Problems With Merit Pay for Teachers

Teachers of high achievers have a greater chance of earning merit pay.

Merit pay is a hot-button issue in the world of education. While some school districts and states have already adopted merit pay as a way of reforming schools and motivating teachers to perform, problems still exist with the concept. Before adopting a merit pay system, districts must determine whether it provides a fair way to compensate teachers and will truly help reform schools.

What is Merit Pay?

Merit pay involves paying teachers based on performance through measurable objectives, such as student scores on standardized tests. Districts and states that implement merit pay seek to raise teacher pay by increasing teacher performance. The program is also designed to increase retention of high-quality teachers and weed out ineffective teachers. Proponents of merit pay argue that rewarding teachers for performance will also have a positive effect on student test scores, particularly in low-income districts.

Measuring Performance

Those who choose to implement merit pay programs for teachers must determine how to effectively measure teacher performance. Many states and districts have chosen to reward teachers with merit pay based on student performance on standardized tests. For teachers in low-income areas or schools that teach high-risk students, earning merit pay based on standardized tests is often difficult. In individual schools, teachers assigned to honors classes and higher-level students have a greater chance of earning merit pay than those with a schedule of remedial or regular courses. Proponents for merit pay argue that a quality teacher will demonstrate gains in student performance no matter what classes or types of students he teaches.

Teacher Behavior

Tying merit pay to test scores could risk introducing dishonest behavior by unscrupulous teachers, such as helping students answer test questions or doctoring standardized exam results. According to Wade Nelson, a professor of educational leadership at Winona State University, awarding some teachers with merit pay and not others has the potential to damage a school community. Merit pay programs that use teacher evaluation programs instead of student test scores to measure teacher performance may also lead to favoritism with principals and district officials awarding merit pay based on subjective factors. Principals may also assign favorite teachers to teach classes with higher-performing students.

Recruiting and Retaining Teachers

One goal of merit pay is to offer an incentive to new teachers. Since many teacher positions offer low salaries, merit pay provides a way for teachers to earn more money after entering the profession. Quality teachers have incentives to work harder and remain in the profession. Low-performing schools, however, have more trouble recruiting and retaining teachers with a merit pay system. Teachers currently working in a historically low-performing school are more likely to leave or transfer to higher-performing schools. Merit pay introduces a new stress factor to an already stressful job, and many teachers may choose to leave rather than deal with increased stress.

References

• Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice; The Promises and Pitfalls of Alternative Teacher Compensation Approaches; Debbie C. Harris; August 2007
• National Education Association: Examining Merit Pay; John Rosales
• Education Week; Thoughts on the Failure of Merit Pay; Diane Ravitch; March 2011
• Scholastic; Point/Counterpoint: Teacher Merit Pay: Prudent or Pointless?; Gaynor McCown and Wade Nelson; June 2004

Resources

• Debatepedia: Merit Pay for Teachers