(From Katherine Billman, TODAY Assistant)
Should students receive a monetary reward for doing well on tests? Today on the show, we had two educators and psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow debating the incentive program that gives Texas high school students $100 for each Advanced Placement test they pass. WATCH VIDEO. The program aims to promote excellence in math and science and will soon be introduced in more states. Parents and teachers have sent us their e-mails to weigh in on the topic. Here’s what a few of them had to say:
I think it is absolutely ridiculous to pay kids for doing well on AP tests. This is so typical of American culture. Instead of raising self-disciplined kids who do well because they want to do well, and because it is expected of them, let's bribe them to do well instead! And people wonder why kids today think the world revolves around them... I have two kids ages 17 and 13. They are honor students because they want to do well. I will tell you their reward: At the end of the school year they get to pick their favorite restaurant and go out to eat with their parents!!
Sincerely,
Lisa Pollard
I agree with paying students to make better grades. My kids elementary school pays 4 th and 5 th grade for their grades on the year end testing. It does not matter if you make a low score you will get paid. Why not pay them? We as adults are paid by our employers to get more educated for the skills and field career we are in. When we are more skilled at something our pay increases. It does encourage the kids to do better in school.
Sincerely,
Michelle Kirby
Hello all - I was surprised to see a story about getting paid to pass AP tests. I have a son taking AP courses in Math and History. Next year, he will be taking AP Math, Science and Foreign Language too. We feel blessed with the opportunity to challenge him at this level. I disagree with the payment for passing AP exams because the internal boost from excelling in these classes and tests is just reward that lasts a lifetime. One idea would be to eliminate the current fee that we need to pay for our child to take the AP tests after completing the courses. This would encourage more kids to actually take the tests, wouldn’t it?
Terri
What incentives do you give your children for good grades? Is a reward system an effective way to promote math and science? Let us know what you think by sending us your comments.