Wanna look sharp, while pinching pennies?

Gas and grocery bills. Health insurance costs. Teachers are getting pinched left and right these days.

Anne Taylor Loft wants to help.

The store is offering teachers a 20 percent discount through late July. Read all about it on our newest sister blog, the Deal Divas. These gals are dedicated to sniffing out hot fashion finds that won't leave your wallet in ruins.

We understand that education wonks don't just want to sound smart. They need to look the part too. And it's no easy feat to dress sharp on a paltry salary. Gradebook blogger Letitia Stein understands these twin devotions. When she's not covering local schools, she's prowling the shopping meccas to find the best deals in Tampa Bay and beyond.

Pay her a visit at the Deal Divas!

(Photo: Outfit available online from Anne Taylor Loft.)

Objections raised to science hearing

A conservative Christian group raised objections this afternoon to the upcoming final hearing on the science standards, saying in the headline of a press release: "State Shuts Out Decision Makers from Hearing Direct Public Testimony." The statement from the Orlando-based Florida Family Policy Council says there will be a press conference in Orlando Monday to address concerns about the standards, as well as the process for crafting and deliberating them. A council official declined to comment to The Gradebook.

In announcing the details of the final hearing yesterday, the Department of Education said the Board of Education - which is scheduled to vote on the standards Feb. 19 - will not be taking public comment at the Feb. 19 meeting. It said BOE members would either view Monday's hearing via live Web cast or be presented with a video recording of the meeting later. It said Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith and other high-ranking DOE officials would attend.

DOE spokesman Tom Butler said BOE members wanted "as much time as necessary" to discuss the standards amongst themselves Feb. 19. But it also wanted to get as much public feedback as possible, which is why it scheduled the Monday hearing after four previous hearings. "Public input received during the hearing is going to be heard by the state board," he said.

Earlier this week, the policy council released a statement on its website criticizing how evolution is described in the proposed standards: "The primary point of unease is found in the Life 'Science body of Knowledge' section which starts with the statement 'Evolution is the fundamental concept underlying all of biology and is supported by multiple forms of scientific evidence.' This approach does not encourage an accurate and thorough presentation of the scientific evidence currently available regarding the theory of evolution." The council is tied to the national group Focus on the Family and says it supports "making the case for Biblical family values in the public square."

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Ode to joy

Our first guest blogger, Tampa teacher and Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform activist John Perry, returns with a commentary about education accountability in this week's Teachers Corner. He doesn't like it. Post a comment of your own after reading. Perry generally tracks this blog and is likely to respond.

"If I asked you what one word you heard most often in recent discussions about education, what would that word be? Perhaps "joy," as in "the joy of learning?" That might be a logical answer, but perversely, it now sounds like bitter sarcasm coming from a teacher in the age of "accountability," the single obsession in education today. Joy isn't even on the radar screen.

I am so over accountability. By even starting with that term, we are letting the corporate agenda  control the debate. At the first meeting last week of the Educator Roundtable, Georgia State University education professor Dr. Deron Boyles said that all we talk about now in education is accountability. We used to talk about responsibility. How did this sudden shift happen? It didn't come from educators. Accountability is a business concept, like competition, also a foreign and destructive concept when applied to education. Public education is being hijacked by Corporate America and in my view, they've already won when we allow them to set the terms of the debate.

Here's my suggestion for accountability: ban that word, and all the other words and phrases used to perpetrate this corporate takeover. Educators, parents, and elected leaders have to stop letting the Business Roundtable  control the debate.

For example, I have two students who only speak a few words of English who were forced to take FCAT this year because they've been in the U.S. for a year. In the three hundred hours of ESOL courses teachers must take to teach such students, we're told it can take seven years for kids to become fluent in academic English. After one year, they're not even fluent in conversational English, yet they are forced to take FCAT with the rest of the students at their grade level.

So while businessmen and politicians pontificate about "accountability," what they really mean is that kids who can't read first grade English are forced to take a test that is challenging to fourth graders who are native speakers of English. Their scores count against the school's grade, and against me, of course. (Kind of hard to get "merit pay" based on those kinds of test scores, or bonuses based on school grades.) That's what they're really talking about when they talk about accountability - abuse of and discrimination against kids, teachers, and schools. Just ask that fourth grader with a mustache in the class next to mine. He spent three years in third grade because he didn't pass FCAT. He should be in sixth grade. What's the likelihood of him finishing school? It's a lot dimmer now, thanks to "accountability."

We shouldn't concede to this push for "accountability." We need to debunk accountability and get back to our responsibilities to our students."

Note: Perry offers a link to the Educator Roundtable's petition to dismantle NCLB. Click here if you are interested. If you'd like to be a guest blogger, submit your writings for consideration to solochek@sptimes.com.

More than 300 minutes

The Hillsborough school district is moving to have all its high school teachers in the classroom for 300 minutes daily, adding close to an hour of instruction to many educators' days. In this week's Teachers Corner, guest blogger Gayle Curtiss, special education department head at Gaither High, suggests that the extra time actually would be much greater, while also going against several education "best practices." Check out her alternative idea, and let us know what you think.

