Former FL Teacher of Year says he was once denied merit pay based on flawed data.

[madfloridian]

It was less than a month after he had been named Florida's Teacher of the year. This was the last time that Florida attempted merit pay for teachers, and the test was simply inadequate.

Good for him for speaking out. All teachers need to do so. What just happened to Florida's teachers will begin to happen in other states, trust me.

From the Orlando Sentinel blog:

Former FL teacher of year (Orange science teacher) joins chorus urging Crist to veto merit pay bill

On behalf of teachers across Florida I ask that you veto the teacher merit pay bill now coming to your desk. As the 2008 Department of Education Teacher of the Year, I travelled across the state, meeting and representing the students and teachers of Florida. Based upon letters and emails I have received over the last few weeks, I know the pulse of Florida’s teachers, both union and non-union.

I am not a member of the FEA. I am thirty one year, award winning teacher and I do not fear merit pay. But this bill is fatally flawed. At a time when districts are on the verge of economic collapse, 5% of next year’s budget will have to be devoted to creating new tests. Why? National results show marked gains in Florida’s student achievement, we have been recognized as having one of the largest groups of National Board Certified Teachers in the country, our drop out rate continues to fall, and we continue to make significant gains in AP high school testing. Teachers across our state have been working for the past few years without wage increases, we have seen a decreases in benefits and we continue to work for less than all but a handful of teachers in other states. Yet we have done so in good will working with our local school districts. To have a bill pushed through the Senate and House with little teacher input reeks foul and sends a message to all teacher in Florida, union and nonunion, that our efforts are not valued, our advanced degrees and training are worthless, and all of the hard work that has been spent trying to help children is unappreciated. Regardless of the intent, this is the reality of this bill.

This part is so important. It goes to the issue of how to determine a good teacher. One test given to the students will not do it, trust me...it will not.

Read what happened to this Teacher of the Year.

We are told that high performing teachers will have nothing to fear. But I remind you that in the last attempt at merit testing, the tests were so flawed that less than a month after being named Florida’s Teacher of the Year, I was denied merit based upon a test that your own Department of Education admitted was inadequate. Who will create these tests for exceptional education teachers, media specialists, pre-k teachers, curriculum resource teachers, guidance counselors, teachers of the profoundly challenged, second language teachers, and the hundreds of other positions that exist to meet the specific needs of our children. Despite the assertion that teachers will flock to Florida, they will not. The pot of money for education has not gotten larger, why come to a state that trails in base salary? Risk takers need not apply, unless you are really willing to bet your paycheck on it. And why should an award winning, Nationally Board Certified, highly educated person take a chance on Florida.

This is Jeb's hand stirring the pot. He is controlling things behind the scenes.

The hardest thing for me has been that he is right on board with the education agenda of President Obama.

Video:

Jeb Bush is delighted that Obama is taking on teachers' unions.

Jeb has been traveling the country talking about education. He has made it clear he is very happy with the way the new administration is pushing for more testing and for more charter schools. These were his goals also, and they were the goals of Newt Gingrich and other Republicans. They are seeing their dreams come true with Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education.

This is from Morning Joe.

He actually states how pleased he is to see this administration confronting one of their core constituencies, the teachers' unions. Harold Ford, who appears to be part of the panel on Morning Joe seems to agree with Jeb. He asked if Jeb approved of the goals which demand that unions "play by a different set of rules."

I would like to say that Jeb is speaking things that are not true. Trouble is, he is right. Duncan already set up confrontations with teachers' unions and states.

What just happened in Florida this week could mean the end of real public education in Florida. Teachers will be even more scripted than before, teaching to more tests than ever before.

True learning involves the whole child. It has depth, it is intangible. Real learning is part of the child, not something that be repeated in a rote manner on a multiple choice test.