Fla. to Link Teacher Pay To Students' Test Scores

The state's point system for teacher evaluations addresses such concerns in two ways, Board of Education administrators said.

First, it awards teachers points not for test scores but for improvements in test scores, so a previously low-performing student will not necessarily drag down a teacher's score. Second, having analyzed historical test scores, the administrators think they have come up with a point system that accurately reflects the degree of difficulty in lifting students from one learning level to another.

"We did not use formulas that weigh in socioeconomic data because we expect every student has the ability to learn," said Christy Hovanetz-Lassila, director of evaluation for the state Education Department. Instead, she said, the point system implicitly takes into account poor students by treating gains from lower levels differently than those from higher levels.

The proof of such reassurances will not be forthcoming until next year's rankings. Until then, the program will be counted as a victory for those who have championed instilling more economic incentives in schools.

Paul E. Peterson, a Harvard professor of government and director of the university's program of education policy and governance, described the plan as "bold."

"Currently, there is little, if any, connection between how much a teacher is paid and how much their students are learning in the classroom," he said. "This is a step in the right direction."

But despite the enthusiasm for FCAT performance on display at North Twin Lakes Elementary here recently, Harms views the prospect of ranking teachers and paying them accordingly with some trepidation.

She said it would be difficult to assign credit for the school's test scores on a teacher-by-teacher basis.

"I don't think it can be done fairly," she said. "And I don't want to divide or pit our staff against one another. I want a team. I want unity."