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SB5 signature collection continues apace

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All day today, people from all over central Ohio formed a steady stream of petitioners at OEA HQ, downtown Columbus. Volunteers from the Columbus Education Association worked shifts manning tables and assisting people signing the petitions.

SB5 petition

Even with incessant April showers people still came to show their support for public education and express their disgust with SB5.

SB5 petition book

Ten down, 230990 more to go!

All around Ohio this weekend, citizens in their thousands lined up to sign the petitions. Here's a news sampling

Nice job to everyone who helped organize these efforts all around the state. There's a lot of work left to do, but we're off to a flying start!

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SB5 Merit Pay - teachers weigh in

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Over the weekend, the Plain Dealer published an article that talked about the SB5 provisions for teacher evaluation.

Under Senate Bill 5, teacher performance would be weighed partly by a new set of standards being created by the state board of education that involve observing teachers in the classroom and evaluating their knowledge of the subject they teach and their teaching skills. But the biggest piece, which is far from complete, is developing a test that will gauge student academic growth over a school year or from year to year, said Ohio Department of Education spokesman Patrick Gallaway. Student achievement will be the biggest single metric in a teacher's evaluation, making up 50 percent of the final performance mark for each educator and determining whether he or she gets a raise, nothing, or potentially gets fired.

The new system would not affect current teacher contracts, which would remain in effect until they expire.

This would be a first in the nation statewide effort. Those us us with concerns are justified, based upon current research and trials

In recent years, school districts in Iowa, Texas, Minnesota, New York and elsewhere have experimented with pay-for-performance programs and many have not lasted beyond a few years. Most struggle to find an equitable way of providing raises to all while also handing out merit pay to some, Christie said.

Harvard economist Roland Fryer in March concluded that a $75 million pay-for-performance pilot program in New York City that started in 2007 did not increase student achievement.

A study from Vanderbilt University released last September that followed Nashville teachers eligible for merit pay from 2007 through 2009 also concluded that student academic achievement did not improve.

SB5 doesn't even set aside any money for merit pay, making the entire enterprise even more questionable in its goals. It just doesn't work, as these comments from teachers on Facebook point out

Have they come up with a plan on how merit is determined? Test scores won't work. The only grades that take the tests are 3-8 and 10. How will they determine the merit of teachers in K-2, 9, 11, and 12? Additionally, not all subjects are tested! How will teachers of non-tested subjects be evaluated? Talk about going into battle without a plan!!!!!
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‎.......and special education? That system assumes that 75% of the teachers are substandard. From my experience, the majority rock and the occasional teacher needs to go. We all know what will happen. Better schools will get even better teachers, while the worst schools get teachers who can't hack it anywhere else or are doing it our of charity. The thing is, only some of us see this as a problem..... Others (we know who).. think this is how American should be.
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What is ridiculous is that the way it is set up there will always be a bottom percent EVEN when every school has score increases. So, it is possible that a school could be getting 90% passage in assessment scores and be in the bottom 25% of the passage rate.
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What a crack up - districts will have to pay for merit pay from the money they save by not giving step raises. So - the question that just begs to be asked - When the district is already NOT paying step raises so the it can stay afloat, where in the hell is it going to get money for merit pay?
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the whole idea of merit pay is ridiculous for teachers, police, fire fighters, etc., and no system that is devised will be fair, because there is no easy way to measure "merit" (or even define it) for these particular professions...this will not lead to good things
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I am very worried about the state of special education. My son has the best teacher, she "gets" him. I worry that we won't have inclusive classrooms anymore and only the teachers who are in the botton 25% teaching the kids who need the most.
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My district wants to freeze all steps and base salaries....so according to this, there will be no money for merit pay....does this mean our teachers are going to suddenly become more highly motivated to receive, well, nothing?? What's going to happen?
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This is all so depressing. I never thought I'd see the day when I considered starting all over again. I love teaching, but all this political stuff is crap! No one besides other teachers understands the tremendous job that we undertake. As a Master's graduate in May I'm truly depressed at the teaching job prospects
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I have seen some very good teachers run off simply because someone in power did not like them - and that's with union protection. I can't imagine how it will be if this garbage goes through. Makes me very sad for our profession.
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My first teaching job 30 years ago was in a southern state. The only 2 questions the principal asked me were: "Did I see you went to school in Ohio" and "Can you start immediately?" He then went on to tell me how highly an Ohio education was thought of and that they grabbed Ohio grads whenever they could.
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A must-read for all is Diane Ravich's book, "The Death and Life of the Great American School System" discussing in detail how testing and school choice are undermining our public schools. She makes a clear and compelling case that applying a business model to schools is inappropriate and ineffective.
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Say goodbye to collaboration with colleagues.
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My district was rated "excellent with distinction". That means that we have amazing teachers in every building, at every level and in every subject. Yet only 25% of us will get raises for which probably 95% of us would otherwise qualify? ...

The Nation: Teachers Are Not The Enemy

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It's hard to think of another field in which experience is considered a liability and those who know the least about the nuts and bolts of an enterprise are embraced as experts.

The attack has diverse roots, and comes not only from Republicans. Groups like Democrats for Education Reform have dedicated substantial resources to undermining teachers unions. With Race to the Top, the Obama administration has put its weight behind a reform agenda featuring charter schools, which employ mostly nonunion labor, as its centerpiece. A disturbing bipartisan consensus is emerging that favors a market model for public schools that would abandon America's historic commitment to providing education to all children as a civil right. This model would make opportunities available largely to those motivated and able to leave local schools; treat parents as consumers and children as disposable commodities that can be judged by their test scores; and unravel collective bargaining agreements so that experienced teachers can be replaced with fungible itinerant workers who have little training, less experience and no long-term commitment to the profession.

[readon2 url="http://m.npr.org/news/front/135628478?singlePage=true"]Continue reading...[/readon2]

Kasich makes false claims to state workers

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As signature collection for the SB5 repeal effort gets under way today , it comes as no surprise that the Kasich administration has begun to use its position to propagandize state employees

On one front, the governor ordered Department of Administrative Services Director Robert Blair to issue a letter to the state's 57,520 employees that highlights "key facts" of Senate Bill 5 and included an endorsement from Blair of the switch to a merit-based pay system.

Plunderbund has a copy of the letter, and debunks some of the false claims it makes.

Apr 21 2011 DAS Dir Blair Re SB5

SB5 Roundup

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