How Do Teachers Define "Value-Added"?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines value as “worth in usefulness or importance to the possessor; utility or merit." Many school districts across the nation are now utilizing “value-added modeling” (VAM) as part of the teacher evaluation process. For more information about VAM and teacher evaluation, see here and here. VAM, and the resulting rating for a teacher, is based largely on students’ performance on high-stakes standardized tests, but may also factor in other in-school and out-of-school variables such as socioeconomic status, language barriers, learning disabilities, class size, attendance, etc. So in other words, a mathematical/statistical model has been developed to quantify teachers along with their students. For more on that thought, see here.

I am curious to find out how teachers, not statisticians, define “value-added." I am curious about this because I think our definition may have more meaning and lack the sterility of a VAM rating. The VAM rating concept reminds me of Gayle Sayer’s autobiography I am Third. This reminder is based upon an imaginary conversation among teachers. “I am (insert VAM rating here), what about you?” The Los Angeles Times even decided to publish the VAM ratings of teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District (see here).

Okay teachers, let’s turn this around. How do WE define “value-added?" I will start. My definition of “value-added” is a classroom in which students and teachers engage in activities that encourage and develop critical thinking skills and enhance problem-solving abilities. Your turn.

Chad Kelley

TFI Class of 2006

This time of year is tough for many reasons. Some parents are questioning why their "precious angel" who has always had straight A's, received a B or C in the first quarter. A lot of students at my school have a tough time adjusting to the rigor of 7th grade. The expectations are much higher and the work load increases. November also brings the annual 7th grade field trip to the mountains. Due to the fact that I am more of a "hotel room, cocoa drinking in the lobby" type of guy, I usually choose to stay behind and supervise the students who can't go on the trip. It's tough for the students who can't go due to financial issues. Even though we offer partial scholarships, some families still can't afford it. It is sad that they'll miss out on such a great experience:-(

On the bright side, my football team just concluded a third straight undefeated championship season! I get one week off, then it's time to start coaching basketball.

Evaluations

CMS's new system of evaluating teachers has gotten a lot of teachers in a panic. I look at is as an opportunity to improve my craft. The administration must now tell me specific things that will make me a better teacher. I look forward to the challenge of incorporating all of their suggestions into my daily routines. The two biggest areas I need to improve upon are using more modern technology in my lessons and transitioning to the new National Content Standards. Hopefully by the end of the school year I will be considered an "accomplished" teacher in all of the criteria.

A Great Week!

This has been a great week! We started by reading our first class novel, Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers. Class novels are fun to teach because there are so many ways to make the stories come alive for the students. Novels are a great way to teach students how to draw conclusions and make inferences. I always try to get them to "read between the lines" and tell me things about the story that aren't necessarily written on the pages.

On another note, our football team won again improving our season record to 3-0. We are currently on a 3-year, 17-game unbeaten streak. As the head coach, it is so rewarding to see how the players' hard work in practice pays off for them in the games. As I said, this has been a great week!

Observation Week

This week I am being observed by my administrator. For years now I've stayed with a philosophy to never change my lesson plans based on who may be visiting my room that day. At my school, administrators pop in and out on a regular basis, so I'm sure they already know who I am as a teacher. Whatever they see in the 40 or so minutes in my room cannot diminish the 13 years of experience I've accumulated. I am all for receiving critique and feedback. I welcome any suggestions that may help me raise my students' test scores. With all that being said, I hope everything goes well!

The students seem to definitely be in the swing of things. As we enter into our second unit, they are beginning to adjust to life in the 7th grade. It's a huge adjustment for them because now they have to move around the building, as opposed to having all of their teachers in one hall. We've had to give lessons on time management and locker organization. Now that we are a full IB school, it seems that rigor is the new catch phrase. Because of that, I'vehad to step up my lessons and make them more challenging.

Back-to-School Night. The chance to match up faces with the names on the emails. I am very fortunate to have very active parents this year. There was a tremendous turnout, and they were all engaging and eager to learn what 7th grade language arts is all about. The only problem we had was when it came to work load. A few parents were complaining that my colleagues and I are giving too many projects simultaneously. I think parents are shocked when they realize the huge difference between 6th and 7th grade expectations. As a team, we decided that we were going to continue to challenge our students by maintaining the necessary level of rigor in our curriculum, but maybe do a better job with collaborating on the days when projects are due.