I applaud your comments in our Blog, Kathy. I'll be following it from now on. Good work!

There is 'data' for under-performing or under-achieving students. It's called TEST SCORES! Jesus

And, how about collecting data for under performing instructors ????

Thank you for the comments and the feedback. Ms. Bucciarelli there is an extensive evaluation tool in place for all public school educators which require us to set goals, collect evidence, and be observed on a regular basis. Each public educator is required to keep a 3 inch binder which is a collection of documentation on our performance as educators. You can find the outline of this evaluation tool on MA Dept. of Education website. http://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/model/

Thank you Kathy for recognizing these students as people and not just numbers. Those young people come to you every day with baggage they didn't ask for. We do need to offer support services when necessary as it will come to bite us later if we don't. The Teen Center is a little piece of the puzzle yet the elementary level needs attention as well. It does take a village!

I have a question for you, Miss Sullivan....can YOU PASS the MCAS yourself?

Ms Sullivan ... it appears to me that an instructor holding on to his/her own performance binder is an exercise in futility. That said, friend the person evaluating and you get A+'s ll the way. More than meets the eye here, methinks. (To Paul's point, can you pass the test and, further, how many public educators can?)

Diana ... what's so improper about the question? Seems logical to me to wonder.

Diana ... not referring solely to Sullivan ... keep your shirt on, I don't even know what an ellipsis is, no less use them !!! If I do, I am not aware they even have a name. I, for one, could probably never pass an MCAS, but I do reserve the right to question the questioners.

Diana ... my use of ... is not to indicate any unfinished thought or omission, it is simply my way of separating my thoughts as I write. Thanks for the explanation ... I will continue to use my dots and dashes as I apply no meaning to them other than what I've expressed here. I try to be grammatically and punctuation-ally correct (is there such a word?) but even the best of us make an error occasionally and my spelling leaves much to be desired, I admit. Fact is, I have only been on this computer for less than 2 years and am constantly learning new things, (some thanks to Paul >:), and how folks choose to view my comments is entirely out of my hands ... and I don't really care and my choice is to disregard all insults and express my thoughts honestly and as I see fit.

Oh, for Heaven's sake ... who ever said she doesn't work hard? My simple question was about the collection of data on instructors as well as students. A simple answer would suffice but I don't think I got one. I am not criticizing Sullivan, I am simply saying that data collection works for instructors as well as students. Period.

Ok, glad to finally get a good answer and I appreciate it. Having worked for years in a school department (town not to be mentioned here) I observed disfunction in a teacher or two that went unnoticed or disregarded. Just so you know where I'm coming from. In no way do I wish to minimize the efforts of educators, I think there is no more noble profession (except perhaps parenthood). I am simply speaking from past observations which were disturbing to me and have stayed with me. Any defender of the position must admit that there are occasions when a bad apple appears in the bunch ... that's all I'm saying, I do not in any way wish to appear not to appreciate the effort exerted or the good intentions of good teachers. Wrong it may be but ... helps me to get my thoughts in order. Has not a thing to do with my education, it is simply my habit.

Thank you for everyone's comments. The point of the article was to simply point out that data is extremely valuable but it should not be the only way we measure progress and success in our students.

I chose teaching as a second career choice. It is the most rewarding and the most difficult job I've had. There is never a day I leave my classroom that I don't feel as though I've made a difference but also there is never a day that the kids don't enlighten me in some way, even on the most difficult of days.

For the record, I have all the necessary degrees (master's in education) and 3 educator licenses which label me as a highly qualified teacher. I continue my education by taking courses throughout the year and by being an active member in education reform. In the end, labels, licenses, and degrees are part of the picture. It's what teachers do in the classroom and beyond to enhance the quality of education, it's what teachers do to support the students that need extra help, and it's what teachers do behind the scenes to help their students that often goes unnoticed and without need of recognition. It's what we do.

Again, Miss Sullivan, while Massachusetts educators attempt to 'wow' everyone with data, the only data that counts are test scores. If a child gets a 60 on their test, they fail. If they get a 90, they pass. Pretty neat concept, huh? So pie-chart away all you want....I'll take the time tested method of either getting an A or D. And I don't need data to explain a test score.

