To: President Donald Trump, The Missouri State House, The Missouri State Senate, Governor Mike Parson, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
An Education Solution
New Solutions
We have many ways of evaluating schools, teachers, and students. I propose a plan that will evaluate all of the above in the same process. These are inexpensive and effective reforms.
1.Test all students the day they walk into the classroom each year and then test them the last week of each school year. If the students have demonstrated a year of growth, success has been achieved. Teachers should be rewarded with a financial bonus for this success and parents of these students should be rewarded with a tax break as well. If a student does not achieve a year or more progress then a deduction (equal to the bonus) should be reduced from the teacher’s salary and added cost to the parent’s tax bill. Teachers should be paid a good and fair basic wage that would be tied to the average pay of the legislators that assign the finances to the state’s districts, this wage could improved with this bonus if their teaching is effective. This bonus could be determined locally.
The testing should be done independently so scores would be honest. I suggest that you hire and train successful retired teachers to do the testing each year. They know how to work with students and their paycheck would not be at stake. The retired teachers should not test in districts where they have worked previously to avoid conflict of interest.
2. If student's families have experienced trauma such as divorce, death, serious illness, or accident with in their families their scores should be excluded for that year. A penalty would not be given to the student, parents, or teachers for that year.
3. Student's test scores should be included in their grades so they feel some responsibility for the achievement demonstrated in the test, even if that requires grades to be delayed while waiting for test results. These test results should weigh heavily in the decision of promotion or retention of the students. Some students currently find this high stakes testing annoying and do not do their best. I believe including test scores in grades and promotion decisions will put some responsibility back on the students as well.
4. Parents of students who have needed the social services our nation provides (such as juvenile, family services, or special education services, etc.) with students who have not made appropriate academic gains should have an extra tax penalty for the year/s the services are provided. If these parents and students participate with their school administrators and counselors to improve their student’s achievement a waiver to avoid tax penalty could be granted as long as successful participation continues.
The financial incentive system will need to be addressed differently for the teachers in elementary programs and teachers in the secondary schools. These can be done on a ratio basis or elementary teachers could be funded for each student in each of the subjects they teach to their self- contained class. Parents could receive the same ratio of tax incentive. Special Education teachers need to have a program that relates to student IEPs.
Educators who do not teach the core classes should receive the same good and fair basic wage and be awarded bonus or deductions based on the average scores of the building/s they serve. Administrators should have a similar base salary and receive the bonus or deductions based on their building/s achievement.
Evaluations of teachers by principals still need to determine rehiring because some teachers do not teach the core classes. However, test scores demonstrating improvements as described above and building averages should have a significant influence on the evaluation process.
These are simple inexpensive solutions that would put responsibility for student achievement on everyone included in the process not just the schools.
Sincerely,
Mo Massie Bales
Retired teacher with 31 years of public school teaching experience,
15 years part time teaching in teacher education programs, parent, and grandparent of public school students.
We have many ways of evaluating schools, teachers, and students. I propose a plan that will evaluate all of the above in the same process. These are inexpensive and effective reforms.
1.Test all students the day they walk into the classroom each year and then test them the last week of each school year. If the students have demonstrated a year of growth, success has been achieved. Teachers should be rewarded with a financial bonus for this success and parents of these students should be rewarded with a tax break as well. If a student does not achieve a year or more progress then a deduction (equal to the bonus) should be reduced from the teacher’s salary and added cost to the parent’s tax bill. Teachers should be paid a good and fair basic wage that would be tied to the average pay of the legislators that assign the finances to the state’s districts, this wage could improved with this bonus if their teaching is effective. This bonus could be determined locally.
The testing should be done independently so scores would be honest. I suggest that you hire and train successful retired teachers to do the testing each year. They know how to work with students and their paycheck would not be at stake. The retired teachers should not test in districts where they have worked previously to avoid conflict of interest.
2. If student's families have experienced trauma such as divorce, death, serious illness, or accident with in their families their scores should be excluded for that year. A penalty would not be given to the student, parents, or teachers for that year.
3. Student's test scores should be included in their grades so they feel some responsibility for the achievement demonstrated in the test, even if that requires grades to be delayed while waiting for test results. These test results should weigh heavily in the decision of promotion or retention of the students. Some students currently find this high stakes testing annoying and do not do their best. I believe including test scores in grades and promotion decisions will put some responsibility back on the students as well.
4. Parents of students who have needed the social services our nation provides (such as juvenile, family services, or special education services, etc.) with students who have not made appropriate academic gains should have an extra tax penalty for the year/s the services are provided. If these parents and students participate with their school administrators and counselors to improve their student’s achievement a waiver to avoid tax penalty could be granted as long as successful participation continues.
The financial incentive system will need to be addressed differently for the teachers in elementary programs and teachers in the secondary schools. These can be done on a ratio basis or elementary teachers could be funded for each student in each of the subjects they teach to their self- contained class. Parents could receive the same ratio of tax incentive. Special Education teachers need to have a program that relates to student IEPs.
Educators who do not teach the core classes should receive the same good and fair basic wage and be awarded bonus or deductions based on the average scores of the building/s they serve. Administrators should have a similar base salary and receive the bonus or deductions based on their building/s achievement.
Evaluations of teachers by principals still need to determine rehiring because some teachers do not teach the core classes. However, test scores demonstrating improvements as described above and building averages should have a significant influence on the evaluation process.
These are simple inexpensive solutions that would put responsibility for student achievement on everyone included in the process not just the schools.
Sincerely,
Mo Massie Bales
Retired teacher with 31 years of public school teaching experience,
15 years part time teaching in teacher education programs, parent, and grandparent of public school students.
Why is this important?
Having schools, students, and parents all held accountable for the education of our children.