Teach May 2013

Salute to Retiring Teachers page 4

Published by the TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION May 2013  Vol. 44, No. 7  www.teateachers.org

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FOR MORE ON THE ISSUES TO PAGE 3 AND WWW.TEATEACHERS.ORG FORINFORMATION MORE INFORMATION ON THEGO ISSUES GO TO TEATEACHERS.ORG

Speaking out with you Gera Summerford, President

Mitchell Johnson, Interim Executive Director

Standardized Testing: Is It Worth It?

Pay for Student Test Scores: Bad for Tennessee

Now that testing season is finished for 2013, students and teachers breathe a sigh of relief. For most, standardized tests and the disruption of instructional time required to administer them is something we just have to endure. The more time and resources we devote to standardized testing, the more we should question its value for students, educators and the school community.

Educators who work with students every day know that children are unique individuals with vastly different personalities, experiences and learning styles. So why do education reformers believe we can measure student growth by requiring all children to take the same standardized tests? I’ve taught many kids who can demonstrate their talents in a variety of ways, though perhaps not successfully on a multiple-choice test.

And do these tests really measure the outcomes we want for our students? As a teacher and a parent, I want young people to learn to think deeply and independently, to analyze problems and take some risks in finding solutions. These are skills I believe will help them succeed in any of life’s endeavors. I’ve never seen a parent’s car sporting a bumper sticker that says “My child is a great test-taker!”

A standardized test can’t tell us whether a child enjoys learning. It can’t tell us how well he or she gets along with his or her “The more time and peers. It can’t even begin to resources we devote to measure a child’s imagination, her creativity, or her true standardized testing, the potential. more we should question How well do test results its value for students...” help us improve instruction and learning? Until teachers have access to a full complement of assessment questions and their students’ responses, how can they know what changes are needed? Even Bill Gates admits that test scores and the current measures of accountability don’t give teachers what they need to make improvements for their students.

Does standardized testing of students actually measure teacher effectiveness? Research clearly shows that teaching accounts for about 15 percent of student achievement outcomes, while socioeconomic factors account for about 60 percent. So, teachers in tested grades and subjects recognize the tremendous effort necessary to overcome such factors as poor attendance, impoverished home environments and learning English as a second language. As for those who teach in non-tested areas, does it ever make sense to use schoolwide test results to measure teachers of music, physical education, special education or even 12th grade math and English?

If we had confidence that standardized testing provides what we need to improve educational opportunities for all children, we might not question the current emphasis placed upon it. But when we see dozens of instructional hours pre-empted by test preparation and administration, hundreds of children who are stressed and exhausted by it, and millions of precious public education dollars being spent, we deserve an answer to a simple question: Is it worth it?

Yet again, Tennessee finds itself in the national spotlight. Most of us are probably getting used to the unprecedented attention directed at our public education system. Some call it the center of education reform, while we recognize it for what it is—a battleground. In one of the latest maneuvers, Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman has proposed to pay teachers based on student performance, ignoring the base minimum state salary schedule. He wants to increase the salaries of only those teachers whose student TVAAS scores go up each year.

Let me tell you, the list of reasons why this is a bad idea could fill this entire issue and then some. Allow me to share a few of the most crucial points: Tying teacher pay to student test scores provides no incentive for a teacher to focus on the various areas of child and student development other than how well the student performs on a standardized test. Historical evidence, a wealth of research and just plain common sense supports this obvious fact. The adverse effect on teacher morale and their subsequent effectiveness has been cited as a primary reason why pay-for-test- score schemes do not work. According to most studies, pay-for-test-score schemes stimulate a competitive spirit that results in dissension, misunderstanding, suspicion and lower morale caused by the assignment of particular students to certain teachers.

True, some administrators may support this concept on the premise that their teachers might pay more attention to which students are in their classes.

Even so, while incentive-based competition may be productive in some occupations, teaching is not one of them.

According to many research studies — including one conducted by Vanderbilt University — teachers are best motivated by an adequate, dependable base salary and by intrinsic rewards such as the sense of achievement in reaching students and recognition by their colleagues. Research indicates that extrinsic rewards such as salary are important to teachers, while unpleasant working conditions and not having a voice in the decisions surrounding their profession create a great amount of dissatisfaction. Teacher satisfaction has a direct correlation to student learning and success in school.

Public school educators need a salary schedule that is understandable, simple, predictable and one that provides for the increased cost of goods and services from year to year. The current minimum state salary schedule allows precision budgeting by school systems and requires minimum administration to calculate salaries.

The so-called education reformers contend that the current salary schedule is responsible for every undesirable feature of public education. This is a diversionary tactic not based on logic or supported by evidence. In fact, the security of receiving annual increments has been shown by researchers to be an incentive for prospective and experienced teachers alike.

In spite of the horror stories peddled by “education reformers,” most teachers cite inadequate funding of the current minimum state salary schedule as the main problem. The long-standing dominance of the current salary schedule over more than 70 years is evidence it is considered both functional and desirable by teachers, administrators and those responsible for funding teacher salaries.

We know that the citizens of Tennessee are getting the best results for their investment in public education. The quality of instruction in Tennessee can be improved by providing all teachers with good working conditions, adequate supplies, parental and public support, and good salaries that keep pace with the increased cost of living. We deserve to have a teaching and learning environment that is be the envy of other states across the nation. This is what TEA is working to accomplish.

teach (USPS 742-450, ISSN 15382907) is published in August, September, October, Nov/Dec, Jan/Feb, March/April, and May by the Tennessee Education Association, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville TN 37201-1099. Periodical postage paid at Nashville, TN. The subscription price of $3.65 is allocated from annual membership dues of $258.00 for active members; $129.00 for associate, education support and staff members; $16.00 for retired members; and $10.00 for student members. Member of State Education Editors (SEE).