I don't think so Paul ... I can and do admire individuals in any profession who put their heart and soul into their work but I also know that they are not all equal and there are those who collect their pay and vacations with very little effort and slacking off, letting kids fend for themselves ... I have witnessed it. Further, I know for certain that the binder has in it evaluations by superiors and my point, above, about friends giving A+'s still holds ... care not at all about the defense posed by Diana and I can take all the insults she volleys toward me since I'm secure in my personal integrity and intelligence and have no fear about expressing my thoughts and try hard to be civil ... too bad if people don't agree and want to swipe at my "ellipses" (what a joke!) since they cannot logically attack me for my opinions ... we all have them and we sometimes differ, plain and simple. I just wonder what her strong defense indicates ... all I can think is that she teaches and wants the kudos? Or, perhaps, she is a "friend"?

Diana ... put a pipe in it. No need for nastiness here, or insulting folks you are uninformed about. Opinions, including yours, are never worthless, they are simply an expression of one's thoughts. As for illiteracy, and grammatical incorrectness, show me where. You yourself are no champion of correct writing, let me point out. Paul and I are not arguing "with", but "about" what is stated by Sullivan. You cannot dispute the fact that students' grades speak very loudly about teacher performance regardless of all the data that is collected; the bottom line is how the student fairs in the end that demonstrates the capability of the instructor. What makes you smart enough to condemn others for simple questions and remarks that have not a thing to do with you personally? You may not be a teacher but you insist upon "teaching" people and persuading them to your way of thinking with such angst simply because you disagree with them?

Anna, honestly, you're wasting your time with Diana. Broadway Jay got it right when he called her 'intellectually poverty stricken'. That's all Diana has ever done, is call me names. By the way, DIANA, it's been proven that since day 1 of the MCAS, every year, Massachusetts, has dumbed down the MCAS to get most to pass, so that the state can get their federal funding. Everyone can pass a test if you dumb it down, even YOU! Teachers do have a difficult task of teaching kids, especially the ones that come from broken homes, where the parents are not involved with their kids. THOSE parents expect the school system to raise their kids. I was friends with a woman who was NOT involved in her kids school work, as she was and IS too busy partying. I told her this, and we are no longer friends because of it. I tell it like it is. Sorry if moonbats like you are offended by the truth. And if you bothered to read what Miss Sullivan wrote, here's a refresher course "Each public educator is required to keep a 3 inch binder which is a collection of documentation on our performance as educators." The way THAT statement was written implies that Miss Sullivan keeps a binder, of her own work!

Diana, reading is fundamental....try it sometime!

Paul ... please "splain" what is meant by Joe's :-). Someday I'll manage to remember more than the one I love most that you taught me, >:) !!!

Mike, I can't even begin to tell you how many books I've read where an ellipsis has been used. I use them at times, as well as capital letters, as a way to emphasize a point. For the record, the only time I use an ellipsis, is on this website, as I feel in order to make my point so that even the intellectually poverty stricken folks like Diana (love that phrase, and thank you broadwayjay) can comprehend what I'm saying. Many people who post on this site suffer from selective reading skills. Therefore, an ellipsis is a way of 'getting through to' them, leaving very little room for interpretation.

I have no problem at all believing that paul can't count the books he's read.

Well Im too stoooopid for this post. Im used to readin,writin,n rithmatic. It worked in my day we sent astronuts to the moon ok. Wasnt any MCAS to do it either.Good greif my ink is running out of my puter. Nuttin else to say. Battle of the Brains haaaaaaaaaa

"astronuts"

Mr. Mokal....you have any idea what was going on down near Broadway & Salem St. last night? I was told the police had the street blocked off and there was a helicopter lurking about.

Anna, the last good book I read was Pat Buchanan's Hitler, Churchill, and the Unnecessary War: How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World. It's his opinion on how we got involved in World War 2, and how maybe, it could have been avoided. I recommend it. :>)