News
February 14, 2022
3
The Merionite
Teachers get grades, too Luke Shepard ’24 Sports Editor The proper method for assessing teachers accurately has plagued school districts for years. Teachers often adjust lessons during evaluations- which makes finding how teachers actually instruct their classes without a supervisor’s presence is near impossible. If an administrator stops by a classroom, especially during a scheduled visit, teachers can easily showcase their best teaching practices for the hour. They can reach far into their mind to bring out the best facts, jokes, and examples that make their classroom seem like a nurturing learning environment. However, it is hard to know whether or not that is actually how the teacher spends most of their class time. While standardized tests can account for what a teacher has taught their students, test scores can vary among students based on their different work ethics, drives, and test-taking abilities. Student reviews can help to form an opinion on a teacher's performance, but these evaluations may be filled with inaccurate assessments based on opinions on the grade they may have received. The many outlets each have their own small benefits, but the ineffective issues creep in with every method. A new, state-approved form encapsulates more than just a standard check into the teacher’s performance and draws from many different types of reviews. The PA-ETEP, created by EduLink, is a comprehensive review of a teacher’s entire skills from many different sources. In an effort to combat the problems that plague districts who simply assess teacher’s based on administrative check-ins, the PA-ETEP system collects many different bits of information to draw a review of the teacher. The different categories include Walkthrough and Anecdotal Notes, the ability to store Attachments, Dynamic Reports, Principal Performance Goals (PPG), and Formal Observations with 82/13 Rating Forms. These individual categories contribute to the overall assessment of the teacher. Formal Observations are similar to the traditional method for assessing teachers as they involve an administrator arriving at a classroom and reporting on teachers’ behavior and lessons. However, the Walkthrough and Anecdotal Notes piece attempts to combat the issue of the planned visit. Walkthroughs include the tiny pieces of information on teacher’s professionalism, while Anecdotal Notes include comments from an educator regarding their own behavior and teaching. Teachers are also able to respond to the feedback that they receive on the site to reflect on how they can improve. The Principal Performance Goals (PPG) section of the review makes it much easier for principals and other administrators to examine how well their ideas are implemented in their schools and districts. This section of the evaluation examines if teachers are following supervisor directions and rules in their classroom, giving administrators an idea of how their policies are being distributed throughout the school. Ultimately, all of the information that was compiled from the many different platforms is summed up in the Act 82/13 Rating Form with a final score. The goal of this final form is to simply have a summative rating for the teacher with all of the evidence readily available. Teachers are given a rating of either Distinguished, Proficient, Needs Improvement, Failing, or a separate rating category of Unsatisfactory or Satisfactory. The final form simply serves as a summative review of the
Graphic by Emmi Wu ’23/Staff
teacher. Administrators popping in on teachers can serve like safari cameramen in the middle of the Serengeti, as the interactions are never fully original. The PAETEP system tries to curb the issue by drawing from a wide range of settings in order to determine whether students are getting the most out of their time in class. Implementing this system in LMSD could allow the district to draw accurate conclusions on the performance of teachers. It captures a wide range of information based on teacher performance and could help the district to single out which teachers are performing exceptionally and which are not meeting district expectations. The new program could ensure that teachers who are given long-term employment are qualified for their positions, especially before providing teachers with any tenure. The PA-ETEP system aims to guarantee that LM teachers are effectively instructing their classes and benefiting their students’ education.
School loading... Continued from SCHOOL LOADING... on page 1 Penn Wynne Elementary School and Gladwyne Elementary School will feed into the new middle school because, according to the LMSD website, Black Rock “is in the catchment for GES, so it will be the closest school for those students. All PWES students are already bused to middle school so busing to the new school will not be a major change. The other four elementary schools have students in the walk zones for BCMS or WVMS. It is most efficient to avoid busing students to a farther school when they could walk to a closer one.” Additionally, the website explains that studies have shown that long commutes for students on the bus increases socializing, relaxation, and more. As for the sports fields at Black Rock, there will be off-site fields, but they will most likely not be ready in time for opening. In the meantime, the new middle school will use other locations, such as other LMSD schools, in order to conduct sports practices. After the tragic loss of LM’s principal, Sean Hughes, a petition on Change.org was created to rename the new middle school “Sean Hughes Memorial Middle School” in honor of his dedication and hard work to make LMSD a better place. However, district policy explicitly prohibits naming buildings after people. According to Buckman, the school board and administration will “work with the Hughes family and with students to create an appropriate way to memorialize Mr. Hughes as the dedicated high-school educator … he was.” A mascot was recently chosen to represent the school by Mrs. Stout along with a group of student ambassadors. According to Black Rock’s most recent newsletter, they decided upon the Royals, the school colors being black and gold with purple accents. The students said the nickname reflects qualities including strength, being welcoming to all, being smart, and being spectacular. They also liked that their mascot goes well thematically with the Bala Cynwyd Knights and the Welsh Valley Dragons. Mrs. Stout will soon begin work with a designer to create the official Royals logo, after which items such as athletic uniforms and school gear can be ordered. Featured in a video tour of the school on the LMSD website, student ambassadors reveal their excitement to attend Black Rock, as the tour of the building has exceeded their expectations. Multiple students explained how they liked the small “nests” or rooms that bump out of the sides of the building. These spac-
es will be used for collaborating on projects. One student in the video is looking forward to all of the books in the two story library. The recent newsletter goes more in-depth on the “‘gathering stairs,’ dining hall, courtyard, auditorium, library and gymnasium spaces, and the flexible ‘learning communities,’ where teams of students can gather in large labs and classrooms.” The recruitment for teachers at Black Rock has been ongoing. The school states that “Human Resources is keeping ‘an eye toward increasing diversity among all the schools’ excellent staff, so that every student sees adults in their building with whom they can identify. This is a complex process, but all of the principals and district administrators are committed to working together to create the best outcome for students.” As far as scheduling goes, “The 5-8 Committee has been reviewing several options for middle school schedules, which may be different for the ‘Lower House’ (grades 5/6) and the ‘Upper House’ (grades 7/8).” In addition, students will have the option of taking Spanish, French, or Latin starting in 5th grade. Black Rock explains how this will cause students to “end up with more minutes of world language instruction by the end of 8th grade than they have under the current program.” This will allow for students to begin at Level 3 of their language at the start of high school. In the news and announcements on the LMSD website, it explains how the “FLES program (where students are only getting one period of language per week) will be discontinued in grades 1-3 in favor of an exploratory language year in Grade 4, where students will be exposed to Latin, French and Spanish.” Due to issues involving rites of passages from the combination of fifth through eighth grade students, unlike the present sixth to eighth grade model, Black Rock Graphic by Kayla Bogui ’23 assures parents and students that “Both the K-4 and 5-8 committees have subcommittees that are working on how rites of passage such as promotion ceremonies, traditional 5th-grade activities and end-of-year celebrations, will change.” Additionally, “Some events/activities may move with 5th graders to middle school and some may become 4th grade activities, depending on what is developmentally appropriate.”In the fall of 2022, Black Rock Middle School will welcome in its first class of students, many of whom will eventually attend LMHS.
