Mr. Banda emphasized that the Seattle protests have happened at only a handful of the city’s 95 schools. Some of the teachers boycotting the test there say they aren’t opposed to using student-achievement data in evaluations but are unhappy with the current exam.
The Seattle district requires teachers to give the math and reading Measures of Academic Progress exam, or MAP, to students in first through ninth grade two or three times a year. The exams are “computer adaptive,” meaning questions begin at grade level but get tougher or easier based on how well the student does.
District officials say the exam allows teachers to pinpoint each student’s knowledge and adjust instruction. Seattle teachers complain the exam isn’t linked to district or state learning standards.
The district’s new teacher evaluation system uses results from the MAP and state achievement exams to assign teacher ratings. A low rating triggers additional observations from the principal, who could eventually suggest termination.