The Citrus County School District is using a recently-approved program in which its teachers' test scores will be scrutinized.
Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, introduced legislation in which teachers must have scored in the top 20th percentile on the ACT and/or SAT and be rated "highly effective" in order to be eligible for a bonus that could be as high as $10,000.
The measure, called Florida's Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship, is part of $44 million put aside for teacher bonuses during the last budget session.
Citrus County School Superintendent Sandra Himmel has said she is not necessarily a fan of the program.
Still, Citrus teachers are being told they have until Oct. 1 to apply through their schools' principals, according to partner newspaper the Citrus County Chronicle.
Teachers who have never taken the test — or don't remember how they did on the test — have until Sept. 12 to take the test, and until Oct. 1 to submit their scores to the school district if they want to be considered for the bonus. Teachers have an option to retake the test if they do not like a previous score.
Himmel, meanwhile, said the program takes a decades-old test into account, which is not a valid measurement of a teacher’s acumen.