!On September 18, Jesus Aguirre of the Chancellor's office sent a 17 page memo with attachments to DC principals about the reduction in force guidelines as established by the Rhee administration. Here is a first look see at the memo in its entirety.
Link: http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3TIobK_N4nvODM4NTFiOGEtY2ZlNi00ZmFjLThlYzUtOTgwYmIyZWUwNWUy&hl=en
Here are some of your comments about the RIF guidelines:
Anonymous said...
First impressions -- an enormous amount of time is required for principals and central office staff to carry out this RIF, if done according to these guidelines, and principals couldn’t possibly know enough about new hires to rate them according to such detailed criteria
Veteran Teacher said...
OMG, Candi, you have really outdone yourself this time. This RIF manual is really amazing and it's even more amazing how you got a copy for all of us to see. Good luck to all the teacher readers out there in the schools, worried that you may get the ax in this so very unfair RIF. Thanks again to Candi.
Anonymous said...
This is unbelievable. Where is the WTU. Most of the principals do not know their employees (new and old). Another bit of info, it appears that Instructional Coordinators will be used to evaluate teachers due to the shortage of the so-called master teachers. They will be sent out to other schools so teachers will not know they are not master teachers. BEWARE!!!
Anonymous said...
Interesting that the examples provided uses a brand new teacher for the exceptional example. How predictable!
Anonymous said...
How do principals know what professional development programs teachers participated in over the summer? My principal has no idea what most of the staff did this summer.Besides, the examples they provided were a bit over the top. Earning a law degree???? Come on!
No Name Today said...
I'm not surprised about instructional coaches being sent out as so-called master teachers to conduct teacher evaluations, which they now call teacher assessments under this dreaded IMPACT. In my area of certification, there are supposed to be 2 master teachers. They've only hired one. So there are around 200-300 teachers this master teacher would have to observe, twice. Would they do 4 a day, running to schools, 2 in the AM and 2 in the PM? Everyone is dreading this, looking at the door to see who may be coming in to ruin our careers. IMPACT is so punitive, provided we survive the RIF.
concrete ideas said...
"principals couldn’t possibly know enough about new hires to rate them according to such detailed criteria"My first impression was that new hires have an advantage if another employee got an unsatisfactory rating last year. With such a rating, that person will automatically be RIF'd and the new hires don't even have to go through the competitive levels process.
Anonymous said...
I am a new hire and my subject matter is clearly over the head of the principal and assistant principals. I don't think any of them have any training in the sciences and have a tendency to refer to science as "engagement". If I am RIFFED it will be because of those stupid unit boards and the fact that I have two SEVERELY disturbed kids who should not be in a regular class.....I haven't sent them to the office these kids walk out on a daily basis and I have to call security. They usually start yelling at the top of their lungs profanity on the way to class..
lodesterre said...
Extra points for the "employee who completed a law degree to IMPROVE his ability to teach government and drew on the experience of law school to conduct lessons." Ummm, if I go to law school right now I think I wouldn't stay in teaching. Just me, maybe, but after paying all that money for such a degree I would want to be able to pay back the students loans.Cmon, who do we think that one is aimed at? Really.
15 comments:
First impressions -- an enormous amount of time is required for principals and central office staff to carry out this RIF, if done according to these guidelines, and principals couldn’t possibly know enough about new hires to rate them according to such detailed criteria
OMG, Candi, you have really outdone yourself this time. This RIF manual is really amazing and it's even more amazing how you got a copy for all of us to see. Good luck to all the teacher readers out there in the schools, worried that you may get the ax in this so very unfair RIF. Thanks again to Candi.
This is unbelieveable. Where is the WTU. Most of the principals do not know their employees (new and old).
Another bit of info, it appears that Instructional Coordinators will be used to evaluate teachers due to the shortage of the so-called master teachers. They will be sent out to other schools so teachers will not know they are not master teachers. BEWARE!!!
Interesting that the examples provided uses a brand new teacher for the exceptional example.
How predictable!
How do principals know what professional development programs teachers participated in over the summer?
My principal has no idea what most of the staff did this summer.
Besides, the examples they provided were a bit over the top. Earning a law degree???? Come on!
I'm not surprised about instructional coaches being sent out as so-called master teachers to conduct teacher evaluations, which they now call teacher assessments under this dreaded IMPACT. In my area of certification, there are supposed to be 2 master teachers. They've only hired one. So there are around 200-300 teachers this master teacher would have to observe, twice. Would they do 4 a day, running to schools, 2 in the AM and 2 in the PM?
Everyone is dreading this, looking at the door to see who may be coming in to ruin our careers. IMPACT is so punitive, provided we survive the RIF.
"principals couldn’t possibly know enough about new hires to rate them according to such detailed criteria"
My first impression was that new hires have an advantage if another employee got an unsatisfactory rating last year. With such a rating, that person will automatically be RIF'd and the new hires don't even have to go through the competitive levels process.
I am a new hire and my subject matter is clearly over the head of the principal and assistant principals. I don't think any on them have any training in the sciences and have a tendency to refer to science as "engagement". If I am RIFFED it will be because of those stupid unit boards and the fact that I have two SEVERELY disturbed kids who should not be in a regular class.....I haven't sent them to the office these kids walk out on a daily basis and I have to call security. They usually start yelling at the top of their lungs profanity on the way to class..
Extra points for the "employee who completed a law degree to IMPROVE his ability to teach government and drew on the experience of law school to conduct lessons." Ummm, if I go to law school right now I think I wouldn't stay in teaching. Just me, maybe, but after paying all that money for such a degree I would want to be able to pay back the students loans.
Cmon, who do we think that one is aimed at? Really.
to anonymous new hire with the disturbed kids in your class -
I bet you are safe for now -- because you are new. If you were the same person in the same situation except you were a vet, then i bet you'd be RIF'd pretty quickly - for not being able to handle your class and for being expensive.
Re Previous comments.
This is a time when rumors are flying around like crazy, but the incorrect ones need to be addressed asap. For example, I can assure you that Instructional Coaches are NOT being deployed to schools disguised as Master Teachers. Lord knows we're busy enough at our own schools without taking on that job, too. Nor do any of us want it. We're happy where we are.
(I don't know what Instructional Coordinators are. Maybe you mean Instructional Specialists? In that case, maybe they are being enlisted to help with a crazy caseload currently handled by only 31 MTs, but it sure as heck isn't the coaches.)
only 31 master teachers? I know rhee planned to hire 35 and I heard (though I never believed it) that they were carefully selected out of a field of 800!
Even if the field were 100, you'd think they could get 35 to fill the bill.
Are you sure of the 31 number?
If this whole thing (RIF'ing teachers) was due to an unforseen budget crisis, how is that there is a whole MANUAL on how to do it?
31 is the number they told all schools at the Impact training. It was in the powerpoint prsentation.
Please do not start rumors that are not true. I am an Instructional Coach and we are not going to be assessing teachers in any way, shape or form.
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