And if a third grader moves to Belle Plaine (or Des Moines or Davenport) from Sioux City or Keokuk or anywhere in between, she and her parents can be assured that she will have learned the same skills as her peers.
States score a significant portion of Race to the Top points by opening up charter schools and pegging teacher pay to student performance—two features that are common in New York and D.C., but are virtually nonexistent in Iowa.
I totally disagree with paying teachers based on how well their students do on a specific test. As a special education teacher, I would never get a pay raise. There is a reason that my students are in special education. They either do not test well or they have difficulties with reading and passing the tests.