Why the District is failing the MAP test

The education policy world is abuzz with news that teachers at four Seattle schools are refusing to give their students the mandatory Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test.  See Linda Shaw’s latest here. 

No surprise MAP is facing stiff resistance in Seattle schools.  Top-down mandatory reforms don’t work.  The Central Planners fail again. Teachers are rightly resisting MAP because they know test results will be used in part to determine their own pay and promotions, regardless of the very real challenges they face in the classroom. 

Professional teachers should be evaluated by their on-site managers - principals - who know their qualities directly.  This is one of the secrets to the persistent success of private education.  Seattle has thousands of teachers in private schools.  They are hired, fired, paid and promoted by the principal, who knows them best, not by Central Office managers.

Want to help Seattle kids learn?  Support, encourage and reward high-performing teachers in the classroom.