{"id":24024,"date":"2015-10-12T02:00:45","date_gmt":"2015-10-12T06:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/?p=24024"},"modified":"2015-10-12T10:06:33","modified_gmt":"2015-10-12T14:06:33","slug":"new-florida-teacher-bonus-program-draws-complaints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2015\/10\/12\/new-florida-teacher-bonus-program-draws-complaints\/","title":{"rendered":"New Florida Teacher Bonus Program Draws Complaints"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Miami<\/a>

John O'Connor \/ StateImpact Florida<\/p>

Miami teacher Brigette Kinney qualifies for a new state bonus program, but disagrees with the concept.<\/p><\/div>\n

In Brigette Kinney\u2019s design class at Ada Merritt K-8 center in Miami, one of the key concepts is editing and revising ideas after getting feedback.<\/p>\n

Her 8th<\/sup> graders created role-playing games based on books they read. And then adjust the games, after watching their classmates play.<\/p>\n

Kinney hopes Florida lawmakers will be as open to change as her students. <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel that legislators are out of touch with what it means to be a good teacher,\u201d she said.
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

Kinney was talking about the new program called the \u201cBest and Brightest Scholarships.\u201d It\u2019s not not actually a scholarship. It\u2019s bonuses for teachers based on how they did on the SATs and ACTs. And they could get as much as ten thousand dollars.<\/p>\n

To get the money, teachers need to have scored in the top twenty percent when they took the college placement exams. They also have to earn the state\u2019s top teacher rating \u2013 \u201chighly effective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawmakers in Tallahassee earmarked $44 million in the state budget for the bonuses.<\/p>\n

But to get them, many teachers have to track down scores they may not have seen since high school.<\/p>\n