The Oklahoma House of Representatives announced on Monday that House education leader Rep. Tad Jones will spearhead an interim study that will look at creating a new merit-based pay system for Oklahoma teachers.
House Speaker Lance Cargill explained, "Over the next few months, the House will intensively study how Oklahoma can develop a comprehensive merit-pay system for teachers that ties academic results to salary levels. The days of across-the-board pay increases for teachers are over. From now on, pay increases must be tied to results."
Cargill said public hearings will take place later this summer. The hearings will include lawmakers and national experts. Cargill said he expects the interim study to develop specific recommendations that can be implemented during the 2008 legislative session.
Read the full press release at the House website.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Should teacher's pay be merit-based?
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7 comments:
It is safe to assume that 'the days of across-the-board pay increases' for congressmen will NOT be over anytime soon!
I still clearly think that teacher pay should be based upon merit. That is the "real" world, and with teacher salaries climbing each year, the general taxpayer expects results. Our educational system is large, and the taxpayers can only support teachers at a reasonable level of pay. It goes with the territory when you decide public service is your chosen profession. I support reasonable teacher pay raises, but no more until a merit system is in place.
How do we measure merit though?
Not all kids are good at tests and one size fits all tests may not measure the skills the teacher taught, so test scores won't work.
Grades on subjective assignments or subjects (essays and written exams) are subjective and would make teachers the victims of accusations, so we can't use grades.
Graduation rates opens the door for social promotion in order for a teacher to barely make enough to pay the bills.
Not to mention a phenomenal teacher that works hard and uses good methods could encounter difficulty when a child causes disciplinary problems, refuses to put in any effort or has a problem at home. Why cut the teacher's pay when they did all they could?
This is the real world and excellent job performance is expected of teachers, just as with other professionals. However, all children do not have the same skill set, support system, or needs. If education was looked at as an improvement process, the concept of pay for performance might be a reasonable way to give incentives for better outcomes. Many other industries are going to team based evaluations and negotiated goals. For example, in one school, the 6th grade teachers might be considered a team. They negotiate reasonable, measurable goals for their perfomance at the beginning of the school year. Perhaps they are expected to raise test scores, improve pass rates, improve customer satisfaction scores (yes, the parents are your customers). Perhaps they will work together to meet the goals, including the students and their parents from the beginning in setting the goals and then in meeting them (after all, the goal is NOT really just better salaries, it is better outcomes for their students!)At the end of the year, their pay is adjusted based on the achievement of these reasonable, negotiated goals. And maybe, the students they serve will benefit from this as well!
How about making legislators pay merit-based?
Today I visited a "special education" teacher. One of my questions to her about a student I have just started tutoring who can't read was "What are your goals for _______?" She shrugged and didn't answer. I ask hier if one of her goals might not be to get him out of the Special Education classes and back in regular classes. She replied in the negative. I was agast!!! She said they usually stay in Special Education!!! This child is not dumb or ignorant!!! I wonder how many students she has in her classes???
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