Merit pay based on test scores is a deeply flawed idea

It would be a dream scenario for any high school basketball coach- arriving at practice every day with an athletic front line, averaging six feet, nine inches tall (and able to handle the ball) and a backcourt consisting of a lightning-quick point guard who can penetrate and dish off or shoot, and a nothing-but-net three-point shooter.
And even better, all five players are battle-tested seniors with three years of varsity experience.
A coach could guide a team like that to the state championship.
After that, there might be a letdown. The next year’s squad is raw, inexperienced, and does not have anyone over six feet, four inches, and no natural point guard.
Naturally, no one with any intelligence would expect the coach to be able to top the previous year’s record.
That would be impossible...yet the same thing is expected of public school teachers in the United States every year.