Study Finds Merit Pay Does Not Raise Student Test Scores

A study released this week finds that merit pay for teachers does not raise student test scores.

Nearly 300 teachers in Nashville Tennessee volunteered for a three-year experiment conducted by The National Center on Performance Incentives at Vanderbilt University.    Half the teachers were eligible for cash bonuses of up 15,000 dollars a year if their students made progress on standardized tests. In the end, merit pay alone did not raise student test scores. 

John Yrichik, executive director of the Connecticut Education Association, says he’s not surprised. "The literature on merit pay or pay for performance shows that it has been a particularly vexed reform for a long time.  I think that this study will be, because of the size, the length and scientific rigor, perhaps more widely accepted."

In Connecticut, teachers do not get cash bonuses for improved test scores, but they can earn extra pay for extra job responsibilities. President Obama, however,  has encouraged performance pay for teachers. 

Again John Yrichik. " In a nutshell, I believe that President Obama is wrong.  I find it unfortunate because I think in other areas of education he has been very supportive, for example on securing additional funding to help districts through the financial crisis."

Yrchik says teachers benefit from professional development that helps improve their skills and knowledge. And that he says translates into improved student achievement.