The teacher's pay will be based on testing. This most likely will be standardized testing which already does not work for many children and then the teacher will be compensated poorly, not because of their teaching, but because the system in place already is not working. There are many other ways to document children's learning that should not be by standardized testing.
http://www.examiner.com/x-2157-Charter-Schools-Examiner~y2009m10d25-Gates-Foundation-and-Obama-Administration-unequally-yoked
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/10/race_to_the_top_teachers_left.html
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/photos/story/885203.html
With out knowing much about the plan or having read the article I think that this is an awful idea an it will only make things worse. Teachers will teach student how to do well on tests and not how to actually learn and grow. Also there will be less people who will be willing to teach special education, ESL, etc. Not to mention it isn't fair for those teachers.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say if this took effect it wouldn't be based entirely on standardized testing as most people involved with education are aware that not all students test effectively with standardized tests. The criteria for pay would have to be based on testing in many forms to make sure every learning style is incorporated and included. I think this would be a great way to determine who makes the cut for teaching.... because lets face it, not everyone teacher out there is qualified to teach.
ReplyDeleteJust from reading your short explanation about it, I don't think this sounds like a very good plan. I think that we should be moving away from standardized testing, especially trying to use it as some kind of equalizer, because it's not equal at all. The idea of using test scores to determine a teacher's pay is kind of scary and I hope that if I become a teacher that that is not how my salary is chosen.
ReplyDeleteTeachers are grossly underpaid as is. If we were being paid per child, we'd be making significantly more money. Penalizing teachers for a student's inability to learn (or unwillingness to learn, whatever the issue may be) is completely unfair. A teacher may have a group of fifty students where only about half meet the standard, some fail, and fewer exceed. Not all teaching styles translate to all learning styles, and as long as teachers are reaching out to *someone*, I think he or she is doing a good job.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if we have a high number of students testing well, I'll accept a bonus. :-D
Yikes! If there was a direct connection between student achievement and doing well on standardized tests, then this kind of "pay for results" plan might have more to stand on. This bears watching.
ReplyDelete