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Tennessee Education Association 801 Second Avenue North Nashville, TN 37201-1099 Telephone: (615)242-8392, Toll Free: (800)342-8367, (800)342-8262 Fax: (615)259-4581 Website: www.teateachers.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT: Gera Summerford* (800)342-8367 VICE PRESIDENT: Barbara Gray* (901)353-8590 SECRETARY-TREASURER: Mitchell Johnson (615)242-8392 DISTRICT 1 Leisa Lusk* (423)794-6247 DISTRICT 2 Lauren McCarty (865)385-5220 DISTRICT 3 Vacancy DISTRICT 4 Tanya Coats* (865)637-7494 DISTRICT 5 Michael Plumley (423)479-8228 DISTRICT 6 Scott Price (931)455-7198 DISTRICT 7 Allen Nichols* (615)653-6501 DISTRICT 8 Kawanda Braxton (615)554-6286 DISTRICT 9 Theresa L. Wagner (270)776-1467 DISTRICT 10 Guy Stanley (615)218-9213 DISTRICT 11 Wendy R. Bowers (731)645-8595 DISTRICT 12 Suzie May (731)779-9329 DISTRICT 13 Ernestine King (901)590-8188 DISTRICT 14 Sarah Kennedy-Harper (901)337-3988 DISTRICT 15 Tom Emens (901)277-0578 ADMINISTRATOR EAST Johnny Henry (865)712-3199 ADMINISTRATOR MIDDLE Margaret Thompson (615)643-7823 ADMINISTRATOR WEST Charles Green (901)624-6186 HIGHER EDUCATION Clinton Smith (901)230-4914 BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER EAST Paula Hancock (865)694-1691 BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER MIDDLE Kenneth Martin (615)876-1948 BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER WEST LaVerne Dickerson (901)789-2626 STATE SPECIAL SCHOOLS Vacancy NEW TEACHER CandraClariette (615)298-8053 ESP Christine Denton (931)647-8962 TN NEA DIRECTOR Melanie Buchanan (615)305-2214 TN NEA DIRECTOR Diccie Smith (901)482-0627 TN NEA DIRECTOR Diane Lillard* (423)478-8827 STEA MEMBER Marilauren Anderson (731)478-5106 TN RETIRED Gerald Lillard (423)473-9400 * Executive Committee

TEA HEADQUARTERS STAFF INTERIMEXECUTIVEDIRECTOR:MitchellJohnson;ASST. EXECUTIVEDIRECTORS,TerranceGibson;CarolK.Schmoock; DuranWilliams;TEAGENERALCOUNSEL;RickColbert; MANAGER OFBUSINESS AFFAIRS:StephanieFaulkner;INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY&SYSTEMSMANAGER,Galen Riggs;MANAGEROF LEGALSERVICES:Steve McCloud;STAFFATTORNEYS:Katherine Curlee,VirginiaA. McCoy;MANAGEROFGOVERNMENTRELATIONS: JimWrye;GOVERNMENTRELATIONSCOORDINATOR:Antoinette Lee;WEBMASTER&COMMUNICATIONSCOORDINATOR:Amanda Chaney;MANAGINGEDITOR&COMMUNICATIONSCOORDINATOR: AlexeiSmirnov; RESEARCH&INFORMATIONCOORDINATOR: Vacancy;INSTRUCTION&PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT COORDINATORS:SusanDalton,ChelseaMcKissack;COORDINATOR OFMEMBERSHIP&AFFILIATERELATIONS:ShannonBain.

UniServ Staff contact information can be found on page 12 or by scannig the Quick Response code below.

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May 2013

EDUCATION WAS AT THE FOREFRONT

IN THE 2013 GENERAL ASSEMBLY EVALUATION

RETIRED TEACHERS GET A TUITION DISCOUNT FOR THEIR CHILDREN

Even though careers are in the balance, the test-based teacher evaluation system has serious questions and flaws, something admitted by the administration and legislators alike during the session.

A bill passed allowing retired teachers' children who are under 24 years of age to receive a 25 percent discount at any stateoperated institution of higher learning, provided that the parent retired with 30 years of full-time creditable service in Tennessee public schools.

TEA proposed some common sense changes to teacher evaluation, focused on a pre-test post-test system that creates a more accurate picture of where students enter at the beginning of a year or semester, and where they finish. Pre-test post-test can also allow for more teachers to be evaluated on their own student work, something not provided under the current system.

While pre-test post-test did not pass this session, it did provide an opportunity for legislators to understand the flaws of the system.

The good news is that more than 40 representatives signed on to the TEA bill in the House, and key senators supported the bill as well.

As long as the stakes continue to increase for teachers in the flawed evaluation system, TEA will fight to make sure the system is as fair and clear as possible.

RETIREMENT TCRS, the retirement system for teachers and others is rated one of the strongest in the nation. TEA’s position is simple: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Yet TCRS was a significant battleground during the 2013 session, with the state treasurer proposing a dramatic change from a guaranteed benefit to a hybrid plan that added a riskier 401k-like side with a reduced guarantee. TEA made sure current teachers were not affected by the changes, and fought to make sure new teachers had the option of keeping their riskier 401k portion invested in the low cost and stable TCRS fund.

