Often times the debates over teaching quality tailspin into either/or propositions: Paying teachers for any year of experience and credential versus paying them for producing higher student achievement scores on once-a-year standardized tests. In Florida this debate is very hot. Education Policy Council Chair Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel has claimed that “We have so many great teachers in the state of Florida and we've got to find creative ways to reward them." Unfortunately the proposed legislation looks like many failed merit pay plans of the past – penalizing school districts that do not toss aside their current salary schedules and pay teachers for test score gains.....

On April 5, 2010, Barnett Berry testified before the Florida House Education Policy Council about a bill that proposes changes to teachers' contracts, including a performance pay measure that has drawn criticism for its narrow reliance on standardized tests as the sole measure of student achievement. You can read a news article about the hearing and view Barnett Berry's presentation slides.