election.

Jerry Weast- No new evaluations

Kudos to the Parents Coalition for digging up this document- a letter to the Maryland Board of Education expressing his view on the new evaluation system that will go into place throughout the state.   He sounds his more reasonable tone yet when arguing agaist the state system, in particular when arguing about the ability to effectively put in place such a wide reaching system in such a short period of time.   However, he sounds the same tired tone when he talks of how effective the current evaluation system in Montgomery County is- the one that removed (or made to resign or retire) over 400 teachers  over a TEN YEAR PERIOD.   How many teachers has Montgomery County had during that time?   Well, it's 10,000 in one year.... so over the course of 10 years maybe 13,000?   More?    Not sure.  

Michael Durso, current candidate for Montgomery County Board of Education, recently said this about Weast's use of data:

The reputation of the school system, and the reporting of statistics and test scores, have been more tied into the personality and the image of [Superintendent Jerry Weast] as our leader, than the students and teachers who are impacted even more," Durso said. "We always haven't been as candid about some of our shortcomings, as opposed to publishing our positives.

Read more at the Washington Examiner. 

It's time to talk about ways to improve our current evaluation system.

The Apple Factory

The Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) uses a "rigorous" process to select the candidates it will recommend for political office.   It reportedly contacts all candidates- announced, rumored, or incumbent, and then invites the candidates to complete a questionnaire and personal interview.  A special committee of member-volunteers then makes a recommendation based on a variety of criteria.   The Board of MCEA then makes its own recommendation.   These recommendations then go to the Representative Assembly for a final decision, where a  58% supermajority is required to move forward with MCEA's final recommendation.

In my search for information about the Montgomery County Board of Education, I then found the MCEA questionnaires submitted by the candidates.    To my surprise, the only questionnaires I found were those of the four incumbents.   In some cases, it was clear the questionnaires were spell-checked but never proofread.   In other cases, questions were answered in single sentences.  And in other instances, the answers were thoughtful and reflective.    I recommend that any person considering a vote for the Board of Education read these questionnaires.   They are perhaps the best evidence voters have of the character and personality of the incumbents.

After I read these questionnaires, I then attempted to contact the challengers for Board of Education.  Karen Smith of district 3 filed after the recommendation process  was complete.   She was never contacted to complete a questionnaire or interview.   Martha Schaerr of district 5 filed after the recommendation process was complete.    She was never contacted to complete a questionnaire or interview.   Lyda Astrove, Louis Wilen, and Agnes Jones-Trower of the Parent's Coalition, all filed after the recommendation process was complete (and lost in the primary).    Ms. Astrove confirmed that she was never contacted to complete a questionnaire or interview.   I have not been in contact with the remaining challengers.

I have previously challenged the notion that the Apple Ballot represents the views of teachers across Montgomery County.   Regardless, if this is the "rigorous" process that MCEA uses to vet its candidates for office, this strikes me more of political machinery and deception than it does of democracy and what is best for education.  It does not matter that MCEA had a timetable to follow.  It does not matter if MCEA will not likely change their collective mind about who is recommended.   People actually vote based on these recommendations.   And so I believe MCEA has a civic responsibility to do their due diligence on each and every candidate so long as they filed before the July 6, 2010 deadline.  My plead to Montgomery County voters (of which I am not one); please disregard the recommendations made on the Apple Ballot and come to an informed decision on your own.  Otherwise, you're just another moving part in the apple factory.

Montgomery County Budget Woes

I suppose I don't really have much to say about the budget and furloughs and the politics that goes along with it. It's all just a bit much, and there are other websites that do a heck of a job following the mess of a process. I read those articles, and associated commentary, and then I try to read messages delivered by my union representatives and I can only come to one conclusion: I've got almost no idea what is actually happening. County Councilmen are claiming they have to raise the reserve requirement from 5% to 6% to maintain a AAA credit rating while the union reports back that only one of three rating agencies suggested this was really necessary (but that 3rd one is more concerned about other areas). So the council would lie because... (seriously, someone help me out)??? And now the Board of Education has approved a law suit against the county council for cutting funds because somehow the county council is not in charge of the budget, even though they think they are, or something more sophisticated than that but not really. As I've said before, this is more than any good citizen should have to bare.

I do know this. MCPS is a huge bureaucracy that has grown considerably over the last decade. From the PAR program, to the Northeast Consortium, to the creation of staff developers in every school building, to other expenses no one thinks twice about, hundreds of millions of dollars in programs have been put into place. I've got no problem with any of these programs as a stand alone program. But the problem is they are never truly reevaluated. Maybe I'm wrong, but does anyone have a sense that red pens are ever taken to these programs? We are never trimming fat, only adding it. We add these programs and they immediately become fixed costs that cannot be sacrificed. Then, when the budget gets smaller, there's nothing to cut. It's time like these that private businesses make hard and difficult decisions to become leaner and more efficient. They cut investments in physical capital, and unfortunately, human capital. They do this, so that when business returns to normal, they deliver a higher quality service than when they started. The question I have is whether furloughs will do this.