PAY INCREASE Within the state budget is a 1.5% raise for teachers. It is too small, will barely keep salaries above inflation. However, TEA made sure that in committees and on the floor, legislators and administration officials stated the 1.5% raise will go to all teachers.

With the exception of one official. State education commissioner Kevin Huffman said in a House finance committee that it “was not his intent that the 1.5% raise go to all teachers.” This came as a surprise to many legislators on the panel.

Right at the very end of the legislative session, the commissioner proposed a radical change in the state minimum salary schedule, collapsing it from 20 steps to three. He intends for the raise funding within the state budget to go to LEAs to spend on salaries as they see fit, including pay based on test scores. It is very possible that not every teacher will get the raise promised in the budget, and TEA is ready to fight.

Privatizers spend heavily, little to show TEA was heavily outspent by out-of-state privatizers who paid more than a million in television commercials and lobbyists promoting radical vouchers and rapid charter expansion to take funding from schools.

Yet TEA prevailed in most legislative battles, showing that Republican and Democratic lawmakers know that Tennessee schools are doing a good job with limited resources. Most in the General Assembly know schools should be supported and not attacked.

Let your local legislators know how much educators appreciate their support of Tennessee public schools!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ISSUES GO TO WWW.TEATEACHERS.ORG

EXTENSION FOR TEACHERS TO TAKE CONTENT AREA TESTS As passed, gives teachers who teach in multiple subject areas until July 1, 2014, to pass the content area tests in the subject areas in which they are teaching.

HIGH-PERFORMING SCHOOL SYSTEMS MAY CREATE THEIR OWN EVALUATION SYSTEM The "High Performing School Districts Flexibility Act" allows school systems in the top 20% in the state to develop their own teacher evaluation system and avoid other certain state mandates. Tenure and other workplace rules will remain in force.

STATE AUTHORIZER AND FORPROFIT CHARTERS PREVENTED IN TENNESSEE Charter schools have never been proven to be more effective than public schools, yet it does not prohibit their expansion in Nashville, Memphis, and other parts of the state. A move to create a special charter panel with powers to put charters anywhere in the state over the objections of local school systems was prevented, and a last minute attempt to allow for-profit charter corporations into Tennessee was defeated on the last day.

THE LARGEST AND STRONGEST

VOICE FOR EDUCATION! 3

www.teateachers.org

Marilyn Toppins: “We Must Eradicate Poverty.”

Soon after Marilyn Toppins began substitute teaching at Luttrell Elementary in Union County in 1973, she told her teacher, Ms. Donahue, who was retiring after 37 years, that she was just amazed anybody can last this long as a teacher. “I doubt that I’ll last 10 years,” Toppins told her.

This spring, with 37 years of teaching behind her, Toppins is retiring. She is going out on a high note, having taught many of her special education students how to read. Separated from the rest of the school in a former chemical storage facility with no windows, Toppins and fellow Union Co. EA member Melody Johnson are experienced in making the most with very limited resources.

Certified in regular and special education, Toppins remembers a time when there were 16-year-old students in third and fourth grades in Union County.

She says it was nothing to have 16-year-olds in eighthgrade classrooms. Most students dropped out after the eighth grade. Over time, graduation rates in area schools improved from 49 percent to 88 percent.

“You have to attribute this in large part to teachers,” says Toppins, who became active in her local association from day one and has attended legislative sessions in Nashville for decades.

In her first year, before collective bargaining was even a concept in East Tennessee, Toppins’ annual salary in the Union County school system was $7,250.

Now she makes $46,000 before supplements. Toppins is quick to attribute this growth in salary—and the overall economic situation in the county—to the work of teachers.

“Poverty is the root cause of many local problems,” Toppins says. “A lot of what other areas experienced in the 1930s is still happening here. Many families were 4 May 2013

“Every teacher in Union County made $500 a month. It didn’t matter if you taught four years or 40 years.” finally able to move from dirt-floor shacks into mobile homes in the 1980s.”

Through the years, Toppins witnessed parents who dropped out of school become adamant about seeing their children through graduation. Parents recognized that teachers had something to offer their children.

Toppins and Johnson have seen their specialeducation students make amazing progress from last November. Some of the students who couldn’t read last year are able to effortlessly peruse complex texts. Others register on a high-school spelling level.

Students encourage each other.

“Come here, Anastasia, Mark, Austin, let’s work on the spelling,” Toppins tells her students and encourages them to work in groups.

Many students in Toppins’ class require a major self-esteem boost.

“A lot of research and supporting data show that if we spend enough time teaching children reading and math, we have a much better chance of sending them into life equipped to be successful,” Toppins says.

A large part of a special education teacher’s success depends on continuity. Struggling students

do not have much chance of success if they see their teachers rotate in and out of the classroom. But when students can spend a year or more with the same teacher, they tend to open up about root causes of their learning handicaps. In Union County, as well as many rural counties in Tennessee, students often don’t have food or water, and their parents or guardians are unable or unwilling to help with homework.

“The lack of motivation to learn is very much steeped in poverty,” Toppins says. “We are a poor county. Until we are willing to go the extra mile and help the situations of poverty, our children will not go the extra mile for us. Some of these students will be first-generation high-school graduates.”

