Labor’s cash bonuses for schools and teachers will be determined in part by improvements in test scores. There is little evidence that such schemes increase student achievement, but they are likely further harm education. The plan also glosses over the difficulty of reliably and accurately measuring the effect teachers and schools have on the learning growth of students.
The following is a slightly edited version of a submission made last year by the renowned US academic, Professor Helen Ladd, to the US education department criticising President Obama’s plan to require states to use test scores to evaluate the performance of teachers and principals. Continue reading “Lessons from the US for Labor’s Cash Bonuses for Teachers and Schools”