I don’t even know how to respond to this piece in the NY Times today:

A Plan to Pay for Top Scores on Some Tests Gains Ground

I read this article with only one thought — "Really? Is this where we are? Really?!?"

Sure, there are parents who have given cash for grades for as long as there has been cash and grades, but is this what we want in our schools?

There’s no question — no matter how student-centered and engaging our classes are, there will be some classes that kids don’t get excited for. And I’ve yet to meet the student who gets really excited about high-stakes tests. But is this really our answer? Does anyone think that paying kids for their performance is a good idea? Will this do anything other than make these tests more important? Will this somehow make for better learning?

Is this how bankrupt NCLB is… and therefore how bankrupt our education system is becoming that anyone would think — for even a moment — that creating an apparatus to pay students for their test scores is a good idea?