By Tracey
Yesterday I took my students to the beach at low tide. I participated in the Ocean Science grant with the Seattle Aquarium – a wonderful program if you ever get the chance. We have been learning about ecosystems, food webs, plankton, and our dependence upon the ocean. The students had a terrific time. And, they were interested in the animals. They were even kind and gentle with them. It was one of those proud moments you sometimes have as a teacher where you see some of your hard work pay off. The docent even complimented me. She said that in her job she sees a lot of classes and teachers, and she could see that I was a good teacher because of the way that I handled my students. I got that warm fuzzy feeling you get. I’ll take a compliment. But, don’t let her see my students’ test scores.
We just finished the MSP last week and in the first two days back, I had to give my students my district’s version of their measurement of student progress, or maybe it’s their version of teacher effectiveness. In either case, my students bombed. Maybe they were tired of testing; maybe I’m not as effective a teacher as I thought. I can see the meetings now, poring over these new dismal scores and making individual learning plans to address their needs. Thank goodness merit pay isn’t part of the equation. There’d be no trip to Mexico this summer for me!
Advocates of merit pay need to understand the other issues affecting learning in the classroom. When I started with this class in September, I could only get through 1/4 of my lesson plans in a day because the behaviors were so disruptive to learning. Now I regularly accomplish at least 3/4. And a good portion of that is due to the fact that I over plan. In September, the students had troubles working together in groups, following a set of directions, producing quality work, having discussions, completing a book, and going to recess without getting into a fight. Now, they can do all those things. Each completed an inquiry-based science fair project this year. They can write a letter to develop a friendship with an adult and discuss a book they've read. And they can also collaborate on a team to write a script of a skit that teaches others about the importance of preventing bullying and perform it at an assembly. I’m pretty proud of them. They’ve come a long way. But, these skills are not tested. And so, because their reading and math scores are behind target, advocates of merit pay would have punitive measures put in place so that I receive less pay. Perhaps this would motivate me to do a better job next year. The research doesn’t say it would. In fact, the research says I’d do a worse job.
If you haven’t seen Daniel Pink’s TED Talks about motivation and merit pay, (or Tom's post about his book, Drive) you should. He talks about the phenomenon where offering incentives actually harms productivity. Yet the business world embraces it; and now it’s looking more and more like educators are accepting it. Incentives work great for simple mechanical tasks. More pay for more bushels of apples picked. That makes sense. But, the moment you enter even “rudimentary cognitive skill,” productivity is lost. There is a narrowing of focus that happens when you introduce incentives. It causes people to lose sight of possibilities. There’s no creativity, flexibility of thought, or ingenuity for problem solving; skills good teachers have. With merit pay, the focus will be solely on test scores. If we introduce a merit pay system based on test scores, it will be the downfall of education. Our students may do well on tests, but they will not be educated.
So, what will motivate me to be a good teacher and improve student learning? Pink goes on to describe three important motivators: 1. Autonomy-the urge to direct our own lives. 2. Mastery-the desire to get better and better at something that matters. 3. Purpose – the yearning to do something in a service we know is larger than ourselves. I know my job has purpose. Mastery is something I continually work on, always trying to hone my craft to become better at what I do. What my job is lacking is autonomy. Decisions about what I teach and how I teach it are more and more being made by people who don’t teach. The decision to pay me based on my students' test scores is just one example. Merit pay certainly hasn’t worked for Wall Street. What logic says it’ll work in schools?
I agree whole-heartedly, if merit pay is based on test scores alone (and specifically on the poor test from this state). I’ve been reading a lot on incentive systems, and I think they *could* work IF they are based on more than test scores. If they are based on a mixture of things: test scores unfortunately have to be part of them, student evaluations, parent evaluations, principal evaluations, peer reviews, grades, collaboration you do, and even self-evaluations that are critical like the things you were talking about with a lower percentage of time spent getting attention, more collaboration between students etc.
And ultimately, what is *really* important to us as educators? C’mon you know we don’t do this job for the money or that little extra pay (and studies have shown that even the more sane growth model varies widely). I loved what you said about intrinsic motivation – mastery, purpose and autonomy. As a secondary science teacher, I want my students to be scientifically literate citizens who understand science as a process, understand how to work with a variety of people to solve a problem, who question things, and understand how to seek answers. These things are NOT on test scores. Test scores, especially those not related in any way to the curriculum do not motivate me and they certainly don’t motivate my students. One of my successes is a student who was basically put in a room for 2 years in middle school and told she didn’t get science so didn’t have to do it, now at the end of the year thinks of herself as someone who can do the science (though it still takes some coaxing from me). *This* also won’t show in a test scores? Would I lose money for this? Should we treat kids like little data points? Is school really a business?
Sorry, DrPezz. I snuck an “r” in your name. Maybe I’m being hopeful. Have you considered running?
DrPrezz- you hit the nail on the head. Merit pay would end true collaboration in schools, something my school is actively trying to improve. I can just imagine the ugliness that would surface as classes are formed before the school year begins. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in Florida. I fear, however, that this model is bound to transplant the cut-throat culture of the business world into our schools, rather than a healthy dose of competition the advocates claim.
Mark-I’ve already changed my teaching. We’re in stage three of AYP. There’s so much pressure right now to raise reading and math scores at my school. Most of us barely get through one science kit. Only a fraction of the teachers teach social studies. And if they do, it’s just one unit. But, you’re right. We’re responsible for more than the results of a test. We have to light a passion for learning. We need to convince our kids that they should want to continue learning and not drop out. I don’t see how are current path is taking us there.
Tom – Word! And thanks for the book recommendation.
Jennifer – thank you! 🙂
I think merit pay would change the culture of schools as well. Instead of working in a collaborative culture, we would be working in one of competition. No more sharing best practices, no more sharing effective assignments, no more assisting the new teachers, and so on.
It would be counterproductive to help others. Success would be based on my students doing better than your students instead of us working collectively to help our students.
Unfortunately, if merit pay were instituted, I would change the way I teach. Sure, test scores would go up, but what I’d be cutting from the curriculum would be the exact topics, activities, and readings that my students consistently report back are the very things they value the most. I just was forward a very nice email that a student of mine sent to my boss–and all throughout she highlighted the fact that my class promoted discourse, reasoning, critical thinking, real-world connections, and authenticity. Those things would be supplanted in favor of test taking drills if my paycheck and family’s survival depended on it. Those activities, like Tracey’s field trip, may not necessarily bolster test scores, but I wholeheartedly believe that my charge as a teacher goes beyond my students’ performance on a once-per-year exam.
Unfortunately, “they learned something…and that’s what it’s all about” likely satisfies us as professionals, but if that learning doesn’t match the test, then that learning is unimportant to the powers.
I agree, Tracey; we’re taking away too much autonomy in the name of “fidelity to the curriculum.” Reading and math textbooks are turning into scripts, and they leave little time for science and social studies. I’m glad you got to take your kids to the beach. They learned something while they were there, and that’s what it’s alll about.
Im a NBCT, I work in a high-poverty school…and I go back and forth on merit pay. I really appreciate your perspective and your articulate argument!