Otte-Coleman - City Magazine

| FEATURE
Merit Pay Meets Roadblocks:
Teachers Voice Concerns
When it comes to merit pay for
teachers, most teachers are skeptical
about the concept for several reasons.
Who will determine who gets merit pay?
Will it be demoralizing to teachers who don’t get it?
Will it be determined by test scores?
Will politics enter in to the decisions?
These are the central questions on teacher’s
minds, and when asked to come up with the perfect
merit pay plan, most just shrug their shoulders.
One teacher, who prefers to remain anonymous,
said he favors merit pay, but can’t trust the people
who will make the decision. “Bill” said, “It can’t be
based on test scores because there are too many
variables among classes.” He adds that, if it were
based on test scores, he would never teach another
low-level class because these students don’t care
about grades (for the most part).
The tests in question are the result of the
national No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program
that requires a comprehensive statewide test each
fall for students at each grade level. Schools with
By Jan Schultz
students deemed “not proficient” are subject to
special programs to enhance and enrich teaching
and bring students up to the required proficiency.
Sonja Mahlum, third-grade teacher at Miller
Elementary, agrees that merit pay shouldn’t be
based on test scores. Her reasons also include the
variability of students and classes. “Consider special
needs classes,” she said. “While testing is adjusted for
these levels, there is still too much of a discrepancy
between regular and special needs classes.”
Then there is the home environment aspect.
“Students come from all manners of home
environments and may not get support from their
parents,” said Mahlum. Some students may also
just be learning English. She said, “Foreign students
entering Bismarck schools have just one year to
learn the language before taking the test.”
Mahlum’s school, Miller Elementary, was one of
the schools that failed to reach NCLB requirements.
“Next year we’ll be initiating a before and afterschool
program that helps students prepare for the
test,” said Mahlum. “I fear, though, that it may just
be glorified babysitting if students are too tired from
a long day in school.”
The discussion continues in the next issue.
36 thecitymag.com