The seniority system defended by the union prevents MCPS from becoming a better, higher functioning educational system. No one likes to fire people, and I certainly benefit from the protections of tenure, but our youngest teachers should not bare the brunt of firings simply and only because they are youngest. Imagine how much students would benefit if 300 of the least effective educators were fired instead of 300 of the youngest?

That's the sad part of this whole quagmire: MCPS and the County are going to be no better off when this is over than when it started.

More on the evaluation system

State Senator Paul Pinsky wrote this op-ed piece in the Baltimore Sun. Of course, at the bottom of this op-ed is the little disclaimer that Paul Pinsky is actually an employee of MCEA. I can't even fathom that our great state has employees of interest groups working as lawmakers, but perhaps that's another matter. What I really don't understand is the the attitude of MCEA on this matter. When the legislation was worded that student achievement data had to be a "significant" factor in evaluations MCEA just celebrated that no change was ncessary. Now that Nancy Grasmick is suggesting that the MCPS evaluation system might need to be changed after all, the union is up at arms. The current evaluation system is NOT perfect. It's not! Why wouldn't the MCEA want to reevaluate their system if it possibly means it could improve? What they really want to change is nothing.

Furloughs to come

Teacher furloughs, that is. Couple that with a wage freeze and it looks like MCPS teachers are in for a pay decrease. I do find it kind of interesting how the state budgets seem to lag the rest of the economy. After all, the economy has actually been growing for six months, and the states are just now getting slammed by smaller revenues.

Can't say I'm thrilled but I'm happy that the county council is taking a stand. The following seems to be the key:

“Years of spending without regard for sustainability coupled with a global economic meltdown got us into this situation. Since 2006, a new County Executive working with this Council has steadily decreased the growth in the spending. This year we will actually spend less than we did last year. Going forward, we must insure that spending is sustainable over the short and long term,” continued Elrich.

I'm not sure I completely understand why there should be a big "to do" every year over the budget. If there were a list of pre-recongnized cuts that were initiated were the county to experience a short-fall in revenues in any given year, we could all just go about our business rather than yelling and screaming and lobbying. Something tells me the quote above is lip-service, though. Sure hope I'm wrong.

Now we'll just have to wait and see how the Montgomery County School Board decides to proceed. The Parents' Coalition seems to think this is all one big waste.

PAR data

Found all the data on the Peer Assistance and Review evaluation system on this page. A couple of thoughts: 1) Why are so few tenured teachers referred (I'll dig up some answers)? 2) Should we even spend these considerable resources on struggling teachers? For instance, what if Consulting Teachers (professionals in charge of evaluating the new and under performing teachers on PAR) were helping the mediocre teachers become master teachers instead of making ineffective teachers marginally less so? 3) We have a stick in place (though perhaps under utilized), but what is the carrot for the vast majority of Montgomery County teachers? Race to the Top seems to address this through some kind of incentivized pay system. But if 95% of teachers are not in need of the "stick" after year 1, the county and MCEA would do well to introduce some carrots.

In the Post

The Maryland legislature recently passed a new law that says test scores will be a "significant" component of teacher evaluations. All this to get in line to receive "Race to the Top" funds doled out by the Obama administration. Sounds like a start. Doesn't a good teacher help students learn? And how do we measure learning? Assessment. The Washington Post reports that the MCEA and school system leaders agreed to make 1/3rd of teacher evaluations dependent on test scores. Then Doug Prouty, MCEA President, promptly sends this email to union members that says nothing has changed, nor should it. Montgomery County is the model!

We have not changed our evaluation in anyway. We have no intention of doing so. The Teacher Professional Growth System has served us well for the past ten years and is a model for other systems around the country. The focus on collecting authentic data through formal and informal observations, bolstered by other data sources (including student achievement) has provided more meaningful feedback to teachers than the previous evaluation system or that currently being used by any other county in Maryland. The structured support for teachers and other educators the system provides is also unique in our state.

If MCEA doesn't think our evaluation system should imporve, or that the current law doesn't provide an opportunity to improve it, they are taking a decidedly narrow approach. It takes two years to remove even the most ineffective tenured teacher. Further, test scores are used in name only. Two out of six standards by which teachers are evaluated have mention of the use of assessment data. To say that test scores are already a significant portion of the Montgomery County evaluation system could not be further from reality.

MCEA

It's time to devote some time to improving the lone voice of Montgomery County teacher's in Maryland. This blog will call to account the policies, bad and good, of MCEA.