Doug Noon is talking about reform and merit-based pay on his blog today. I’ve been exchanging a few brief comments with TMAO about merit-based pay in connection with NCLB. I found the Eduwonkette post that Doug referenced to be helpful in thinking about this issue. The discussion in comparison with other professions is interesting, the incentives she recommends are worthwhile (if not comprehensive), and the objections to test-based merit pay are right on.
My favorite quotes:
Physicians I talked to in preparing this post laughed at me when I asked if their performance bonuses were based on patient outcomes. The most common response was that those outcomes were largely out of their control, so their hospitals rewarded them based on their inputs – i.e. hours, procedures, and revenues.
the best incentive is good working conditions
But in attending exclusively to annual test scores, a short-term and narrow outcome measure that is easy to manipulate, we are trotting down a dangerous path paved with unintended consequences.
If you’re concerned about this issue, the post is definitely worth a read.
Thu, Oct 25, 2007
Education