LAE HOSTS SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP COVERING COMMON CORE AND A WHOLE LOT MORE
LAE’s March Common Core and A Whole Lot More training was a huge success! Dozens of teachers from across the state gathered in Marksville to learn more about the Common Core State Standards and how to effectively implement them in the classroom. LAE President Debbie Meaux said it is the LAE’s mission to provide educators across the state with high-quality instructional and professional development on the topics most relevant to their work in the classrooms. Right now, those topics focus on Common Core and Compass, especially in writing student learning targets (SLTs).
“Instructional development is extremely important to all teachers,” Meaux said. “Teachers have been left in a state of disarray ever since the new reform measures have been put into place. They need more training on how to adjust to the changes, which is why the LAE stepped in to offer a special session focusing on Common Core and the areas that align with it.”
The LAE hosted the day-long professional development opportunity earlier this spring and opened it up to both members and non-members of the association. Workshops centered around linking curriculum to instruction and assessment, transforming lowperforming classrooms, grant writing, project-based learning, and integrating technology into the Common Core curriculum.
Calcasieu Parish Technology Supervisor and LAE Member Sheryl Abshire served as the day’s guest speaker. Her discussion covered the importance of the use of technology in today’s classrooms.
Overall, attendees said the event was very informative.
“I’m walking away with a lot of information about the Compass evaluation,” said LaSalle Association of Educators President Ray Hodges. “I’ve been trying to focus on how we can help our members when issues come up surrounding this. This training really prepared me to help inform teachers in our district.”
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
Debbie Meaux, President
The next few weeks are shaping up to be extremely busy. Teachers are evaluating their scores on SLTs, and schools are making end-of-the-year preparations for summer break. We’re also gearing up to celebrate Educator Appreciation Week in May. Our most important area of focus over the next few weeks is our voice at the Louisiana State Capitol as the 2014 Legislative Session continues. We worked with several of our friends in the legislature to sponsor major pieces of legislation this session. As proceedings continue, we are working diligently to get four pieces of legislation passed.
Members of the LAE Lobby Team worked with Representative Wesley Bishop to submit HB 1172. The bill proposes allowing a teacher with good evaluations, proper support, and continued employment by the local public school system to attain the right to due process. Right now, due process rights are unattainable because teachers are required to achieve “highly effective” for five of six consecutive years under the current evaluation system. Since this requirement is unrealistic, teachers are subject to termination at any time, for any reason.
We worked with Representative Randal Gaines to bring forth HB 982, another piece of legislation dealing with teacher due process. This bill sets up a fair procedure for teachers with due process rights if they face charges and are up for dismissal. It’s important to note that LAE leaders are currently in negotiations with Governor Jindal’s staff to develop a more fair procedure that maintains the Constitutional rights of the teacher.
Representative Ledricka Thierry is also sponsoring a piece of legislation for the LAE. This legislation, HB 1129, focuses on required professional development for educators and establishes multiple ways for teachers to improve their craft, content knowledge, interpersonal collaborative skills, and professionalism.
Representative Alfred Williams’ HB 995 and Senator Ben Nevers’ SB 34 focus on teacher evaluations. If passed, these bills will expand the system of evaluation — presently referred to as Compass — to a system more in line with research-based teacher assessments. The bills lay out the LAE’s proposed teacher evaluation mechanism, TEAM, which uses the best elements from both the LaTAPP program and Compass. The system would bring a teacher from “novice” to “master teacher” over a period of years and require the state and local school systems to provide the necessary support and help to teachers at these various levels. It also establishes standards for an evaluation process once every three years at the “professional teacher” level or higher.
The LAE Lobby Team also worked with Representative Vincent Pierre to bring forth legislation to change Bulletin 130 so that student growth scores and Compass observation scores cannot trump one another. The LAE also supports legislation designed to lower the percentage for VAM and SLTs to 25% or even 10%. If these bills do not pass this session, then Representative Pierre’s change will ensure that the computation values of Compass should be no more than 50% each (a true average) and not 49%/51%, which allows either the predicted growth (VAM or SLT) score or the observation to trump the other.
The LAE Lobby Team will continue to fight for pensions, employee pay, discipline, return to work, working and learning conditions, etc., and against any harmful legislation that will adversely affect you or the public school children of Louisiana.
