slides: Central MA School Districts With The Highest Teacher Ratings

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

J. T. Carstensen, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Educators in Central Massachusetts are a cut above, according to the results of a report released by the state’s Department of Education earlier this week.

The teacher performance ratings, conducted by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, reveal that 90 percent of the Commonwealth’s teachers are considered either “proficient” or “exemplary” at their jobs.

The Worcester city school district fared particularly well. With a combined 93.9 percent of its educators ranked in one of those two categories, Worcester outpaced the state (92.6%). So did Central Mass as a whole, with Worcester County notching 93.2 percent.

See How Each Central Mass. School District Fared In The Slides Below

As a point of reference, results recently released by New York State show only 83 percent of its teachers and administrators ranked in similar categories. No district in Central Massachusetts faired that poorly.

Super-Receptive

What’s the secret? Ask John Monfredo, of the Worcester School Committee, and he’ll credit an increasing amount of workshops and professional development seminars over last three years, programs that “take teachers to the next step. And the teachers have been most receptive to it. They’ve embraced it.”

Teacher evaluations, like these conducted by schools in 213 districts all across Massachusetts, are necessary for schools participating in the USDOE Race to the Top program. Massachusetts was awarded $250 million through this program in late 2011. A little over half of the school districts in Worcester Co. participate in the program. Those who don’t were not required to evaluate their staff.

Separate categories for “exemplary” and “proficient” (along with “needs improvement” and “unsatisfactory”) are a recent advent, outlined in a bill signed by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2012. (Previous methods of grading teachers resembled more of a binary, “pass-fail” scenario).

This new distribution of ratings, says David Perda, the Chief Accountability Officer for the district, helps determine “the habits of really effective teachers, what their practices are and how we can learn from them.”

Worcester’s rate of “exemplary” teachers comes in at 6.2 percent, right between the state (7.4%) and county (5.0%) averages.

Part of the process required leaders in school districts to grade at least 50% of their staff on four tiers, ranging from “exemplary” to “unsatisfactory”. Some went the extra mile, especially Worcester, who evaluated over 98% of its staff of 1859.

Soon, these statistics will have company. Starting in 2015, the use of student data as a factor in educator evaluations looms. It’s an approach teachers unions – in Massachusetts and elsewhere – have long-resisted.

A representative from the Massachusetts Teachers Association did not return calls for comment on this topic.

Onward and Upward

Worcester’s school system is by far the largest in the county, and its teachers are, on average, the highest-paid. When asked if compensation is a lure for talented educators to come teach here, Monfredo instead cited the “commitment” of the educators already in place.

“The willingness to work in Worcester…to work in an urban setting, and make a difference in the lives of these kids.”

Worcester’s most recent graduation figures were also recently reported to have risen above state average. Nonetheless, Worcester’s public schools – like public schools in general – continue to have their fair share of problems. Worcester, for example, has the second-highest rate of suspensions in the state.

So, what’s the next step? Monfredo says “we have to continue to take a look at ways to keep making the community a better place.” He mentions arts and says “these are the sorts of programs that haven’t been forgotten, things that make kids proud to be at their school.”

Related Slideshow: Central MA School Districts with the Highest Teacher Evaluations

During the 2012-2013 school year, Race to the Top (RTTT) districts in Massachusetts were required to implement the new Educator Evaluation framework with at least 50 percent of their educators district-wide. Of Central Massachusetts’s 52 school districts, 26 implemented the Educator Evaluation structure. These 26 school districts are listed below ranked from the lowest teacher evaluation score to the highest. Keep reading to see where your district’s teachers rank, as well as to view the state and regional averages.

slides: Central MA School Districts With The Highest Teacher Ratings

Super-Receptive

Onward and Upward

Related Slideshow: Central MA School Districts with the Highest Teacher Evaluations

State Average

Central MA Average

#26 Quaboag

#25 Oxford

#24 Uxbridge

#23 Fitchburg

#22 Westborough

#21 Lunenburg

#20 North Brookfield

#19 Millbury

#18 Blacktone-Millville

#17 Southbridge

#16 Worcester

#15 Webster

#14 Hudson

#13 Gardner

#12 Dudley-Charlton

#11 Northbridge

#10 Winchendon

#9 Bellingham

#8 Quabbin

#7 Grafton

#6 Ralph C. Maher

#5 Marlborough

#3 Auburn (Tied)

#3 Leominster (Tied)

#2 Wachusett

#1 Douglas

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