Nov 27 2012: I think the fallout for students in a 'merit - pay' system is far too great for children. The impact such a system has on children is often overlooked, as in the example you shared.
Nov 27 2012: How does 'merit' get measured? -By our children who take a standardized test? Is this an appropriate position to put children in? I am not saying that I am opposed to teacher evaluations; however, evaluate teachers' professionalism and engagement in action, not through high stakes testing of children. What about students who learn differently, or more slowly, or communicate better graphicaly or orally? High stakes standardized testing is not a real world experience- it is a fabrication of the education system, an artificial measure of what our children can remember in a one or two hour session on one specific day in a year. It seems a bit arbitrary. Evaluate teaching based on whether or not students are learning the skills that actually matter in their world. Do students have the skills to manage and extract the relevant information and knowledge to complete a task? To solve a problem? To communicate a strategy and possible solutions? To represent their learning? These skills are not easily measured in a standardized test. Foundational literacy and numeracy skills are essential and can be easily measured in a high stakes standardized test that would result in potential bonus pay for teachers in a 'merit pay' evaluation system. However, I am not confident that merit pay will make one bit of difference to the knowledge, skills and understanding that our children need to become successful, contributing members of society (if this is what the goal of our education system is).
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A reply on Conversation: What do you think of merit-based pay for teachers?
A reply on Conversation: What do you think of merit-based pay for teachers?
A comment on Conversation: What do you think of merit-based pay for teachers?