by Trenna Sue Hiler

Created on: August 17, 2008   Last Updated: May 19, 2012

It's hard to argue against the theory of merit based pay. The premise is that one is paid by how well they do their job. If a teacher is an exceptional teacher, then the wages reflect that excellence. The problem lies in how to measure if a teacher is doing a good job.

There have been many debates about how to measure the success of a teacher. All classes are not created equally. In other words, some classes will tend to be high performance no matter which teacher is present. The opposite is also true. Teachers don't have the same material to work with.

There are school districts across the country that are giving the theory a try and the reviews are mixed. What is the job of a teacher? Is the job different based on the age of the children they are teaching? Does the job change based on the part of the country you are teaching? These are all issues that administrators are facing. It does seem obvious the public is not willing for teachers are no longer going to given a pass on expectations. There was a time that once your reach tenure it was almost impossible to dismiss a teacher. Those times are changing.

First by  looking at a job description for an elementary education teacher there may be something to learn. What is it we are asking them to do and which of those things can we measure for merit pay?

Elementary Education

"Teaches elementary school students academic, social, and motor skills in public or private schools: Prepares course objectives and outline for course of study following curriculum guidelines or requirements of state and school. Lectures, demonstrates, and uses audiovisual teaching aid to present subject matter to class. Prepares, administers, and corrects tests and records results. Assigns lessons, corrects papers, and hears oral presentations. Teaches rules of conduct. Maintains order in classroom and on playground. Counsels pupils when adjustment and academic problems arise. Discussed pupils' academic and behavioral attitudes and achievements with parents. Keeps attendance and grade records as required by school. May coordinate class field trips. May teach combined grade classes. May specialize by subject taught, such as math, science, or social studies. May be required to hold several certifications."

Many of those things can be measured and put in a review. But as merit based pay first entered the scene the suggestion was that pay be tied to standardized test scores, because that is how to measure how much a student has learned.

These tests are one way of measuring what a student has learned. There is no way to know if he learned it from last year's teacher, the parent or the tutor. It may just indicate the student doesn't respond well to testing. The loop holes in standardized testing are big enough to drive a car through and that is the problem with using them as criteria of merit based pay.

There are some schools that seem to have come up with some merit based pay systems that are working. Some of them even include test scores as a small part of the equation. Other criteria may include continuing education, introducing parent involvement opportunities, grant-writing, developing and giving presentations of new curriculum and perhaps class room research. They also have administrators who check on record keeping, visit the classroom and talk with the parents.

Gary Vines, the chief negotiator for the Portland Maine Education System, may have said it best. "It allows incredible opportunities to tailor your own professional development. The best indicator of student learning is teacher learning."

This is something to watch and learn from. Many teachers will be motivated in this type of environment and many may leave. That may be the way it should be.

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