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WHAT'S NEW - NOVEMBER 2004

TEACHER PROFESSIONALISM AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE CLASSROOM TEACHER

Welcome to the web site for the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards (COATS). This area of the web site changes monthly. The theme for this month will be of interest to teachers, administrators, and parents who are exploring the issue of teacher professionalism and the accountability of the classroom teacher. The section below identifies several web links related to the topic. We hope that you find this site to be a valuable resource. For quick reference bookmark http://www.teachingquality.ab.ca today!

WEBSITES RELATED TO TEACHER PROFESSIONALISM AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE CLASSROOM TEACHER

Accountability. 2002
British Columbia Federation of Teachers
http://www.bctf.ca/education/accountability/PolicyUpdateJuly2002.html

This web page from British Columbia offers some terminology and a framework within which to speak about teacher accountability in the classroom. The page begins with a definition of accountability and goes on to identify several sorts of accountability that exist in and around schools. Along with teachers, various other educational stakeholders share responsibility for the outcomes of schooling. The document raises the central question of which model of accountability might be suitable. In the particular model adopted here, teacher accountability is related to providing students with opportunities to learn. In British Columbia, the practice of accountability is embodied in particular indicators of student performance. Some references for further study are provided.

Accountability for Learning: How Teachers and School Leaders Can Take Charge
Copyright ©2004 Reeves, D. B.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/2004reeves/chapter1.html

Educational accountability can be understood in a variety of ways. The book sampled on this web site provides an opportunity to clarify one's thinking about teacher accountability. This book preview focuses on two of the book's seven chapters. To begin, Reeves acknowledges some of the strong emotions tied to the word accountability. In a preview of Chapter One, he proposes a practice of student-centered accountability as an alternative to some traditional forms of accountability. In a preview of Chapter Four, he advocates a "bottom up accountability" for teachers, a form of accountability that empowers teachers. Finally, he presents a four-step approach in which teachers can exercise professional leadership in the realm of accountability. A one-time classroom teacher, Dr. Reeves is associated with Harvard University and has written extensively on the topics of assessment and accountability.

Accountability: Next Generation Models
Copyright © 2004 Education Commission of the States
Denver, CO
http://www.ecs.org/html/issue.asp?issueid=206&subIssueID=131

This web page, originating in the United States, introduces a so-called next generation model of accountability. This particular model of teacher accountability is dubbed a "teacher professionalism model." The model emphasizes a cultivation of the expertise that teachers need to address the learning needs of students in the classroom. In this perspective, the way to achieve school improvement and greater student learning is through preparing quality teachers, ensuring that teachers have adequate knowledge and skills before they are licensed. Some form of professional evaluation is another component of this model. A recognizable career path and adequate compensation are two additional components. To put this model in place requires cooperation between state and local bodies as well as members of the profession. The document notes that versions of the teacher professionalism model have worked well in professions other than teaching.

Building Shared Responsibility for Student Learning. 2001
Conzemius, A. and O'Neill, J.
Copyright © 2000-2004, QLD Learning
http://qldlearning.com/b/pubs_bsrslBook.shtml

This book review reports a constructive approach to teacher accountability in the classroom. In 2001, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) bestowed a Publication Award on teachers Conzemius and O'Neill for writing this book. Their central idea is that responsibility for student learning is a matter for the entire school community rather than just for an individual teacher. Such responsibility requires ongoing activity. The book presents research-based resources for building shared responsibility among teachers for student learning. This book will be of particular interest to school administrators wishing to develop a school-wide strategy for school improvement.

Educational Accountability in Canada. 2004
Ungerleider, C.
Department of Educational Studies
University of British Columbia
http://www.edst.educ.ubc.ca/faculty/ungerleider/downloads/July19.PDF

This PowerPoint presentation offers valuable resources for teachers to understand the topic of educational accountability within a Canadian setting. The presentation begins with a definition of accountability and includes some observations taken from the history of Canadian education. Teacher accountability in the classroom takes many forms in Canada's provincial school systems: report cards, teacher-parent conferences, and teacher assessments, to name only three examples. Dr. Ungerleider puts side by side notions of accountability drawn from the United States, the Fraser Institute, and the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC). He concludes by examining the accountability action plan adopted by CMEC. Professor Ungerleider teaches in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia.

