Educators consider merit pay plans

While the words “merit pay” drew hisses and boos at a recent teachers’ union convention, educators are endorsing contracts that pay bonuses for boosting students’ test scores. The 2002 No Child Left Behind law has placed a greater emphasis on using objective data in schools. The law requires annual math and reading tests. The scores of students in certain grades are compared year to year. Some lawmakers want to change the law, which is up for renewal, to encourage schools to measure individual student progress over time instead of using snapshot comparisons of certain grade levels. Once schools track that, they could look at which teachers consistently are moving students along. Read more of this article from USA Today.