June 11, 2002 - Baltimore City Public Schools

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Board Meeting Minutes Page 12 of 41 Baltimore. In fact, many of us believe that MSPAP, the one-size-fit-all statewide educational test program, hinder teachers from employing the kind of instruction they feel would optimize students' academic growth. Best practices were subverted by MSPAP, and the anticipated scale results were used against us with the threat of takeover. For the purpose of this presentation, we're not going to repeat all the reasons why the student performance-based evaluation by portfolio is wrong for teachers. Those reasons have been outlined in the full text of the 2000 and 2002 Magna Carta for Baltimore City teachers. The Research and Development Committee of the Baltimore Teachers Union recently conducted a survey of teachers throughout this City regarding the portfolio and the PDP and the IEP. To further illustrate why the portfolio is considered punishment for teachers, this survey would result in our realization that any change of significance are going to occur in the School System. MR. DALE: If this School System were run like a business, which seems to be the trend, the cost/benefit analysis of portfolio construction would have been forewarned of its impending uselessness. The survey revealed that the bulk of the portfolio preparation, 85 percent, approximately 58 hours per teacher, were performed outside the work hours of the contractual days. This means that time spent in the portfolio production either took time away from planning, grading papers, and other routine school responsibilities, or it took time away from the time needed for family responsibilities. A teacher's time available for employment responsibilities are not unlimited. Ninety-nine percent felt that the portfolio impacted their family or themselves negatively. The survey revealed that only a small percentage of teachers, less than 3 percent, felt that the DSA portfolio lead to improvement in the instruction. Portfolio creation has produced a tremendous cost from many perspectives, which yields only negligible results. More than 60 percent of the teachers indicated that they would have selected somewhere else to teach if they had known about the DSA portfolio. The DSA portfolio discourages experimental and innovative and instructional techniques for two reasons: First, planning and instruction is geared to the end result that our portfolio's not utilizing the most effective learning modality for the students. Secondly, no one will want to risk failure because their shortcomings will be highlighted in the portfolio. Additionally, teachers should be teaching, using academic needs of their students, not the employment requirements of a document that does not represent the full scope of practice. In response to the question that if the portfolios are dropped, what should replace them? We ask what are the grounds for them in the first place? Where a variety of causal interactions, casual interactions and traditional nondestructive, informal and formal observations are revealed; items that teachers are required to maintain on their students. Any content alerts administrators, can distinguish between a teacher who is effective, or has the potential to be an asset to the School System. And one who might need more assistance to become successful. Some evaluators are not even capable of applying professional objective judgment about traditional evaluations, with use of power and vindictiveness of administrators, which remain ramped in the School System, hinders positive growth. The remedy is not to punish teachers as though they were children. Portfolios do just that. It is the sum total of these reasons presented here today and others outlined in the Magna Carta of Baltimore City teachers that give rise to the Baltimore Teachers Union position that portfolios are punitive and must end. The New Board of School Commissions must seriously consider and address both legitimate concerns and suggestions that teachers have made that will improve many aspects of the School System. None of these changes listed below inquire blaming or penalizing those individuals for actions or nonactions of others, which they should not be responsible. It will not cost taxpayers additional millions of dollars, and outside studies will not be needed. Regardless of the extent of the violence in the surrounding communities, schools must be a safe place and a haven for all occupants. Support for the schools must come from the School Board. The School System must hire teachers who are knowledgable in their field and are kind and respectful towards students. The System must value and support efforts of the community on teachers and respect their work with its veteran teachers. The incredible amount of paperwork of teachers must be reduced. The Board can't act as though it was indifferent to their important piece, unfortunate circumstances. All teachers must be provided the appropriate resources to teach classes in which they were assigned, and those resources need to be equitably distributed and sustained throughout the school year. Instructional support without file://S:\CMS_Content\meetings\2002\J11_02.html 9/23/2002
