A number of recent studies show that testing students is not a good way to evaluate the performance of their teachers.  According to an article in the New York Times earlier this week, an increasing number of school districts are adopting a system known as "value-added" modeling in order to compare one teacher to another and increase teacher accountability.

The article says that the system will calculate "the value teachers add to their students’ achievement, based on changes in test scores from year to year, and how the students perform compared with others in their grade."

It did not take long for the school board to find their replacement for James Hammond, it was a guy that they had just hired a year ago to help change the direction at Davis High School.  And while he only spent a year at Davis High School, the results were encouraging.  Now they will have to go back to the drawing board and find another Principal because late on Monday night, the Davis School Board named Winfred Roberson, the new Superintendent.

It was just over a year ago, June 18, 2009 when the Davis School Board introduced Mr. Roberson as the new Principal of Davis High.  Now just 43, he is just four years older than the departing James Hammond, and the district hopes it struck gold again.

Last night at a special Davis School Board Meeting, the Board formally voted to accept the resignation of Superintendent James Hammond, in what is most likely his final board meeting as Superintendent.  While the board jokingly threatened to vote no on the resignation, and the community lamented the loss of their superintendent, everyone involved understood and appreciated that this was something that Dr. Hammond had to do for his family and himself.

We will have to wait until June 21, 2010 to find out who the interim Superintendent will be, but the smart money right now would be on Kevin French, Associate Superintendent of Human Resources and Secondary Education.  In a Vanguard interview with Ingrid Salim, that will be published later on, she told the Vanguard that the teachers had mixed feelings on a move only because Kevin French has been such an outstanding advocate for teachers and from what we have heard has an excellent relationship with the classified staff, which has not always been the case.