Dear Fellow Teachers,

You’ve been busy developing and delivering awesome lesson plans, counseling and consoling upset or frustrated students, encouraging and inspiring overwhelmed and exhausted colleagues, and the thousands of other things you do, thinking you’ve got it all figured out. You are in the zone.

Then, WHAM! VAM (Value Added Model) scores are released. Some of you feel validated and redeemed, some of you are relieved, some of you are thrown through a loop, and some of you are ready to throw in the towel.

I wish I could answer all of your VAM related questions such as:

  • How does a teacher who has had effective or highly effective VAM numbers dive to unsatisfactory, even though she uses the same best practices and even incorporates new strategies to fit her students’ needs?
  • If VAM is 50% manager rating and 50% VAM calculations based on student achievement data, how does one receive a highly effective manager score but still get an overall VAM rating of unsatisfactory?
  • Which kids “count,” and which test is being used to measure my effectiveness?

But, I am not answering any of your questions this week, partly because I am not a statistician who can understand the algorithm that calculates the magic number.  The other and more important part of the equation is that I don’t think any of these answers matter.  

What matters to me is that I am watching my highly esteemed (by students, teachers, and administration) colleagues and friends doubt themselves, question their proven practices, wonder why they entered the profession at all, and worst of all, contemplating leaving teaching.  

So, this week, YOU answer this question for ME:  How do you feel about VAM? 

I cannot wait to hear from you!

Sincerely,

Ed Inquiry

5 Responses

  1. Melissa

    VAM IS A SCAM! After 17 years teaching, co-department head for 10ish, and Mentor Teacher; now I’m ineffective according to some unintelligible formula. BS! My friends & Highly esteemed co-teachers too. Nope

    Reply
    • Annmarie

      Doesn’t seem very feasible at all, Melissa. Don’t just roll over on this. Question it!

      Reply
      • Melissa

        Will do, especially with two of my friends in the same sinking boat!

  2. Norm

    The whole thing is such garbage, I feel so frustrated by what has become of my profession.

    Reply
    • Annmarie

      That frustration is growing like wildfire. My worst fear is the good ones throwing in the towel out of that frustration. Doesn’t feel much like a profession anymore, does it?

      Reply

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