Dive Brief:

• Florida has set aside $44 million in its 2015-16 budget to spend on bonuses for teachers who received a high SAT or ACT score.
• The program, known as Florida's Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship, was proposed earlier this year by state Rep. Erik Fresen (R-Miami).
• Teachers will have until October to submit their scores and must also receive high marks on the state's teacher evaluation system.

Dive Insight:

The news that Florida will be handing out bonuses based on tests most teachers took years, if not decades, ago has drawn criticism from education observers and reform critics. Some have called it just another instance of a mentality focused too heavily on high-stakes testing. Others have pointed out that there's little research to indicate that college entry exams are good predictors of teaching ability and that there is considerable evidence that they are a stronger reflection of economic background, family investment and a host of other factors that may not directly lead to good teaching.

Meanwhile, the state has slashed bonuses based on the well-regarded National Board Certification, a challenging program for teachers that has been found to be linked to more effective teaching. That move has prompted some educators to rethinkpursuing or renewing their board certification since it will not carry the same financial incentive.

Still, the move is also notable in the education landscape for giving teachers a bonus at all. Other states are fighting over stagnant wages and skimpy bonuses. In Washington, the state contribution to teacher salaries has remained virtually flat for six years. Similar fights are playing out across the country as teachers clamor for better pay, which stagnated in many states in the wake of the recession. In that light, Florida's move is unusual in rewarding teachers with pay bumps at all.

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