I am not against merit pay evaluation of teachers, but not by using standardized tests

[bluestateguy]

As soon as someone starts talking about standardized tests as a yardstick to measure teacher performance, then the conversation is over as far as I am concerned. I have always hated those damn tests and the multi-billion dollar for profit industry that surrounds it too.

But I am open to the argument that good teachers should be rewarded with higher pay or immunity from budget cuts if someone can devise an evaluative system that measures good teaching performance and poor teaching performance, sans standardized tests. This could be done through some combination of classroom evaluation, evaluation of lesson plans, student grades, measurements of classroom disciplinary incidents or even end of the year student evaluations (for older students only). I can certainly be open-minded about the details.

What I am also not open to are people who just throw their hands up in the air and say that there is no way to evaluate and measure teacher performance.

[patrice]

1. The processes of authentic assessment and evaluation should occur in an

ongoing longitudinal dialogue including and appropriately about all stakeholders: students, teachers, parents, administration.

[HockeyMom]

2. Imagine evaulating Arts, PE, or Special Ed teachers?

What standardized test of their students can you base these teachers performance on? What they wanted, and now with Rick Scott WANT to do, was to base these teachers performance on what OTHER teacher's students do on state tests.

Imagine you are an accountant and your performance is based on the performance of the IT staff? Wouldn't you be up in arms over this?

[Reader Rabbit]

3. I *am* against merit pay; it sullies the calling.

No one goes into teaching for the money. If capitalists want to worship at the altar of Mammon and tout merit pay—which doesn't work, by the way—they can have at it. To introduce such a crass, materialistic system into the education system would be just another nail in the coffin of getting all kids the education they deserve.

[stopschoolpaddling]

4. Simple, interview the students to see whether or not they are enjoying their educational experience.

If left to their own devices, children naturally learn on their own. The role of teacher is to foster a love for learning that lasts a lifetime.

Grades don't mean squat because children are not the same, not any two of them, and what one child learns today another might learn four
years later or four years earlier. As long as their natural curiosity is not inhibited, all children would grow up knowing whatever it
is that they need to know. This knowledge is specific to each child.

If you look at the supposed children that were being "left behind" you will find a school environment that is based on fear and
intimidation and very often corporal punishment. Those children weren't learning because they were afraid of their sadistic educators not because
their school books and testing were inferior. Children can not learn when they are afraid and now it's even worse. Learn or else!

"If she doesn't get control of her classroom, we won't get our test scores." Said to me by a principal defending her Kindergarten
teacher's decision to threaten her pupils with a 3 foot long wooden paddle. It didn't work because out of 20 students 3 children failed
that year but let's suppose it did and they got their test scores like they wanted. I don't think this teacher deserves a raise, do you? Those children would be better off playing in a field for a year then in that classroom.

[LWolf]

5. My district is exploring

Charlotte Danielson's "Framework for Teaching" for this very purpose. Teachers working to develop a process.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I oppose merit pay

There is no fair or proven process. I am so opposed that if it ever becomes a reality I will refuse any merit pay offered to me. The program my district is looking at will be voluntary; I will volunteer to not participate.

[jody]

7. I support merit pay iff teachers can choose their students. n/t