tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001353142707267265.post999527120726985835..comments2016-08-08T14:56:23.714-04:00Comments on Beyond the Schoolhouse Walls: District's Disrespect for Teachers is Evidenced in Teacher Evaluation ScoresUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001353142707267265.post-4520344682865045182016-02-08T09:12:15.235-05:002016-02-08T09:12:15.235-05:00I agree with all your comments with the exception ...I agree with all your comments with the exception of the Best and Brightest. That program is geared toward retaining newer, younger teachers and discriminates against older teachers and those who received their training out of the country. Just because you are young, doesn't make you good. Anyway, OCPS has broken our morale and now they have piled on the inappropriate task of having classroom teachers write formative assessments. Just another way for them to overwork us and underpay us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001353142707267265.post-14806663908068668112016-02-06T22:50:55.634-05:002016-02-06T22:50:55.634-05:00How does the county that earned the 'Broad Awa...How does the county that earned the 'Broad Award' have such ineffective teachers? You would think OCPS would be teeming with highly effective teachers for them to win such a highly touted award. Or is there more going on here than meets the eye?<br /><br />I left OCPS last year after having to battle my administrators to even achieve an 'Effective' rating, after achieving 'Highly Effective' the year before. I am a National Board Certified teacher with an outstanding teaching record and test results. I am also consistently called upon to directly mentor other teachers (i.e. - give them my lesson plans and teach them how to implement them). However, my evaluation deemed me 'Needs Improvement', in other words, not effective. I had reached my limit. I resigned. I was tired of coming to work everyday, giving more and more every year while receiving less and less support, and then having to go through an evaluation system that feels more like a witch hunt (There are 61 things administrators can look for at ALL times. If you are not demonstrating one of those 61, you can be marked off.). You can't complain about it, because the administrator you are complaining about will be doing the remainder of your subjective observations that year, and most likely the next year. I can see it's gotten no better. Why would ANYONE want to teach in Orange County?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001353142707267265.post-14730081538082521982016-02-06T22:15:45.373-05:002016-02-06T22:15:45.373-05:00I have witnessed first hand the morale of teachers...I have witnessed first hand the morale of teachers go down. They dropped from a highly effective teacher to a beginning teacher. Although they use their PLC (as we are meeting to plan for next week's reading, writing, math, science lesson plans she keep students in because they didn't complete their homework, or they missed an assignment, she uses her lunch break to work with students that are performing low. Yet she is a beginning teacher. Thank you Orange County Public Schools. I always knew Seminole County was the best district for students in Central Florida. Wasn't it these same beginning teachers this year that helped you to win the Broad Award last year? So did you lie to win this award? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001353142707267265.post-47695187449361498102016-02-05T18:53:46.595-05:002016-02-05T18:53:46.595-05:00I'm disgusted....other neighboring counties ar...I'm disgusted....other neighboring counties are the same.....Pay teachers what they deserve!!!!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001353142707267265.post-34721125115589380332016-02-04T18:43:16.207-05:002016-02-04T18:43:16.207-05:00As an Orange County parent, I am appalled that the...As an Orange County parent, I am appalled that the teachers who work so diligently every day to help not only my children but every child be successful are not allowed to be validated with a high performance evaluation. Essentially, they are not allowed to earn it. Should I move my children to Seminole county? It would appear their teachers substantially outperform our own because of this data. Will there be a mass exodus of our best teachers to other counties? <br /><br />What disgusts me most about this is the undeniable fact that when given incentive for good performance; employees will work towards that goal. It is obvious that there is no need to push harder to help our children succeed because the teachers are going to end up with effective ratings anyway. Why go the extra mile? I am not saying they won't, but what is the district doing to ensure they do? Apparently, nothing.<br /><br />Now I have to state that I am also a teacher but I need to look at it from the perspective of a parent as well. I am teacher who earned highly effective and then wasn’t allowed to the next year. I am a teacher who qualified for the convoluted Best and Brightest scholarship but will not receive it again if renewed because of this policy. The district is not only taking pay raises from our pockets but state incentives as well. Thank you Orange County for giving the teachers in other counties a bigger slice of the state pie. Thank you for ensuring their local economies benefit from state funds that somehow will be distributed to highly effective teachers throughout the state with the exception of Orange County. These actions by the county have a much broader range of consequences.<br /><br />I can’t tell you that I haven’t started looking at housing in other counties where my high demand certifications and experience will open a door for me to begin teaching elsewhere. Where my passion for making sure students are successful will give me an opportunity to earn highly effective. Yes, I want to earn it! Teachers in Orange County aren’t asking for you to dole out highly effectives like their free pencils. They just want to know that they have an opportunity to prove that they are. The entire population of Orange County is affected by these choices. Something has to be done to fix it. <br /><br /><br />A concerned teacher and parent. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com