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A Flawed Teacher Merit Policy

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By ALLISON CHANDLER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 2, 2008

In 2007 the Florida Legislature approved the Merit Award Program (MAP), which attempts to reward Florida teachers who prove, through a combination of student test score analysis and evaluation by administrators, that they have been successful in helping their students make academic gains.

Meeting this criteria, which includes a quantitative analysis of student test scores in which at least 60 percent of the students showed gains from the previous school year (compared to prior year NRT or FCAT scores) and qualitative evaluations (in which the teacher is ranked outstanding) by administration, is a formidable task, especially for teachers who work in Title One schools, whose student body often comes from high-poverty, low-income backgrounds. MAP serves as a bonus to supplement teacher salaries (which are not particularly high when compared with teachers' salaries in the rest of the U.S.) and has paid a rate of 5-10 percent of an eligible teacher's current salary.

However, not all teachers that met the MAP criteria for 2007-2008 will be eligible to receive the distinction or the monetary reward this fall. Florida legislation dictates that to receive the reward, qualifying candidates must either be retired employees of the state or currently working within the state education system. Any teacher who met the criteria from the previous school year who has resigned or is no longer teaching within the school system is disenfranchised from this reward, although they earned MAP in the same manner of all the other recipients of the award. This affects teachers who have moved out of state or have resigned due to personal or family commitments, including pursuing higher educational degrees, raising a family, care of elders, etc.

This policy is flawed and should be changed to include all teachers who met MAP criteria The premise of MAP is to reward teachers for what they have already accomplished, with empirical proof of that accomplishment as evidence. Current or future employment status is independent of, and therefore irrelevant to, the qualifications that determined MAP status. Therefore, it is illogical to exclude teachers based on present employment circumstances, when the reward is determined by having met past criteria. Furthermore, it reneges on a very important promise to skillful educators - the promise that they will be rewarded for the work they accomplished.

Seeing as MAP is relatively new and that revisions have already taken place to make it more equitable and sound, I recommend another revision - that all teachers meeting criteria should be eligible for their recognition and financial reward, regardless of current employment circumstances. If Florida wants to continue to attract highly qualified teachers it should live up to the promise to reward teachers who have proven their effectiveness and helped the state meet its educational goals.

Allison Chandler, who holds a master's in education, lives in St. Petersburg.

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