Toppins is speaking from experience. She has taught some of her current students’ parents and grandparents, or entire families. Toppins lights up when she talks about her eighth-grade struggling readers conquering works by Maya Angelou and classics like “Don Quixote.”

Last year, some of Toppins’ students showed a 450 percent gain from the year before. Many of her students are within a half-grade level from entering the core.

During a break between classes, Johnson says that the most typical response from core curriculum teachers is, “Wow, there’s such an improvement.” After going through a combination of special-education support and language program for two years, some of Toppins’ and Johnson’s students end up among the top 10 percent of the school.

After almost 40 years in the trenches, Toppins has a full complement of war stories to share with her association colleagues and inspire young teachers to join the Association. She may be retiring, but she won’t hang up her activism, so you’ll likely see and hear Toppins as she shares her inspirational nuggets of wisdom. For instance, the story about the man who refused Toppins a principal position when she wanted it in her third year of teaching. “That same man came back and offered me a principal position years later,” she says.

One of the board members who opposed Toppins’ teaching in Union County ended up sitting across the table from her to negotiate Union County’s first contract with the local board of education. When Toppins’ car broke down, he pushed the car to get her home.

“You have to know where we came from,” Toppins says. “We didn’t have a graduated salary schedule.

Every teacher in Union Co made $500 a month. It didn’t matter if you taught four years or 40 years. We met at Maynardville Elementary and decided to put forth a salary schedule. This was unheard of in Union Co. in the mid-1970s. Bargaining as an issue hadn’t reached Union County.”

During one of the first school board meetings Toppins attended in 1974, a female teacher was called to the head table. “I understand you’re pregnant,” the board chairman said. The teacher responded that she was indeed expecting.

“If you’d have wanted to keep your job, you should have thought about it before you hired on. And they

fired her,” Toppins says. “I thought—at least I’m not getting pregnant. School board members ran the schools. They met the night before the meeting and decided who was going to which schools. At that time, a lot of people who taught didn’t have certification. If teachers tried to make a case on one thing, something else would have been brought up. There was no protection.”

It didn’t help Toppins’ cause when she passed a resolution through PTA that required all local school board members’ children to be transferred to their local county schools. Still, she and her colleagues kept on winning.

After Union Co. EA members conducted their first budget analysis of the local schools and it became clear that they knew more about the budget than the board, they were on the way to securing their first contract. One of Toppins’ colleagues told the board members that they spent more on coffee and cigarettes than they were willing to pay their teachers.

“Well, you gals have worn me down,” said the board member who had previously refused to negotiate with Union Co. teachers. “If you want it that much, you’re going to get it.”

A couple of years ago, when the Tennessee Legislature voted to take away collective bargaining, Toppins told her colleagues that “TEA stood up for us before we had a contract, and they’ll do it for us again.”

TEA New Teacher Conference July 13, 2013, and February 22, 2014 Offering two different programs on both dates in 2013-2014

We Salute All Retirees of 2014!

Attend one track on either date, or plan to attend both tracks to double your professional development hours. Get a head start on your professional development for 2013-14 by attending the first session in July.

Earn six hours of professional development credit for each session you attend, while strengthening your teaching and enhancing your success in the classroom. (Earn 12 hours of credit if you attend both the July and February conferences.)

Track 1

Powerful Teaching Explore best practices for delivering powerful instruction, including student assignments and assessments that go beyond expectations, enhance instruction and advance student learning. This session will strengthen your approach to the evaluation domains and indicators no matter the evaluation model used in your district. It offers valuable insights and practical tips for teachers of all subjects at all grade levels.

Track 2

I Can Do It! This interactive, highly acclaimed classroom-management training addresses one of the greatest needs identified by beginning teachers and their principals. The program covers classroom transitions, reinforcements, rules and routines, dealing with difficult behavior and more—all designed especially for the less experienced teacher, irrespective of grade level taught.

First time in 2013: a TEA Summer Conference to allow new or nearlynew teachers to get a head start on a successful year.

The New Teacher Conference is scheduled twice during the 2013-2014 school year:

WHEN?

July 13, 2013 February 22, 2014 The program runs from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. each day.

Tennessee Retired Teachers Stand Up for Their Profession Tennessee retired teachers have devoted their lives to children and a proud profession.

While their active colleagues worked in the classrooms of Tennessee, TRTA members made weekly trips to the legislature to stand up for teachers and children. This year, TRTA members played an important part in protecting retiree and active teachers’ financial futures by making sure the new hybrid pension plan applies only to those employees hired after July 1, 2014. Future employees will receive less from the defined benefit portion of their pension. The defined contribution portion needs to provide at least 18 percent of their final average

compensation to be equal to the current plan.

In addition, TRTA members were successful in lobbying the passage of a tuition discount bill that extends the tuition discount currently available to active teachers to retired teachers’ children who are under 24 years of age and attend a stateoperated institution of higher learning.

Tom Curran, NEA-Retired President, asked in a recent article, “How long must we remain public school advocates?” The answer is—forever. We must continue to stand up, speak out and urge others to join us, because if we don’t no one will.

WHERE?

WHO?

HOW?

Tennessee Education Association 801 Second Avenue North Nashville, TN 37201 Highly recommended for new and nearly new teachers in their first three years of teaching. (Not open to STEA members.) Participation is limited.

Spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

More experienced teachers will be wait-listed and accommodated on a spaceavailable basis within two weeks of each program date.