Board Meeting Minutes reproduction must be available for those teachers who ask for it. Administrators must abide by the spirit of letter and the intent of the teachers' contract, which was designed to prevent burnout of teachers working in an indifferent and difficult situation. The elimination of the unnecessary DSA portfolio, in such, the individual development plan is a first step. Thank you. MS. WELCH: Thank you, Ms. English and Mr. Dale. Mr. Bill Goodin. Page 13 of 41 MR. GOODIN: First, as always, I want to take this opportunity. I'm going to be talking fast for my three minutes. But I'm a little upset, you know. And sometimes we look at similarities. I was just sitting back there reflecting on when you go to court and you have to be there even if the judge is not there, and you have to wait. And if you're not there when the judge gets there, you get punished, because you have to wait for the judge. And I'm saying that to say this: I come here at 4:00 to sign up. And I come here at 4:00 because they -- you only allow ten people to sign up. Now, I understand the process, and that's fair. I was the first one here. I mean, I know that you have certain people that people think is more important than other people, but I think I'm as important as everybody else. I have a $75 ticket to go hear Al Sharpton, which started at 6:30. Now, you know you let people get up and talk. And Councilman Stoots, my man, nothing to him. But, you know, I'm saying, you let people get up and talk. You let people call in and sign up, but they don't have to physically be here to put their name on the list. And people like me that come here at 4:00 have to wait, and wait until everybody else gets through, before I have an opportunity to have my three minutes. And I'm saying, you know, I'm a little T'd off about that, because I do think it's unfair. And I think that, you know, when people take their time out -- I don't have children in the School System no more, but as an advocate, I feel that of them, you know, I advocate for, you know -- but I think it's totally unfair to have people like myself have to wait three hours, you know, patiently. Because I know I have to be patient, because that's procedure, that's procedure. I've always said I don't think it should be ten people to be able to sign up. Because, you know, when you just take ten people, it makes us rush trying to be the first ones, because I don't want to be No. 11 and not have an opportunity to sign up, you know. So I'm saying, I just don't like that. And I think that you all shouldn't do people like that. Because some people may think they're more important than other people. I don't never think that. I think that Bill Goodin is as important as anybody else. And my time is valuable, even if other people don't think my time is valuable. So I don't really want to sit here and use my time to tongue lash nobody. But I was sitting there, man, I was really getting mad, because I got ready to leave, because I've got something else to do. But since I've been here since 4:00, I said I'm going to stay here and take my three minutes. In fact, I've really forgotten -- the first thing I wanted to say was I wanted to congratulate the students. But you all made my whole train of thought leave. Secondly, I just want to say that I think it's important that we establish some sort of Think Tank with people that's got some interest in terms of what's going on in the schools. Because lot of times, people that got interest, it's like sabotaging us. And you're not -- and I constantly say this: If you really want people to get involved in the School System, we have to encourage and oppose discouragement. And I'm saying that in terms of even myself. I've been active for 30 years of my life. And sometimes it's a little discouraging to have to get here at 4:00, I have three minutes, the lady's going to let me know when my three minutes -- I've got 30 seconds left, and to get down like that. And I'm saying, you know, it may seem like it -- it's like sabotaging participation. And I think that we, at some point, should be serious about trying to get people involved in the process. We have to stop doing that to ourselves. Because, I mean, even me, you know -sometimes it's like, hey, man, why am I going to go. You know what I'm saying. Because you feel that people are going to do you wrong. But I go because of my commitment to myself and to the children out there that I'm advocating for. But I'm saying, I am a little disappointed when other people are, you know -- if it's going to be a process, if you can call in, fine. Once before they said that you can't call in and put your name on the list. But, you know, if you're going to let other people call in because of who they are, then it's unfair. Now I'm saying, we're going to either be straight down the board with it, or we're not going to be straight down the board with it. And I'm saying, in the future, you know what I'm saying. And, again, I'm going to close my 30 seconds. I don't think I'm no bigger than nobody, but I'm not no file://S:\CMS_Content\meetings\2002\J11_02.html 9/23/2002
Page 1 and 2: Board Meeting Minutes Whereupon,--
Page 3 and 4: Board Meeting Minutes that on Frida
Page 5 and 6: Board Meeting Minutes communication
Page 7 and 8: Board Meeting Minutes continually g
Page 9 and 10: Board Meeting Minutes MR. STREUVER:
Page 11: Board Meeting Minutes MS. WELCH: I'
Page 15 and 16: Board Meeting Minutes that our base
Page 17 and 18: Board Meeting Minutes Page 17 of 41
Page 19 and 20: Board Meeting Minutes money. Commun
Page 21 and 22: Board Meeting Minutes requirement.
Page 23 and 24: Board Meeting Minutes educational p
Page 25 and 26: Board Meeting Minutes MS. WELCH: Mr
Page 27 and 28: Board Meeting Minutes is the only m
Page 29 and 30: Board Meeting Minutes department. O
Page 31 and 32: Board Meeting Minutes MR. SMOLARZ:
Page 33 and 34: Board Meeting Minutes MS. AMOS: Goo
Page 35 and 36: Board Meeting Minutes MS. WELCH: Op
Page 37 and 38: Board Meeting Minutes get a feel fo
Page 39 and 40: Board Meeting Minutes MS. WELCH: Op
Page 41: Board Meeting Minutes UNIDENTIFIED

June 11, 2002 - Baltimore City Public Schools

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?