SAN DIEGO -- U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, spoke Thursday at the National Education Association annual convention, suggesting teacher pay should be linked to student achievement, 10News reported.

Speaking to the NEA at the San Diego Convention Center, Duncan challenged the union to reevaluate some of its policies on compensating teachers and offering them job protection.

"Test scores alone should never drive evaluation, compensation or tenure decisions," Duncan said. "That would never make sense. But to remove student achievement entirely from evaluation is illogical and indefensible."

Duncan also asked the union to bargain for contracts that change rules creating a single salary schedule, offering seniority benefits and protecting ineffective teachers who have tenure.

Duncan also encouraged the union to include student achievement when evaluating teachers and deciding their compensation.

"I ask you to join President Obama and me in a new commitment to results that recognizes and rewards success in the classroom and is rooted in our common obligation to children," Duncan said.

Duncan praised the NEA for its work to improve teacher quality in its advocacy for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and other professional development programs noting that more than a thousand teachers earned certification from the national board during his seven years as CEO of Chicago public schools.