Complete the attached registration form and return with payment to: Shronder Gentry, Tennessee Education Association, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37201 Phone: 800.342.8367 - Fax: 615.259.4581 Email: sgentry@tea.nea.org Registration form is also available online at www.teateachers.org/newteacher-conference.

HOW MUCH?

$40 advance registration fee includes all materials and lunch. ($50 fee the day of the conference for non-members not registered in advance.)

(Registration fee paid by personal or Association check will be refunded to members who attend. Fees cannot be refunded to non-members or members who register but do not attend.)

Scan this code for New Teacher Conference registration form.

5 www.teateachers.org

Teachers Elect New Leaders, Celebrate Legislative

TEA Interim Executive Director Mitchell Johnson addresses the 2013 TEA Representative Assembly.

TEA Government Relations Manager Jim Wrye speaks about the importance of holding elected officials accountable.

Below, members sign pledge cards to contribute to the TEA Fund for Children and Public Education.

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May 2013

More than 600 educators from across the state gathered at the Nashville Convention Center May 10-11 as local delegates to the Tennessee Education Association 2013 Representative Assembly.

The Representative Assembly is TEA’s highest governing body and consists of delegate-members who are elected locally by their peers. This year, the delegates elected several new statewide and district officers. The delegates also honored outstanding educators and citizens (see story on page 8), set the organization’s budget for the upcoming year, and adopted resolutions and new business items introduced by delegates.

This year’s agenda also included a celebration of recently retired TEA Executive Director Al Mance’s 30-year career with the association.

Diccie Smith, a special ed teacher in Shelby County, was re-elected to a three-year term on the National Education Association (NEA) Board of Directors.

Elected to the TEA Board of Directors were teachers Michael Carvella of Oak Ridge, Ashley Evett of Rutherford County, Anthony Hancock of Knox County, Larry Proffitt of Robertson County and Tiffany Reed of Memphis.

Julie Hopkins of Metro Nashville was elected as Middle Tennessee administrator on the TEA board of directors. Sarah Kennedy Harper of Memphis was elected to represent West Tennessee black classroom teachers and Stephanie Bea from Shelby County was elected to represent education support professionals on the TEA board.

Elected to the TEA Fund for Children and Public Education (TEA-FCPE) Executive Council were Beth Brown of Grundy County, Leon Daugherty of Knox County, Deborah Hunt of Rutherford County, Adrienne Jones-Jewell of Memphis, Jolie Madihalli of Memphis, Shannon Ridener of Clarksville-Montgomery and Janie Stutts of McNairy County.

Sammy Jobe of Shelby County and Evelyn Gill of Knox County were elected West and East Tennessee contacts, respectively, to the Board of Trustees of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System. Elected to the Local Education Insurance Committee from West Tennessee was Patsy Peckenpaugh of Dyersburg and from East Tennessee — Richard Ledford of Bradley County.

TEA Representative Assembly delegates discuss new

TEA President Gera Summerford honors past TEA Exe

Student TEA members actively participate in the ass

e Successes of 2013

2012-2013 Don Sahli-Kathy Woodall Scholarship Winners Sons & Daughters Scholarship ($1,000) Danielle Boyd University of Tennessee-Martin, Daughter of Gayle Boyd, Rutherford Education Association

w business items.

FTA Scholarship ($1,000) Julie Robinson Siegel High School Minority Scholarship ($1,000) Quiane Roby Ripley High School

ecutive Director Al Mance. TEA Representative Assembly delegates listen to candidate speeches.

sembly.

STEA Scholarships President ($1,000) Parris Malone Tennessee State University $1,000 Winner Lindsay Riggs University of Tennessee-Martin $500 Winner Brittany Goins Lincoln Memorial University $500 Winner Mallory Gray Northeast State Community College

Successful candidates for office share the stage.

7 www.teateachers.org

TEA Members Reap Just Rewards, End Year on High Note

The Tennessee Education Association presented awards to Tennessee educators and supporters of public education at TEA’s annual awards luncheon this month.

TEA recognized the 2012-13 Distinguished Educators.

This year’s winners are teachers Ashley Croft (Metro Nashville), Lauryn England (Metro Nashville), Josephine Hammond (Shelby County), Sarah Harper (Memphis), Bobby McCulley (Marion County), Teri Mize (Giles County), Kenzi Neuman (Clarksville-Montgomery), administrator Kim Lampkins (Shelby County), and education support professional Benita Townsend (Robertson County).

“Thank you for the honor of this award,” Ashley Croft said after receiving a new Kindle Fire tablet device during a school-wide pep rally at Litton Middle School in Nashville. “I wanted to be a teacher as long as I can remember. I grew up in Memphis, where my dad is a teacher, and I always wanted to work with urban children. Teaching at a middle school in Nashville has been an incredible experience for me. I’m excited to be able to get my master’s and hopefully be a school principal someday.”

“I couldn’t do this without all of my colleagues from pre-K up,” Teri Mize said after TEA President Gera Summerford TEA President Gera Summerford presents the E. Harper TEA President Gera Summerford presents a Johnson Human Relations Layperson Award to David L. presented her the Kindle Fire at Elkton Elementary School.

Distinguished New Classroom Teacher Award Acey during the May 10 award ceremony at TEA. Bobby McCulley, who teaches at Jasper Middle School in to Lauryn E. England of Metro Nashville EA. Marion County, received his award to the cheers of several hundred of his current and former students and fellow faculty members in the school auditorium in May. “We are proud to have one of the best teachers in the state of Tennessee in our school,” said Jasper Middle School Principal Ramona McEntyre during the award ceremony.

