Gov. Mitch Daniels says he wants to measure student growth as teachers are evaluated and "not absolutes."
He said teachers can't control who enters their classroom, so it's not enough to simply measure how many students pass a standardized test.
"They may have done a great job," Daniels said of the teachers, "but they might not have looked too good."
Instead, the governor said students should be measured from the beginning to the end of each school year.
"Wherever they started, did they grow at least a year or more?" Daniels said. "And the teachers who are doing that on a consistent basis, we say, ought to be the most recognized and rewarded."
Education reform was one of several topics the governor addressed while visiting with the Post-Tribune's editorial board Thursday.
Local lawmakers have complained about his support for teacher merit pay. They've said he doesn't understand real challenges faced by public school teachers, especially in challenging environments.
But Daniels said teachers who are performing well in difficult settings are "the most important ones we have."
"We don't treat them any differently from the worst teacher around," Daniels said of the current system.
The governor also reaffirmed his position that, even though Indiana's lack of a right-to-work law holds the state back, the issue isn't urgent enough to be tackled this year.
"I don't want to see it in this General Assembly," Daniels said.
He said a right-to-work law should have been part of last year's campaign if lawmakers wanted to pass it this year. He also said the issue could disrupt progress he'd like to make on other fronts.
The Indiana House of Representatives' first work day was marred this year when, less than 10 minutes into session, a fight broke out over a right-to-work bill.
"It's a very worthy thing to debate, but that's the whole point," Daniels said. "It hasn't happened yet."
He said a proposed fix to the unemployment insurance system wouldn't change Indiana's ranking among other states, even though it'll probably include a premium increase for businesses.
"Increasing it some doesn't really move the needle," Daniels said. "And we've checked."
Finally, he said he has no objection to a proposal by Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, to study whether Indiana should legalize marijuana.
"I might not favor such a thing," he said, "but I wouldn't take it on myself to tell the legislature they couldn't examine a question."