This topic contains 9 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by Julie Jumes 10 years, 10 months ago.
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Phase 2
Started by Richard Phillips
I love the idea of providing teachers bonuses for students performances on college readiness standards. My own district has experimented with this in some degree for secondary mathematics. My question is how do you set those standards and what teachers would be eligible? Would districts have local control with some basic state guidelines to follow or would there be a rubric developed by the state? The primary measures of college readiness is the TSI indicators, AP/IB tests, and other college entrance tests. These indicators would drastically limit which teachers were eligible. Could districts be given the authority to identify TSI standards and how they translate down through the grade levels and develop the bonus/incentive system that way?
You will need to login to join the discussion.9RepliesJulie Jumes, 11 years ago
We elect local school boards. The state certifies teachers. Why can’t we let districts dole out money given by the state for teacher bonuses? Maybe locally elected board members would be more inclined to listen to parents and value teachers parents value if Phase 2 parent choice went to course and teacher level, instead of school level. Technology and transparency makes that very doable.
Teachers like to teach courses they are good at teaching and in which they feel valued. If there is a demand, why not pay the superstar algebra I I teacher to teach that course (as much as possible) district wide? Maybe the district in which that scenario works chooses to use teacher bonus money to provide a vehicle for that teacher to travel? The money should be spent to retain good teachers. Parents know best who they are. Local Admin should know best how to retain them.
And, YES, use test scores from tests useful to students (ACT/SAT/AP/IB/CLEP/Skilled Trade Certification…) not tests created for the purpose of rewarding teachers which force pressure filled benchmark testing and waste student time and tax payer money.
Julie Jumes, 11 years ago
I don’t think the TSI test should be used for teacher bonus allocation. That test seems created for putting students in non – Credit remedial classes (more and more of them). If the goal is to have college bound and skilled trade students ready by high school graduation why would students need the TSI test to prove teachers worthy of a bonus? That test benefits community college budgets and further contributes to over a TRILLION dollars in student loan debt and over half in default:
Richard Phillips, 11 years ago
TSI indicators are more than just the TSI test. The TSI though does serve a purpose more than just sticking students in remedial courses. You have to remember that the typical student who takes the TSI test are those students who either did not score high enough on their SAT/ACT or have not taken it, so are not considered college ready. I teach those developmental courses part time at a local JUCO and the students in those classes are appropriately placed because they are oftentimes not ready for college algebra. It is as decent an indicator of college readiness as saying a 2200 on the TAKS (one of the old TSI indicators) was. You have to remember college and career ready is the goal for every student but it is not always the case.
Julie Jumes, 11 years ago
Yes, and I believe better indicators of college and career readiness are those tests that benefit students graduating high school “college and career ready” (ACT, SAT, AP, IB, CLEP, Skilled Trade Certification…) not the TSI test. The TSI test is to place students in classes to learn material they should have learned in high school. We are failing if students aren’t ready for either College Algebra or a skilled trade coming out of high school. Why would we reward districts for funneling students into a remedial system? Shall I start quoting statistics on how many of those remedial students go on to graduate and how much student loan debt they accrue (or grant money we pay in taxes) for Non – Credit classes? We are speaking of bonuses, right? If our goal is to enslave the next generation to the government then the TSI test should absolutely be used to reward teacher bonuses.
Richard Phillips, 11 years ago
I am not trying to argue but if a student passes the TSI test they do go directly to college algebra because they are college ready. Just because a student takes that test does not mean they are automatically not college ready. Many students choose to go to junior colleges because financially it is in there best interest or because they have chosen a career that does not require a four year degree. If a student has made that choice why would they take the SAT/ACT when it is not necessary and more expensive. As of right now students who also choose to enroll in duel credit may have to take the TSI test to qualify because currently there is no high school level state exam that is widely accepted as indicating college readiness. Why not use that then as an indicator of college and career readiness, which junior colleges do, for those students who choose the junior college or trade school pathway, unless you believe that even if they pass that test they are still not college ready. And if that is your argument what research are you using as your bases for that argument?
MC Lambeth, 11 years ago
Thanks Mr. Phillips! The bonuses would be paid directly to teachers for each passing score on an AP or IB exam that their students earn ($50 per passing score, up to $2,000, and an extra $500 for the first passing score to a teacher in a school rated D or F).
MC Lambeth
Policy, Texans for Greg AbbottRichard Phillips, 11 years ago
Thanks MC. I think that is a wonderful starting point and definitely a step in the right direction
I guess my next question would be how do you from a policy standpoint balance this type of bonus systems with districts (typically smaller ones in my experience) who make the decision to offer duel credit courses because they believe it is more practical for their students or do you? Is it possible that only awarding these bonuses for AP/IB tests make it more difficult for smaller districts, which may already have trouble recruiting because of their own budgets, to recruit the best teachers? Could this also create a teacher retention problem for smaller districts who do offer AP/IB courses that are within driving distances of larger districts that have more students participating in AP/IB programs?
Julie Jumes, 11 years ago
That’s a great point Richard. Why couldn’t the bonuses be tied to dual credit accrued also? If students are taking dual credit they are college/career ready and teachers have contributed to that.
Another point that was raised on a different thread was that AP courses are being redone to align with national standards and there seems to be increased regulation that students complete the entire curriculum instead of just doing well on the test. Will teachers that want bonuses tied to AP exams be required to teach common core?
Might CLEP/DSST/NYU Language/ other Credit by Exam (CBE) which can be taken anytime, and are not tied to national standards curriculum, be linked to teacher bonuses also? I read that some students didn’t take APs because some STAAR test dates conflicted with AP test dates. Other CBE could be scheduled around the required STAAR. Of course, if a student passed a CBE in a certain subject I am not sure why they would need the STAAR EOC in that subject?
Julie Jumes, 11 years ago
Oh yes, I forgot…forgive me, thinking too much about students again. There ARE Pearson quotas to meet.
