School Accountability

Re Brian Stecher’s Sept. 27 commentary on new state rewards for schools and teachers: Bonuses are just part of a long-term, multi-pronged reform effort that has already begun to turn around California’s schools. Schools and teachers will be rewarded each year they meet academic achievement goals. Students who achieve in the top 10% of their class in every high school will receive scholarships. Other financial incentives will direct extra help and better teachers to low-performing schools.

Under the School Site Employee Performance Bonus program, schools meeting goals and the schools’ employees will split rewards. For each employee of a qualifying school this will amount to around $750, not the $1,200 Stecher claims. This one-year program is made possible by California’s unprecedented budget surplus.

By inferring that teachers will ignore whole subject areas or reveal specific test items in order to earn rewards, Stecher does a disservice to the overwhelming majority of teachers who have their students’ best interests at heart. For the small number who may stray, the deterrent lies in a range of proven methods for spotting cheating.

This is the first year of an accountability system that will also be improved year to year as we move to include in the Academic Performance Index standards-based tests in a broader range of subjects. Meanwhile, the benefits of getting started far outweigh any imperfections in the early stages of such a major reform effort.

JOHN B. MOCKLER

Interim Secretary, Education

Sacramento