Merit-based raises would need new standards

By Megan Riordan
Staff Writer

Teachers should receive raises based on merit in addition to other factors like seniority, but in order for this to be possible, there must be a system that accounts for many different kinds of teaching ability.

Merit-based raises for teachers at Mira Costa should be implemented only if a standard is set up in which the raises are not solely based on test scores or letter grades, but on a variety of other measures.
In order to implement a system of merit-based raises, many necessary steps must be taken. For example, the way merit is measured would have to be predetermined by both teachers and the administration. Instead of measuring merit based on test scores, extensive evaluations by administrators and students would be necessary.

The idea of merit-based raises has been supported by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President Obama with their $4.3 billion “Race to the Top” initiative that encourages performancebased pay systems. According to the National Education Association, this would be largely based on test scores to evaluate teachers.

With teacher raises based on test scores, some teachers may structure their classes so that they would simply teach to the test, and this would severely harm the student’s learning experience. According to biology teacher Jessica Bledsoe, a system for merit-based raises would have to include an evaluation system based on more than just strict numbers.

One system that has been effective in school districts in Portland, Maine and Helena, Montana is rewarding teachers for taking steps to becoming better teachers. For example, if teachers partake in professional learning activities they move into a higher income bracket. Mira Costa has adopted a version of this program, but it should be expanded.

If merit-based raises were to be implemented at Costa, there would be a concern as to how to judge the merit of a teacher teaching lower level classes. Generally, students in more advanced class settings tend to score higher on standardized tests and are more motivated to complete homework assignments. Therefore, a teacher’s merit would be unfairly judged if it were solely based on their students’ AP scores or test scores.

However, a system that involves a combination of different ways to evaluate teachers could make merit-based raises a viable option. Test scores could be used on a year-to-year improvement basis for each student to more effectively analyze teacher performance instead of one number.

Peer and administrator evaluation can be useful tools if they are implemented with more oversight from the administration. Overall, merit-based raises, in addition to current ones, have a promising outcome if the raise system is created with non-quantitative methods of evaluation in concurrence with test scores.