Fostering Teachers' Lifelong Learning through Professional Growth Plans: A Cautious Recommendation for Policy. 2001
Fenwick, T.J.
Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC)
http://www.cmec.ca/stats/pcera/symposium2001/fenwick.o.EN.pdf

Teachers' professional growth plans have the potential to enhance teacher accountability. In general terms, this online document situates teacher accountability within the realm of lifelong learning. The document publishes a paper presented at Laval, Quebec in May 2001. The study reported here examines the experience of teachers and school administrators in various Alberta school jurisdictions with regard to teachers' professional growth plans. The paper also identifies which kinds of policies and practices might foster teacher accountability. The document contains extensive references for further study. Professor Fenwick is a member of the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta.

Incentives for Accountability. 2001
ERIC Digest.
Lashway, L.
http://www.ericdigests.org/2002-2/accountability.htm

This ERIC Digest (ED457598) spotlights the disputed connection between incentives and teacher accountability. Lashway writes in the American setting, where teachers have traditionally resisted tying remuneration to their performance, preferring instead a uniform pay grid. Today, in some efforts at school reform, policy makers are proposing that rewards and sanctions be linked to teacher performance in the classroom. Some teachers are open to the alternative. The value of incentives for motivating teachers to be accountable remains, however, an issue of debate. Research indicates that the notion of "merit pay" has not been entirely successful. In this debate, a central question concerns whether incentive systems are effective. Another major question concerns whether the major features of successful incentive schemes are identifiable. Resources for further study are included.

This June 2004 news release announces a Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) publication dealing with the teacher accountability. The publication is a 75-page booklet, entitled "Educational Accountability with a Human Face." The publication proposes to understand accountability in terms of the human relationship between teacher and student. In this perspective, teacher accountability requires recognition of the uniqueness of individual students. Teacher professionalism and autonomy are also components of the approach elaborated in this publication. The booklet challenges some current assumptions regarding standards, assessment and the practice of teacher accountability.

No Child Left Behind: Testing, Reporting, and Accountability. 2003
Wenning, R.; Herdman, P. A.; Smith, N.; McMahon, N.; and Washington, K.
http://www.ericdigests.org/2004-2/behind.html

This ERIC Digest (ED480994) deals with educational accountability within the current American context. The "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001, enacted by the American Congress, provides a commanding scenario, which communicates a sense of urgency for educational reform. The Act is a federal initiative that endeavors to establish more uniform accountability standards in the different states. The Act is significant for the backdrop that it imposes on current efforts at educational reform in the United States. Accountability is conceived of as accountability for the performance of students in high-stakes testing. The authors dwell on the challenges that implementation will impose on educators, especially in the case of minority students who may lack language adequate skills. References for further study are appended.

Contexts for educational accountability do vary. This news release, dated 13 February 2004, concerns a recent accountability survey conducted in Alberta. Alberta Learning surveyed students, parents, teachers, and school trustees. The purpose of the survey was to gather information related to accountability and, ultimately, to ensure continuous improvement of the provincial learning system. The survey, which will become an annual occurrence, is part of the Renewed Funding Framework that will allocate funds to school jurisdictions. The teacher questionnaire for this survey is available at http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/news/2004/February/surveys/Teachers.pdf

This web page is an excerpt from the Alberta Commission on Learning report released in October 2003. Alberta's Commission on Learning presents its view of accountability and indicates that a rigorous provincial process is required. The public has the right to know that the process is working efficiently. Information about school performance is to be made available on a variety of measures. There is a need for student assessment as a means of cultivating school improvement. In this perspective, teacher accountability is situated alongside the responsibility of schools and school jurisdictions to provide information to parents, students, and the community about student achievement and various steps being taken to enhance school improvement.

The Unforgiving Complexity of Teaching: Avoiding Simplicity in the Age of Accountability
Journal of Teacher Education 54(1)
Copyright © 2003 American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Cochran-Smith, M.
http://jte.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/54/1/3

This concise editorial touches directly on the topic of teacher accountability. The American public is generally in favor of teacher quality and teacher accountability. The editorial's central observation is that quality teaching is essentially a complex process. The manner in which accountability is appraised ought to reflect the complexity of the activity. A simple regime of high-stakes testing is problematic in this perspective. A faulty understanding of teaching quality will lead inevitably to a distorted evaluation. Cochran-Smith points to an Ohio Accountability Project (OAP), which she views as a worthwhile effort to incorporate the complexity of quality teaching into the practice of accountability. References for further study are included. Professor Cochran-Smith is associated with Boston College.