Melissa Collins (Memphis) was recognized as TEA’s nominee for the 2012 National Education Association Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence. Collins was selected as one of the top five finalists in this national competition.

The E. Harper Johnson Human Relations Award in the layperson category was awarded to David Acey, a professor at the University of Memphis.

Jennifer Rawls, communications director for the City of Clarksville, received the Susan B. Anthony Award for her work in support of programs and achievements for women and girls.

TEA’s 2013 Friend of Education Awards were presented to Courtney Dickinson of Shelby County in the individual category, and Wesley House, Knoxville, in the organization category.

“Watching our members succeed and excel in their work is one of the most gratifying experiences for us,” said TEA Happy day—Marion Co. EA member Bobby McCulley (center) is surrounded by his immediate and extended President Gera Summerford. “We sincerely congratulate our family after receiving one of this year’s TEA Distinguished Educator Awards in the Jasper Middle School members across the state who have excelled in spite of so auditorium on May 13. TEA President Gera Summerford (left) presented the award. McCulley’s wife and fellow many recent changes in public education.”

Association member Jamie McCulley (third from left) teaches math at Jasper Middle School, whose principal TEA also award two individual reporters with the TEA Ramona McEntyre (second from right) has been a TEA member since 1976. TEA District 8 UniServ Coordinator School Bell Award for their outstanding coverage of public Chris Brooks (right) also attended the award ceremony. education. Christine Jessel of WUOT-FM in Knoxville and Matthew Stewart of The Daily Times, Maryville, were this year’s winners.

8 May 2013

Cornersville Baseball Wins California Casualty Grant—Cornersville High School baseball team, the Cornersville Bulldogs, ended a four-game losing streak by defeating the Loretto Mustangs 3-1 at home. The team wore their brand new jerseys, which were made possible by the $1,500 grant from California Casualty, a longtime TEA insurance partner. Cornersville was one of 85 schools across the nation to receive the California Casualty Thomas R. Brown Athletics Grant designed to help underfunded athletics programs.

Pictured, left to right, are Spencer Mitchell, Cornersville athletics director, Sheryl McClintock, Marshall County school board member, Marshall County Schools Director Jackie Abernathy, Carolyn McLain Johnson, NEA affiliate relations specialist, Mike Carroll, California Casualty senior field marketing manager, Cornersville coach Ben Putman, Amanda Putman, Shannon Bain, TEA affiliate relations coordinator, Cory Wofford, NEA organizational specialist, and Bob Edens, Cornersville High School principal.

Locals Garner Support in Pursuit of Better Evaluation System Teachers in three local Associations successfully worked with their school boards this spring to unanimously pass resolutions in support of TEAbacked reforms to the Tennessee teacher and principal evaluation system.

Thanks to the hard work of the members of Coffee Co. EA, Franklin Co. EA and Manchester City EA, school board members were convinced public education practitioners present clear and workable solutions to fixing the existing evaluation system.

“I’m a new teacher and I’m at the bottom of the pay scale,” said Rebecca Walker, president-elect of Franklin Co. EA and teacher at Franklin Co. High School. “I came from industry and do not have an advanced degree or years of experience. When our governor and education commissioner start tying test scores to my income, it really changes things for me. I don’t think it’s fair when my evaluation is impacted by students I’ve never seen.

We also had some students who took end-of-course exams who aren’t even able to function. They are specialneeds children who are not going to score an equivalent score.”

The unanimous support of the TEA-backed plan to institute a pre-test and post-test evaluation system was in large part due to individual conversations teachers had with their local school board members.

In Franklin County, Walker spoke with one of her former teachers who is currently on the school board.

“Every time I saw her, I said how wonderful it is that they support us,” Walker said. “Another board member is a detective who taught criminal justice.

They all have a tie to public education. The gap is that they don’t necessarily know what we’re going through.

They are likely to get our support if they understand what’s happening.”

The idea to work together with school boards to gain support for fundamental changes to the Franklin County Teachers Association power quartet (from left): Rebecca Walker, evaluation model came from association representative and president-elect, Margaret Bandy, secretary, Andra teachers in Sequatchie Co. Myers, vice president-elect, and Debbie Harnden, association representative.

Local associations formed “The state rushed into this [evaluation] process so advocacy teams to make quickly and so many important considerations were left sure school boards understand the challenges teachers scattered to the wind,” Myers said during her speech. face in their schools today.

“We in Franklin County are lucky because I do believe Franklin County action team members say they that we have a board that values its teachers. I am asking weighed all possible outcomes, both positive and you to weigh in on the side of equitable evaluations.” negative, and spent a lot of time preparing the speech that Vice President-Elect Andra Myers gave before the Franklin County School Board.

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www.teateachers.org

10 May 2013

Rutherford Teachers File Complaint Over Collaborative Conferencing

Inspired—Crystal Harper of Memphis Education Association (right) poses with nationally celebrated author Manny Scott (center) during the TEA Spring Symposium held in Gatlinburg April 5-6. Scott spoke about his journey from being an “unreachable and unteachable” child to becoming a successful student, husband, father and entrepreneur. For photos from this and other TEA spring conferences, scan the QR code above.

Regional Conferences July 1

Middle Tennessee State University

July 8

Lincoln Memorial University Cedar Bluff Campus

July 22

University of Memphis at Lambuth

July 29

Chattanooga State University 9:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.

