Despite previous debacle, LA Times sues for teacher information

Original article in Courthouse News Service by Matt Reynolds.

The Los Angeles Times claims Los Angeles Unified School District is violating public records law by refusing to release records tying teachers, by name, to the expected and actual test scores of their students.

The Times claims it has used school district records to compile an online database of individual teachers' performances by calculating the difference between students' projected and actual test results.
It claims it used this "'value added' methodology" to rate thousands of city school teachers.

Last year, the school district announced its own school rating system, using a value-added system called Academic Growth Over Time (AGT) scores, according to the Times.

After the district disclosed scores for individual schools, the Times requested individual teachers' AGT scores, but the district denied them, saying they were exempt from disclosure, or omitted details in the records it did provide, including names of teachers or the schools where they work.

To read the complete article, visit Courthouse News Service.