Teachers - Merit Based Pay, your thoughts?

[Havasu_Dreamin]

Ok, so by now, most of us in California have heard that the Governator wants to change the way teachers are paid and basically do away with tenure. Arnie is proposing that teachers be paid based on their performance, that is, like it is in the private sector. I continully receive low marks in my job, my a$$ is out the door looking for a new job, not so in the current system. One would think that if this were to go into effect, those teachers that slack off because they have tenure would either, no longer receive raises or quite possibly lose their jobs. Your thoughts?

[Boozer]

Ok, so by now, most of us in California have heard that the Governator wants to change the way teachers are paid and basically do away with tenure. Arnie is proposing that teachers be paid based on their performance, that is, like it is in the private sector. I continully receive low marks in my job, my a$$ is out the door looking for a new job, not so in the current system. One would think that if this were to go into effect, those teachers that slack off because they have tenure would either, no longer receive raises or quite possibly lose their jobs. Your thoughts?
Who grades the performance?

[Havasu Hangin']

California now requires that all teachers continue their education to keep their credential up to date. If they don't, they don't get paid.
Also, California requires performance from schools districts- if they don't, they lose funding.
Californa does not pay the teachers- the district does.

[Havasu_Dreamin]

Who grades the performance?
Good question. As yet to be decided from the articles I have read about it.
Keeping away from the question of who determines the criteria and how a teacher is measured against said criteria, does it make sense to do this to teachers? Will it attract or discourage people from becoming teachers?? I know some people I went to school with, both HS and college, were going to use teaching as a fallback option in case they did not find, and I'm quoting here, "....a real job." Is that the type of person that we want teaching the kids?

[Havasu_Dreamin]

Californa does not pay the teachers- the district does.
True, but the law would be amended to make it mandatory that districts use a pay for performance model in compensating their teachers. Not sure how I feel about it, on one hand it seems to make sense and on the other I wonder about it working.

[Powerquestboy]

I disargee BIG TIME. First of all you amy get a group of slow learners or a group of kids that are good students but bad test takers. Since they cant judge saleries by the grade the teacher gives them in the class, ie Teachers could give all their kids A's in order to get a pay raise. I'm sure the teachers pay would be decided on grades of standardized tests. The other thing to take into consideration is many kids arent getting the help and encouragement at home. If the kids parents dont take an active role in the learning and they are not helped and pushed to study, do homework etc. The teachers pay should not be affected. I dont know what the answer is but I dont think this is it.

[Havasu Hangin']

True, but the law would be amended to make it mandatory that districts use a pay for performance model in compensating their teachers. Not sure how I feel about it, on one hand it seems to make sense and on the other I wonder about it working.
If that were to happen, you'd probably have teachers passing kids just to get paid...it already happens at the district level.
California already requires today's teacher to be up to date on the California standards (and it's not cheap), and requires the district to follow it. If you shift all that accountability to the teacher level, I feel sorry for the kids.

[mirvin]

Nobody seems to be talking about the fact that our schools have been over run by children that DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH. Good luck taking a test when you can't read the language.
m (both parents are LAUSD teachers) irvin

[Wicky]

Great idea!! Everything in life should be based on merit.
Wicky

[mirvin]

I think this is a good idea, but for reasons other than the popular one. Teachers these days, as they always have been, end up being handcuffed in the classroom. They are not in charge of disciplin therefore they cannot be in charge of the classroom. You simply can't force a kid to learn and do well if they're not getting the support they need outside the classroom. Until parents and school districts are willing to make the tough choices needed to put controll of the classroom back into the teachers hands it's rediculous to try to attach merit to the teacher........
mirvin