At all locations

REGISTRATION INFORMATION REGISTRATION FEE: $15 (non-refundable) REGISTRATION DEADLINE: One week prior to event date 6-24 Middle TN State Univ.

7-1 Lincoln Memorial Univ.

7-15 Univ. of Memphis at Lambuth 7-22 Chattanooga State Univ.

ATTENDEES: Open to all Tennessee public school teachers and pre-service teachers PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CREDIT : 6 hours CONTACT: Susan Dalton sdalton@tea.nea.org 800.342.8367 DOWNLOADABLE REGISTRATION FORM: www.teateachers.org

Find Your Focus: Balanced Assessment for Student Learning Balanced assessment is foundational to teachers’ daily practices. This session will focus on using Balanced Assessment to support student learning, embedding formative instructional practices in assessment design, and maintaining a common vocabulary throughout the transition to Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Practical examples and strategies for the transition will also be shared.

Another focus of the session involves how to use effective feedback to help students to close gaps in their learning. Takeaways from the session will include material with current resources that support the transition to CCSS with teacherfriendly strategies, instructional materials that show the most current research on balanced assessment and formative assessment practices, and information on best practices related to effective feedback.

Collaborative conferencing between teachers and local school boards is not going according to plan in some parts of Tennessee.

In late April, Rutherford County teachers filed a complaint with the Rutherford County Board of Education alleging the board’s failure to collaborate in good faith as required by the Professional Educators Collaborative Conferencing Act of 2011 (PECCA).

“We feel that the actions of the Rutherford County Board of Education have undermined the public education process, the ability of students to learn and the opportunity for teachers to effectively teach their students,” said Torian Hodges-Finch, president of the Rutherford Education Association (REA). “Following the passage of PECCA, which calls for collaborative conferencing between teachers and local school boards, Rutherford County teachers overwhelmingly chose REA to represent them in talks with the school board. We have acted in good faith, but the board has failed to do the same as required under PECCA.” On behalf of Rutherford County teachers, REA engaged in six collaborative conferencing sessions with the board between September 12, 2012, and March 20, 2013, with the goal of reaching a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the school board, as required by state law.

The complaint notes that Director of Schools Don Odom was not present at any of the collaborative conferencing sessions. The board was represented by Paula Barnes, assistant superintendent for human resources and student services.

“During the final collaborative conferencing session on March 20, the board refused to develop an MOU, stating that its policies and administrative procedures were sufficient,” Hodges-Finch said.

Tennessee law makes it unlawful for the board to refuse or fail to participate in collaborative conferencing under PECCA or to interfere with professional employees in the exercise of their rights to engage in collaborative conferencing.

In making their decision to file a complaint, Rutherford teachers stressed numerous studies that have shown that teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions.

“There’s no better time to recognize this than during end-of-year testing,” Hodges-Finch said. “Parents trust us, the education professionals, to do the best job of educating their children. We trust our local school boards to make the best decisions affecting our work environment, which is the students’ learning environment. When that trust is broken, our work becomes immeasurably harder.”

As of press time, REA has not received a response from the school board.

“We pledge to work hard to reach prompt and reasonable resolution to our complaint because our students’ learning conditions are at stake,” Hodges-Finch said.

He encouraged teachers across the state to use any means provided by law when difficulties emerge during collaborative conferencing efforts.

“Our rights have been significantly diminished during the past few years.

We must do everything we can to protect what we have,” Hodges-Finch said.

11 www.teateachers.org

Need information, services?

Tennessee Education Association 801 Second Avenue N., Nashville, TN 37201-1099 (615) 242-8392, (800) 342-8367, FAX (615) 259-4581

UniServ Coordinators

2013 Tell Tennessee Survey:

Response Rate, Job Satisfaction Improve After more than two years of rapid changes in Tennessee public schools, there are signs that teachers aren’t completely overwhelmed.

The results from the second statewide TELL (Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning) Tennessee Survey are now available at www.telltennessee.org. According to the organization’s release, more than 61,000 educators, or 82 percent, in the state responded, a five percentage point increase from 2011. Across Tennessee, 1,627 of 1,774 schools, or 91 percent, reached a response rate of at least 50 percent.

Tennessee’s teachers Between February 18 and are less happy with March 22, 2013, all school-based licensed educators were asked the state evaluation to complete the online survey system than they were using an anonymous access code. Educators were asked to two years ago. submit their perceptions on a variety of issues related to student achievement and teacher retention, including the adequacy of facilities and resources; time; empowerment; school leadership; community support; student conduct; professional development; mentoring and induction services; and student learning.

The results will be used by school-based decision making teams, schools, districts, and numerous other organizations to improve the teaching and learning conditions in the state’s schools and districts. In the 2013 TELL survey, Tennessee saw

significant growth in the percentage of teachers who felt they were required to do less routine paperwork (10.3 percentage points) and that test data is available to them soon enough for them to make changes to their instructional practices (13.5 percentage points).

The survey found that while nearly 90 percent of Tennessee’s teachers believe they are trusted to make professional decisions about instruction and are given autonomy, they are less happy with the evaluation system than two years ago.

More than eight out of 10 educators (83 percent) agree that community members support teachers, contributing to their success with students, an increase of five percentage points from 2011. Eighty-six percent of participants in 2013 agree that the community they serve is supportive of their school, an increase of four percentage points.

