Reply #2: Teachers are evaluated by their principals

[Peregrine]

their supervisor just like most people. Not too many people are evaluated by performance of others on tests that have little effect on them. In FL, students must pass FCAT reading in 3rd and 10th (or before they graduate). At no other time does a student have to pass reading and they never have to pass math or science. And students start to realize this.

I am part of the FL merit pay program (which will be next to nothing this year). I am scored on how well my students do on the math FCAT (I teach science, and FCAT science is in 5th and 8th grade only), evaluation by my principal, and evaluations done twice a year based on Marzano's teacher factors. Last year I got a merit bonus ($1600).

I don't like merit pay for teachers. Merit pay doesn't guarantee that good teachers will be rewarded and bad teachers won't. You'd be surprised at how many bad teachers get merit pay. And whether a teacher gets merit pay should not be based on whether he or she teaches evolution or GLBT rights.