GRE Issue Essay Evaluation - Please rate my essay

[thorne]

Topic:

Teachers' salaries should be based on their students' academic performance.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.

Essay:

It is easy to make the analogy that as sales reprentatitives are compensated by their sales records, teachers should be compensated by their students’ academic performance. However, there are many nuances that make such a claim untenable. An academic performance based compensation scheme, while not without merit, could lead to many undesirable consequences and, therefore, should be implemented with careful precautions, ensuring that the objectives of the education system can be fulfilled.

While one would argue that a performance based compensation could incentivize teachers to improve their students’ academic performance, many questions, which are vital to the argument’s validity, need to be addressed. First, how would one define and measure academic performance? One direct way to do so is through test scores. Indeed, test scores do correlate with income, which is essential to students’ future. Nevertheless, one must not avoid the hypothetical situation in which teachers put all of their effort into test preparation, ignoring pyschological development and interpersonal and social skills. Studies do show that a successful career hinges not just on one’s academic performance, but also his or her emotional intelligence, which measures how one can deal with the society. By focusing only on academic performance, the proposed compensation scheme incentivizes teachers not just to raise test scores, but also to ignore qualities that are quintessential to the future success of their students. Since using academic performance as the only standard for compensation induces pervert incentives, the proponent of such proposal should better define and expand the scope of performance, instead of limiting it just to academic.

The measurement issue leads to another question: What if the measurement or metric used could be improved by unintended means? For example, the No Child Left Behind Act meant to reward teachers by their student’s test scores, equating test scores with academic performance and even future success. However, they did not consider the possibility that test scores could be improved through other means, such as cheating. Compared to sincere and assiduous hard work, cheating is much easier for a salary boost. Indeed, there is evidence that teachers did help students cheat on tests. Therefore, such a proposed scheme, if implemented, must find a metric that measures what the scheme intends to enhance.

Lastly, this proposal, while recognizing the responsibility of the teachers, neglects the responsibility of the students. Education is a mutual effort. While one could argue that teachers should share a greater burden because of both their vocation and maturity, students are also one of the variables that play in the equation. The proposal cannot effectively separate the effect of the teachers from the effect of the students, thus unfairly penalizing the teacher if the student were to blame. This could lead to greater inequality among students, as teachers tend to flee to good schools and those who cannot would pursue other jobs. The end result would be such that good students would retain good teachers and bad students would bad teachers who would have been better if those who left decided to stay. This proposal needs to balance the share of burden.

While there is merit in the performance based compensation scheme, one must not forget its risks and potential harm. If it were to be implemented, policymakers need to define what it is supposed to measure and make sure that it actually reflects such. Furthermore, it needs to strike a fair balance in the share of responsibility. Yes, it would be unfair to compensate good and bad teachers equally, but it would also be unfair and detrimental if the burden is not shared equally.

[thorne]

Can someone please offer their two cents? It would be tremendously helpful. Thanks!