How can you help? Contact your legislators to let them know your opinions. Common Core is an extremely hot topic this year. The LAE supports standards — whether they are Common Core or some other set of standards — as long as they are developed and/or vetted by the classroom teachers of Louisiana. Make this point clear to all state legislators.
When we send out the call, please lobby your legislators with emails, phone calls, and/or personal contacts, and join us for any scheduled lobby days at the Louisiana Capitol. Furthermore, join us by helping the LAE to become a trailblazer in teacherled instructional professional development (IPD) by sending us your name, phone number, non-work/personal email address, school district, school, and a description of the kind of classroom IPD you would like to see or are capable of presenting.
I also ask that you become more involved in your local association by joining members in advocating for the rights of public school students and employees.
In May, we will honor our nation’s education professionals as we celebrate Educator Appreciation Week. I would personally like to send thanks to each employee who works to support the teaching/learning environment in our public schools. Louisiana’s children are better for your love, compassion, wisdom, and professionalism. Though times are tough, I believe that your diligence and hard work will pay off in the satisfaction that you have helped mold the future of this state. Your unwavering dedication will be rewarded with the gratitude of the children you serve.
I truly appreciate your work with Louisiana’s public school children. They are the best we have to give to the world, and I applaud each of you for giving your best to each child. Though we may never be rich in dollars, we will always be rich in the love and admiration of our students, their parents, and our communities. Stay strong. Stay positive. Stay united. And be sure to join the LAE as we promote equity in education for our members and the children of Louisiana!
In Solidarity,
Debbie Meaux
BILLS TO SILENCE EDUCATOR VOICES TO BE DEBATED DURING THE 2014 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Newly-empowered conservative leaders continue their attempts to silence your voice through anti-labor organization efforts. Designed to tie the hands of organizations that collect membership dues via payroll deduction, legislators have brought forth Senate Bill 440 and House Bills 172, 451, and 1059 for consideration in the 2014 Session. These bills propose prohibiting any group that engages in political activity from receiving membership dues via public payroll withholdings or deductions. This measure is designed to force the LAE and its members to choose between advocating for Louisiana schools and deducting their dues from their paychecks. If passed, the law would make it illegal for the LAE to undertake member opinion polling on critical education issues like Common Core and teacher evaluations. It would also ban the LAE from contacting members about urgent legislative matters. The LAE Lobby Team wouldn’t be allowed to publish updates on the actions of legislators through such LAE communications avenues as The LAE Voice, website, and annual legislative report cards. It is clear that the legislation is designed to make it more difficult for educators to be members of their chosen professional association.
Remember, your LAE membership gives you a voice. The loss of payroll deduction could have a devastating impact on the LAE and the voice you have in policy making for your professional interests. The LAE has fought for public school educators for more than 40 years, and we plan to do so for the next 40. It is up to us to stand up for our students and our public schools. We will bring you updates via The LAE Voice and on www.lae.org. Please stay tuned and stay vigilant.
LAE MEMBERS ATTEND TRAINING TO GET CERTIFIED AS TEST ITEM REVIEWERS FOR THE PARCC TEST
LAE members from across the state recently attended a training in Washington, D.C., to get certified as test item reviewers for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College & Career (PARCC) test. Alana Benoit from Vermilion Parish, Brandan and Devan Trahan from St. Mary Parish, Daryl Gates and Karen Merritt from Caddo Parish, and Rachel Gifford from Bossier Parish spent their time at a test item review boot camp where they attended both general sessions and subject-area sessions in order to learn about the test item review process.
Before being approved for the database for the PARCC assessment, test items are reviewed by a committee for alignment to the Common Core State Standards, suitability of content, and age-appropriateness for a given grade level. Any recommended changes to test items are sent to item authors for revisions. Getting certified as item reviewers allows these LAE members to participate on these types of state educator review committees.
“It was a pretty intense training, but I think after we have time to digest the information, we will be able to share ways to use the items and PARCC website to direct and supplement instruction with our colleagues,” said Boot Camp Attendee Rachel Gifford. “It was a great professional development experience.” LAE members in attendance also had the opportunity to network with their colleagues from other states by participating in a Twitter Town Hall discussion. LAE leaders send thanks to the attendees of this training for their outstanding service to the organization!
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