"The district is continuing to move towards the plan of secondary teachers teaching 300 minutes.   Planning goes forth despite the district being shown how this plan will diminish or practically eliminate, 1) effective best practices including mandated federal requirements of Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), 2) attention to students' needs beyond academic concerns, and 3) retention and recruitment efforts. The mandated accountability and compliance measures and other tasks required of teachers have radically changed over the past 10-20 years. The fact that these issues have not been specifically addressed by district personnel or by the teachers' contract in decades has also been presented. The district and school board have also heard how this proposal will reduce teachers' effectiveness from many, many teachers.

We are left to assume that the bottom line weighs in favor of these cost-saving measures compared with the research-based best practices that provide for the needs of our students.

Here is a proposal, most likely too late to reap the benefits of the district level personnel really knowing what goes on in a teacher's day, inside a classroom, and inside of a school. The school board should require ALL district level personnel who have a teacher's or administrator's certificate to give 5 of their work days each year to substitute in 5 different classrooms at 5 different schools. The additional hours (40) spent with students is a very small sacrifice. Unlike the teacher's sacrifice of teaching more periods which means less effective instruction and diminished gains, this plan places a highly qualified teacher or administrator in the classroom instead of a substitute.

Here are the benefits:

• District personnel will gain an understanding of the planning, student needs, and demands of a teacher for the entire time in a teacher's day not just what is considered "instructional time." The sub day should also include a duty assignment and participation in a team that is planning during the "planning period" for that day.
• District personnel will be able to experience, first hand, the great increase in paperwork and accountability demands, changes in curriculum, time constraints, compliance issues, and uses of technology in today's schools compared to the time when they were teachers in the classroom.
• District personnel will experience how diverse our students are today in comparison to their experiences as a teacher and develop an appreciation for the amount of preparation (time) required to provide differential instruction.
• Teachers will leave lesson plans knowing a highly qualified teacher will teach their classes and there will be no loss of intended instructional time for course objectives.
• The sub shortage will be eased.
• The costs of subs for these volunteered days would be eliminated.

I think it is a "win/win" situation for everyone. If we were doing this for the past few years, we would not be doing "this" now."

For more information on Curtis' views, click here. If you'd like to be a guest blogger, send your submission to solochek@sptimes.com.

Teachers corner

Performance pay continues to be a hot topic for Florida teachers as revisions wind their way through Tallahassee. Guest blogger Chris Altobello, an Ocala guidance counselor and union leader, offers this unique perspective.

"Imagine this… It's the first day of school and I am meeting my students for the very first time. I do my signature "Money to Burn" experiment involving fire, a dollar bill, and a student picked at random. I gaze out into the audience noticing I have the students hooked as they wait to see if the dollar will burn. We then have a great discussion on scientific inquiry…WOW these kids are really engaged and it's only 15 minutes into the school year! After introducing myself and class introductions I hand them their syllabus. I give them a few minutes to read the class expectations and policies and then it happens. "Mr. A", one student asks, "What do you mean that no matter how well we do in the class only 25% of us can earn an A?"

Being honest, I explain to her that the state education "experts" created a new performance grade plan called SCAR, Special Children Are Rewarded, in which student grades are primarily based on how well you do on your high-stakes standardized test assessment. I am having what educators call a "teachable moment" now as everyone is participating in the discussion. "You mean to tell me Mr. A that even if we come to school every day, participate in class, complete all our homework, and perform excellent on all our assignments that only a handful of us even have a chance to earn an A…no matter what?" "Yes Johnny", I reply. The kids are really becoming spirited when out of the blue little Ellis raises his hand. "I think it's great…do good for one week out of the year and get an A…can't get any easier than that!" The class is now in an uproar…. Ring! Ring! Ahh…saved by the bell.

The next few periods follow the same pattern. Kids question me as to why they were not involved in the development of SCAR, given that it applies directly to them. Some wonder why the "experts" would set up student meetings for SCAR input after the decision was made. Several students with different classes and special needs are wondering if they will even get the chance to earn an A. Scores of kids come to me asking if SCAR could be delayed until a better plan could be developed. Many simply say they have no chance whatsoever. The student council, on behalf of their peers asks the "experts" if this is even legal! They continue to question me about the SCAR the "experts" gave them. I listen, but I have no answer.

Imagine if teachers tried to SCAR our children. We'd be drummed out of the classroom. Yet this is exactly what is happening to teachers and local school boards all across this great state. STAR or Special Teachers Are Rewarded is nothing more than the last attempt by our former "education" governor (and his rubber-stamp bunch) to SCAR our public school system and those hardworking teachers who make up its foundation. They are being forced to participate in an ill-conceived, inequitable merit-pay system that is based primarily on how well a student performs one week out of the year. Marion, as well as, countless counties across the state will be going through the STAR Wars soon. Teachers, let's do our homework, unite together, and send a message to Tallahassee that we're all STARS!"

