SCDE Refuses to Talk with a SC teacher

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South Carolina Teachers Chatboard

SCDE Refuses to Talk with a SC teacher

by Theodore A. Jones

Dec 10, 2009

A highly qualified SC math teacher learned the hard way today that certain high officials in the ADEPT section of SCDE are refusing to answer the hard questions about the ADEPT evaluation system. The teacher in this report has well over twenty years experience teaching and additional experience as a senior research scientist in mathematic assessment. This teacher was requested by a district and taught AP math courses for a SC high school last year. Obtained a 100% passing rate for all the students taught, failed a formal ADEPT evaluation, and is now out of teaching in any SC high school classroom. What you really and truly need to understand about the reprehensible ADEPT evaluation system is that it, can and is by design, be made to have a predestinated outcome and there is not one thing you can do about it. Another teacher formally "evaluated" at the same time and by this the same "evaluation" crew passed the first half. When the building principal realized that this teacher was passi...See More

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Columbia Teacher I have been following this post and this just does not make any sense to me. I am a teacher in Richland County School District 2. When I went through ADEPT (which was called STEP in our district) we had an orientation and they told us and showed us sample units and lessons, etc of what was required. Then, we were also paired with a mentor teacher t...See MoreI have been following this post and this just does not make any sense to me. I am a teacher in Richland County School District 2. When I went through ADEPT (which was called STEP in our district) we had an orientation and they told us and showed us sample units and lessons, etc of what was required. Then, we were also paired with a mentor teacher to assist us. I don't understand how you could possibly be evaluated on something you claim was not explained to you. Didn't you have to sign papers saying the process was explained to you? Didn't you receive a binder with all of the information in it? And, to my knowledge this information is also available on the SCDE website. Did you ask for help from other teachers and the instructional coaches if you felt like you didn't understand? This just sounds like there is more to the story then you are actually telling. Obviously they wanted you gone for some reason that you have not named- which is there right. Some people are just not a good fit for certain schools and districts. Instead of being angry and continuing this post, maybe you should direct some of this energy into finding a school or district that is a better fit for you.

On 12/30/09, Susan Jones wrote: > Will, I'm not sure how long you have been in education, > but I would venture a > guess of not long. > > 1. The district will not talk to me. What did they > want? Me out of there. As far as they are concerned, > they have followed ADEPT. The SCDE seems to be in > agreement with SDOC. I asked for and was denied the > year's diagnostic evaluation. Yes, I am angry with > these two entities, not the whole state. If I were free > to move (I am not at present), I could probably find > another teaching position. > > 2. Neither of the SC teacher organizations will accept > and defend a teacher after the fact. > > 3. After having this happen to me, I have discovered > many other teachers that have been treated as > callously. I pity them because they were just getting > started and their careers have been stopped before they > got a chance. > > 4. All attorneys to date are reluctant to handle this > situation. I don't know why since it seems pretty clear > to me. > > sjones >

Dec 30, 2009

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clanna Interesting. In my district, STEP is used to determine educator quality of teachers whose effectiveness is in question. It is interesting that all districts have their own interpretation and use of this statewide evaluation process. On

12/30/09, Columbia Teacher wrote: > I have been following this post and this just does not > make ...See More

Dec 31, 2009

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Columbia Teacher Yes, it is interesting. After STEP, they called it ADEPT for about 2-3 years and now it is called SAFE-T (in my district). Don't ask what it stands for b/c I don't know. I personally am on GBE which is Goals Based Evaluation.

On 12/31/09, clanna wrote: > Interesting. In my district, STEP is used to determine > educator quality of te...See More