Even so, state averages are less meaningful than analyzing the data among districts and among buildings in same districts to determine strengths and areas needing attention.

The survey was administered by the New Teacher Center (NTC), a national organization dedicated to supporting the development of a high-quality teaching force. NTC has conducted similar surveys in other states and provides induction and professional development for teachers and principals across the country.

TEA advocacy during Race to the Top development was instrumental in including this survey opportunity in Tennessee’s RTTT application.

District 1 — Harry Farthing, P.O. Box 298, Elizabethton, TN 37644; phone: (423)262-8035, fax: (866)379-0949; Assns: Carter, Hancock, Hawkins, Rogersville, Johnson, Sullivan, Bristol, Kingsport, Northeast State C.C.. District 2 — Jennifer Gaby, P.O. Box 70, Afton, TN 37616; (423)2340700, fax: (423)234-0708; Assns: Cocke, Newport, Greene, Greeneville, Unicoi, Washington, Elizabethton, Johnson City, ETSU. District 3 — Tina Parlier, P.O. Box 70288, Knoxville, TN 37938-0288, (865)688-1175, fax: (865)5183104; Assns: Claiborne, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Sevier, Union, Walters State C.C.. District 4 — Susan Young, 2411 Magnolia Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917-8289; (865)522-9793, fax: (865)522-9866; Assns: Knox, UTKnoxville, Pellissippi State, TSD, South College. District 5— Jason White, P.O. Box 5502, Oak Ridge, TN 37831; (615)521-1333, fax: (865)200-5254; Assns: Anderson, Clinton, Oak Ridge, Campbell, Blount, Alcoa, Maryville, Morgan, Scott, Oneida. District 6 — Jim Jordan, P.O. Box 4878, Cleveland, TN 37320; phone: (423)472-3315, fax: (855)299-5674; Assns: Bradley, Cleveland, Lenoir City, Rhea, Athens, Etowah, Monroe, Sweetwater, Roane, Meigs, McMinn, Rhea-Dayton, Cleveland State C.C., Loudon, Polk. District 7 — Theresa Turner, 4655 Shallowford Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37411; (423)485-9535, fax: (423)485-9512; Assns: Hamilton, Chattanooga State C.C., UT-Chattanooga. District 8 — Chris Brooks, P.O. Box 3629, Chattanooga, TN 37404; phone: (615)332-2636, fax: (866)483-2514; Assns: Coffee, Cannon, Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Manchester City, Marion, Sequatchie, Tullahoma City, Van Buren, White, Warren. District 9 — Donna Cotner, phone: (615)630-2576, Assns: Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Trousdale, TTU, York Institute. District 10 — Jackie Pope, 2326 Valley Grove Dr., Murfreesboro, TN 37128; (615) 898-1060, fax: (615) 898-1099; Assns: Bedford, Marshall, Moore, Williamson, Franklin SSD. District 11 — Jeff Garrett, P.O. Box 1202, Lebanon, TN 37088-9998; (615)630-2605, fax: (855)320-8755; Assns: Murfreesboro, Rutherford, Sumner, MTSU. District 12 — Cheryl Richardson-Bradley, P.O. Box 354, Goodlettsville, TN 37070; (615)630-2601, fax: (888)519-4879; Assns: Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman, Wilson, Lebanon, State Dept. of Education. District 13 — Forestine Cole, Ralph Smith, Metro Nashville, 531 Fairground Court, Nashville, TN 37211; (615)726-1499, fax: (855)299-5837 (Cole), (855)2994968 (Smith); Assns: Metro Nashville, TSB, TSU. District 14 — Rhonda Thompson, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37201; phone: (615)354-3305, fax: (888)5197331; Assns: Clarksville-Montgomery, Robertson, APSU. District 15 — Miley Durham, P.O. Box 10, Lawrenceburg, TN 38464; phone: (931)766-7874, fax: (913)762-9391; Assns: Giles, Lawrence, Lincoln, Hardin, Lewis, Fayetteville, Maury, Wayne, Motlow State C.C. District 16 — Maria Uffelman, P.O. Box 99, Cumberland City, TN 37050; phone: (931)827-3333, fax: (855)299-4925; Assns: Benton, Carroll (West Carroll), Central, Clarksburg, Huntingdon, McKenzie, Paris, Henry, Stewart, Weakley, FTA, Decatur, Houston, Humphreys, Perry, UT-Martin. District 17 — Lorrie Butler, P.O. Box 387, Henderson, TN 38340; (731)9894860, fax: (855)299-4591; Assns: Chester, Hardeman, Henderson, Lexington, Jackson-Madison, McNairy, West TN School for the Deaf. District 18 — Karla Carpenter, P.O. Box 177, Brunswick, TN 38014; (901)590-2543, fax: (855)299-4892; Assns: Crockett, Dyer, Dyersburg, Gibson, Bradford, Humboldt, Milan, Trenton, Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion, Tipton, Union City. District 19 — Zandra Foster, 3897 Homewood Cove, Memphis, TN 38128; (901)377-9472, fax: (855)320-8737; Assns: Fayette, Shelby, Southwest TN Community College, University of Memphis.

District 20 — Memphis Education Association — Ken Foster, Executive Director; MEA UniServ Directors: Susanne Jackson, Terri Jones, Tom Marchand, Herman Sawyer, Marilyn Baker, MEA, 126 South Flicker Street, Memphis, TN 38104; (901)454-0966, fax: (901)454-9979; Assn: Memphis.

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May 2013