If you'd like to be a guest blogger, send your submissions for consideration to solochek@sptimes.com.

Another diversion

Welcome again to the Teachers Corner, where The Gradebook is offering educators the chance to talk about issues important to their profession and, hopefully, where a conversation will take place. Today's guest blogger is Lynne J. Webb, president of the United School Employees of Pasco. She offers her take on Special Teachers Are Rewarded, the state's controversial teacher performance pay law. Check tomorrow's Weekend Interview, too, for Sen. Don Gaetz's take on the program.

"Most everyone agrees paying teachers more is important, but Florida's latest performance pay plan is not the way. From the beginning, STAR has drawn opposition and criticism from teachers, superintendents, school boards, the public and media because of its hasty implementation, top-down design, lack of validity, over reliance on FCAT-type tests to measure student achievement, and artificial quotas.

Why should anyone be surprised?  Every merit and performance pay scheme in Florida has failed miserably and created deep divisions, distractions and distrust. And none have helped recruit and retain teachers. STAR, in fact, is having the opposite effect. A first year teacher recently wrote, 'If this is what the state wants to do, then I want to quit teaching. There is so much more to judging a teacher than a state-mandated test that the kids have to take.'

STAR has also served to distract from the important focus of true education reform and has strained labor relationships. Here in Pasco and around the state, STAR has created showdowns between school districts and unions as bargaining teams feel the pressure to meet the March 1 deadline or face the loss of lottery dollars and STAR funding. Plus, state law still requires districts to institute a STAR-like performance pay plan even if they do not participate in STAR or miss the deadline. To add insult to injury and a little more pressure, the DOE recently deemed that all existing performance pay plans, including Pasco's, are unacceptable. Sure, lawsuits have been filed, and litigation is pending, but the wheels of justice turn slowly, leaving it up to legislators to provide some relief.

Indeed there is much legislative interest and activity around the subject, and well there should be! Teachers, students and the public deserve for the legislature take a long hard look. Performance pay can't be a substitute for reasonable pay; it must be one component in a total compensation plan.

Improving the base teaching salary should be the first focus of the legislature. The $147 million appropriation for STAR could have provided every Florida teacher with a $500-$600 salary increase and raised the average teacher salary in Florida one-tenth of the way to the national average. Florida still needs to hire thousands of new teachers. Pay teachers well, and they will come and stay. The next step should be fully funded, valid and collaborative performance-based-pay plans with no artificial quotas. Such a plan could profoundly impact the quality of public education."

If you'd like to contribute to the Teachers Corner, send a submission to solochek@sptimes.com for consideration.

A foundation for education

Welcome to the first Teachers Corner. It's a place where The Gradebook is offering educators the chance to talk about issues important to their profession and, hopefully, where a conversation will take place. Our first guest blogger is John Perry, a teacher at Forest Hills Elementary in Tampa and a board member and newsletter writer for the Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform. He writes:

"If engineers designed buildings like Florida designs education policy, no building would be left standing.

Every building's integrity rests on its foundation. If you build a multi-story condominium on the concrete slab that supports my modest little home, or your condo, probably won't stand very long. If you build the entire edifice of your education policy on a single, very fallible standardized test, it won’t take long before the integrity of the entire system has been undermined.

Now take this weakened, distorted system and add one more weight FCAT wasn't designed to bear: teacher pay. Basing teacher pay on student performance can sound appealing until you take a closer look. Under STAR (Special Teachers Are Rewarded), Florida's newest performance pay plan for teachers, 25 percent of teachers will be awarded 5% bonuses based mostly on test scores. So what's the problem with that?

• Why the arbitrary 25%? Who says that only 25% of teachers deserve the bonus?

• Florida ranks 30th in average teacher pay.  Shouldn't we get teachers' base salaries up to a competitive level before we start talking about bonuses? Outgoing Education Commissioner John Winn claims that STAR will "go a long way to attracting and keeping top teachers."  Keeping wages low and instituting unpopular bonus schemes will neither attract nor keep top teachers. If anything, it's the ideal way to get rid of them. Can teachers buy a home or a car based on a bonus they might not get the next year? Is that kind of uncertainty a way to attract and keep teachers?

• It is well-known that standardized test scores are strongly correlated to income. Hillsborough County claims to have formulas to account for that, so teachers of lower-income students will be given a fair chance at a bonus. That might work for general statistical purposes, but how can a formula account for the individual, real, live, little human beings in my classroom and all the variables that can affect their performance? Does the formula take into account the affects of a death in the family? A house damaged by fire or natural disaster? A bitter divorce?  Teachers often work minor (and sometimes, major) miracles in their attempts to help their students. But should teacher pay be based on test scores that are strongly influenced by factors teachers have no control over?

• What about the roughly half the teachers who don't teach an FCAT-tested subject?  How can you compare and rank teachers of completely different subjects who use completely different assessments?

• Will bonus-earners be good teachers, or will they be teachers who supplant teaching with test prep?"

If you'd like to be a guest blogger for the Teachers Corner, send submissions to solochek@sptimes.com for consideration.