Dec 31, 2009

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Theodore A. Jones Every teacher employed in a SC public school is under a contract. Since they are under employment by a contract they are no longer employed at the employer's willfulness to retain them. The employer who employes by contract also concedes to the terms and condition the contract specifies. However in dear ol'e SC things are not that cut and dried. Te...See MoreEvery teacher employed in a SC public school is under a contract. Since they are under employment by a contract they are no longer employed at the employer's willfulness to retain them. The employer who employes by contract also concedes to the terms and condition the contract specifies. However in dear ol'e SC things are not that cut and dried. Teaching contracts in SC are an ambiguous amalgamation of two sections of the SC code of law that clandestinely allows the district that employes you to retain the right of at will employment. But when SCDE finagled the ADEPT teaching system into SC law it also codified a process of dismissing a teacher that is specific to a law. If you go to SCDE's web site and look at the ADEPT flow diagram. The process is induction, evaluation, correction of problems, reevaluation. According to the flow chart each comma in the previous sentence represents a year of employment for a teacher. No SC school district has the option of selecting any type of contract that is not in compliance with the ADEPT dismissal process. If and when a district at its discretion decides to use the ADEPT system to rid its self of a teacher the required process is not less than three terms of employment for a teacher. The ADEPT system by law has limited SC school districts to these terms of employment of a teacher. You people need to form representative bodies to make sure that your contracts are specific to SC and federal law and that they are stated this way. No SC school district employes a SC classroom teacher at will and don't you forget it. On 12/22/09, Angie wrote: > This may come as a shock to most teachers, but in any other > profession no reason has to be given for a termination of > employment. Everyone is an employee at will and SC is a state > where the employer can terminate employment as they see fit. > While it appears that the district used the guise of ADEPT to > rid itself of unwanted employees, it is not illegal. I do not > pretend to know the reasons, but I'm certain there are some. > Take solace in the fact that for everything there is a reason > and a purpose; there's no such thing as 'accidents.' > > > > On 12/10/09, Theodore A. Jones wrote: >> A highly qualified SC math teacher learned the hard way >> today that certain high officials in the ADEPT section of >> SCDE are refusing to answer the hard questions about the >> ADEPT evaluation system. The teacher in this report has >> well over twenty years experience teaching and additional >> experience as a senior research scientist in mathematic >> assessment. This teacher was requested by a district and >> taught AP math courses for a SC high school last year. >> Obtained a 100% passing rate for all the students taught, >> failed a formal ADEPT evaluation, and is now out of >> teaching in any SC high school classroom. What you really >> and truly need to understand about the reprehensible ADEPT >> evaluation system is that it, can and is by design, be made >> to have a predestinated outcome and there is not one thing >> you can do about it. Another teacher formally "evaluated" >> at the same time and by this the same "evaluation" crew >> passed the first half. When the building principal realized >> that this teacher was passing the second half he made the >> "evaluators" re-score the first passing part into a >> failure. Don't believe a single word SCDE plays on the >> house organ about wanting to retain good, fair and honest >> teachers. Nothing is further from the truth. You can get >> the axe at any time on a mentally disturbed principal's >> whim or an unjust sane one's too. The ADEPT system is a >> tool designed to function against you no matter how good >> you are or how hard you try. Watch your back teacher. The >> teacher in this report did not have any idea what the ADEPT >> evaluation system is. Was not trained to comply with it. >> And not one of the teacher's colleagues lifted a finger to >> give this teacher any help. But these colleagues all warm a >> church pew on Sunday singing about how good they are to >> God. I wonder what their evaluation will result in?

Jan 1, 2010

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TechnoMage On 1/01/10, Theodore A. Jones wrote: > > > > Every teacher employed in a SC public school is under a contract. > Since they are under employment by a contract they are no longer > employed at the employer's willfulness to retain them. The > employer who employes by contract also concedes to the terms and > condition the cont...See MoreOn 1/01/10, Theodore A. Jones wrote: > > > > Every teacher employed in a SC public school is under a contract. > Since they are under employment by a contract they are no longer > employed at the employer's willfulness to retain them. The > employer who employes by contract also concedes to the terms and > condition the contract specifies. However in dear ol'e SC things > are not that cut and dried. Teaching contracts in SC are an > ambiguous amalgamation of two sections of the SC code of law > that clandestinely allows the district that employes you to > retain the right of at will employment. But when SCDE finagled > the ADEPT teaching system into SC law it also codified a process > of dismissing a teacher that is specific to a law. If you go to > SCDE's web site and look at the ADEPT flow diagram. The process > is induction, evaluation, correction of problems, reevaluation. > According to the flow chart each comma in the previous sentence > represents a year of employment for a teacher. No SC school > district has the option of selecting any type of contract that is > not in compliance with the ADEPT dismissal process. If and when > a district at its discretion decides to use the ADEPT system to > rid its self of a teacher the required process is not less than > three terms of employment for a teacher. The ADEPT system by law > has limited SC school districts to these terms of employment of a > teacher. You people need to form representative bodies to make > sure that your contracts are specific to SC and federal law and > that they are stated this way. No SC school district employes a > SC classroom teacher at will and don't you forget it. On

And while this poster is absolutely correct, try to find the money, time, and Lawyer willing to take up this cause. A teaching contract in good ole' SC would be laughed out of "real" courts.

Lets see: 1) We retain the right to give you any job we want, doing anything we say. 2) We will tell you at some point what we are going to pay you. 3) You may or may not have a job when you come to work. 4) We may change this job/description/duties/pay at the whim of anyone we hire/fire/require ect, ect.

Noone should be subject to this perpetual cycle of servitude. But we SC teachers are. The contract would never stand up in a "real" court. We have been legislated into indentured servitude..... But Unions are bad, bad, bad, so "they" say. Such is our lot in good ole' SC.....

Aug 6, 2012

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