LETTER: Teacher evaluations are complicated
As a retired teacher (from Arizona), I’d like to point out a large problem with teacher evaluations (Tuesday editorial). Your example of the high number of “effective” or better teacher ratings and the shortcomings in fourth graders’ reading skills, while probably accurate, fails to answer the pertinent question: Who is to blame? Is it the fourth-grade teacher? The third-grade teacher? What about the first- and second-grade teachers?
As a high school English teacher, was I to blame for seniors who did not score well on a standardized test? After all, I was the last one to have them in the classroom. And what about the students themselves and their parents or guardians?
This is a complicated issue requiring a multifaceted series of solutions.