Pennsylvania Joins the List of States Facing a School Cheating Scandal

Humans are so damn predictable. When people are financially rewarded or punished based predominately on standardized test results, the inevitable result is cheating. Why? The objective and purpose for excellence in schooling is forgotten in a culture that lives and dies by a competitive process which has become disconnected from its actual impact on society.

I don't oppose merit based pay in the school system. I do, however, oppose the idea that we can evaluate a teacher's merits based upon standardized test results. At least, no standardized test I've ever seen.

Dr. Herzberg's two-factor theory addresses the reality of hygiene needs and their role in performance motivation. According to Herzberg, salary and wages are hygiene factors. Hygiene here refers to the idea that the lack of the factor causes dissatisfaction, but the presence of such a factor does not lead to sustained satisfaction or motivation.

It seems to me the school boards and legislators have substituted standardized testing in place of actual leadership and meaningful recognition in the workplace.