Pay for Performance
This exploration was conducted with a Minneapolis School District that was considering implementing a "Pay for Performance" system. The exploration was conducted by a diverse group of stakeholders including administration, teachers, union reps, and parents. The complete exploration contains 12 complete "arcs," with 413 specific implications. Before the exploration, there was widespread opposition to the proposal from teachers and the union. After the exploration, they agreed to implement the plan.
Details of the Center
To provide incentives to encourage teachers to improve their knowledge and instructional skills in order to improve student learning.To recruit and retain highly qualified teachers, encourage highly qualified teachers to undertake challenging assignments, and support teachers' roles in improving students' educational achievement. Training to evaluate teacher performance. A restructured school day to develop integrated ongoing site-based professional development activities.Release time to develop an alternative pay system agreement. Teacher and staff training on using multiple data sources. To be eligible, the school/school district must have an educational improvement plan and an alternative teacher professional pay system agreement. Will need to flesh out how teachers can achieve career advancement and additional compensation; Will need to flesh out how the school district will provide teachers with career advancement options that allow teachers to retain primary roles in student instruction and facilitate site-focused professional development that helps other teachers improve their skills; Reform the "steps and lanes" salary schedule, prevent any teacher's compensation paid before implementing the pay system from being reduced as a result of participating in this system, and base at least 60 percent of any compensation increase on teacher performance using:
(1) schoolwide student achievement gains or locally selected standardized assessment outcomes, or both;
(2) measures of student achievement; and
(3) an objective evaluation program that includes:
(A) individual teacher evaluations aligned with the educational improvement plan and the staff development plan and;
(B) objective evaluations using multiple criteria conducted by a locally selected and periodically trained evaluation team that understands teaching and learning.
Provide integrated ongoing site-based professional development activities to improve instructional skills and learning that are aligned with student needs consistent with the staff development plan and led during the school day by trained teacher leaders such as master or mentor teachers.Allow any teacher in a participating school district, an alternative pay system to participate in that system without any quota or other limit.Encourage collaboration rather than competition among teachers.Report on the implementation and effectiveness of the alternative teacher professional pay system, particularly addressing each requirement and make annual recommendations by June 15 to their school boards.If the commissioner determines that a school district that receives alternative teacher compensation revenue is not complying with the requirements of this section, the commissioner may withhold funding from that participant. Before making the determination, the commissioner must notify the participant of any deficiencies and provide the participant an opportunity to comply.
(1) schoolwide student achievement gains or locally selected standardized assessment outcomes, or both;
(2) measures of student achievement; and
(3) an objective evaluation program that includes:
(A) individual teacher evaluations aligned with the educational improvement plan and the staff development plan and;
(B) objective evaluations using multiple criteria conducted by a locally selected and periodically trained evaluation team that understands teaching and learning.
Provide integrated ongoing site-based professional development activities to improve instructional skills and learning that are aligned with student needs consistent with the staff development plan and led during the school day by trained teacher leaders such as master or mentor teachers.Allow any teacher in a participating school district, an alternative pay system to participate in that system without any quota or other limit.Encourage collaboration rather than competition among teachers.Report on the implementation and effectiveness of the alternative teacher professional pay system, particularly addressing each requirement and make annual recommendations by June 15 to their school boards.If the commissioner determines that a school district that receives alternative teacher compensation revenue is not complying with the requirements of this section, the commissioner may withhold funding from that participant. Before making the determination, the commissioner must notify the participant of any deficiencies and provide the participant an opportunity to comply.