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Douglas County Schools Douglas County Schools ColoradoColorado

A Strategic Approach toA Strategic Approach toTeacher Compensation & Teacher Compensation & AppraisalAppraisal

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Performance Pay is a comprehensive system that aligns teacher appraisal and compensation with the school district’s strategic goals.

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Positive relationship between the district and the teachers

Leadership and stability on Board of Education and in central office

Union leadership is collaborative, flexible, and believes in taking risks

A tremendous sense of TRUST

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Diverse committee (1993-94)Completely separate from negotiationsVery, very slowAt times deliberateSometimes unplannedOften surprising

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� supporting the district’s mission and core values� attracting, retaining and motivating the highest qualified

teachers while competing in the employment market� rewarding growth, development and skill and

knowledge acquisition� providing a degree of predictability and stability� ensuring teacher involvement in the development,

evaluation and reward process

Align Teacher Compensation and Appraisal with the District’s Strategic Goals by:

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ProfessionalBase Pay

KnowledgeAdvanced Courseworkand degreesProficient

EvaluationEvidence of

proficiency inthe classroom

Outstanding Teacher

Must apply andprovide evidence

UnsatisfactoryEvaluationTeachers with an

unsatisfactory evalua--tion will not be eligible for anysalary increases

SkillsAcquired,

applied and demonstrated

skills that support thegoals of the

school district

Master Teacher

TotalGeneral

Compensation

Responsibility Pay

(District & Site-based)

Group Incentive

TotalTeacherSalary

+

=

Evaluation Credit

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Unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory in any single criterion No evaluation credit or salary increase Remediation program

Proficient Classroom performance Evaluation criteria based on job

description Must be satisfactory in all

criteria Increase in base salary

Outstanding Must be proficient Application process Additional criteria Proficient salary increase plus

bonus

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Four Program Options:Type “A” - District Developed CriteriaType “B” - Standards Based InstructionType “C” - National Board ApplicantsType “D” - Student Achievement Growth

Decision by Principal*Decision by Principal*

*Type D decision is not currently being made by principals

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Assessment & InstructionContent & PedagogyCollaboration & Partnership

National Board Standards

Major Areas of Emphasis:

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Adjustment of Instruction Feedback on Student Progress Professional Collaboration Role of Assessments Student Ownership and Understanding Timing of Assessments

Standards Based Instruction

Major Areas of Emphasis:

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National Board Certification

Candidates may use the same portfolio as for National Board certification - with minor modifications

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Student Achievement Growth

Goals are Tied to:

District Strategic Plan Feeder System Objectives Building Objectives Content Standards

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Skills must be: Newly acquired, applied and

demonstrated Supportive of district’s strategic plan District/Teacher-selected Taught by highly skilled teachers Measured by authentic assessment

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Student Growth National Board or

Twice Outstanding Two additional

Leadership/Expertise Recognition Creativity/Innovation

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PREVIOUSLY Special assignment pay Secondary school activities Elementary school activities

NEW CONCEPT Site-based responsibility

pay - governed by the site District responsibility pay

Examples:Beyond the scope of the typical job

description

Committee work

Curriculum work

Ongoing commitments

Positively impacts/affects students

Mentor role for colleagues

Draws upon professional skills and knowledge

Additional responsibility during the school day

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Work supported: PPIC - the umbrella group Group Incentive Board Outstanding Teacher Health Insurance Committee Skill Blocks Development Transfer Committee Evaluation Committee Professional Development 21st Century Partnership

DETERMINING FACTORS

Number of meetings Time of meetings Difficulty of tasks Time required outside

meetings

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Purpose:

Reward teachers for outstanding student performance -Tied to measurable gains in student achievement

Enhance collegiality Encourage positive school and community

relations

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Process:

Establish group Determine goal Determine measurement ( pre & post) Define activities, responsibilities & timeline Submit plan for approval Work the plan Submit report & results

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Reading &writing skills Mathematics proficiency Conflict management/problem-solving skills Computer/technology skills Individual learning plans Content-specific vocabulary Most are tied to building accountability plans

Sample Goals:

90% of Goals

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General Salary $39,000 Evaluation* (SG)* $ 1,188 Knowledge** $ 1,000 Outstanding Teacher (SG) $ 1,250 Master Teacher (SG) $ 2,500 Group Incentive (SG) $ 437 Skill Block*** (CD) $ 425 Site Responsibility*** $ 225 District Responsibility*** $ 500

$46,525

GeneralPay

IncentiveBonuses

SG - Student GrowthCD - Classroom Demonstration

Average$819

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Douglas County Schools Douglas County Schools ColoradoColorado

A Strategic Approach toA Strategic Approach toTeacher AppraisalTeacher Appraisal

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The Teacher Evaluation Pendulum

Input

??

Output

Focusing on AchievementAlone

Focusing onTeacher BehaviorAlone

A Balance

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Achievement Growth

K 12 Aug. May

Achievement refers to what a student knows at a place in time

Teachers must feel they have a large causative effect on the results of whatever measurement is being used.

Growth refers to what a student has learned during a particular period of time

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Student Growth

Student Growth

Teacher AppraisalTeacher Appraisal

TeacherCompensation

TeacherCompensation

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Each site will have an action plan that is linked to the strategic directions of student achievement growth and effective use of resources.

Individual appraisals will include the use of data aligned with the strategic directions of student achievement growth and the building actions plans.

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Measurable increases in student performance as demonstrated on standardized tests & other district assessments (We must be very cautious with these results)

Teachers are more able to qualify and quantify what they do

Increased collaboration and focus on goals and student performance measures

Entire system has increased knowledge of developing and using data

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Greater buy-in by all constituencies because of increased input

Observed increases in teacher skill level and changes in teacher behavior

Greater focus on all aspects of teacher evaluation Program choice has increased the feeling of

professionalism among teachers

Enhanced public image and support

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Communication systems Ambiguity tolerance until “bugs” worked out Time and attention - lots of both!!!!! Implementation committee Payroll system modifications Ability to deal quickly with unforeseen issues Training Trust

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Additional funding required to launch program Cannot reward by “taking away” Some increases applied to base Some payments made in bonus format - easier to

fund and to budget Do not set quotas!!! Prediction difficult until track record set Basic salaries must remain competitive in market

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Ellen Bartlett, Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources

(303) 814-5253 Fax: (303) 814-5308

e-mail: ellen_bartlett@ceo.cudenver.edu Rob Weil, President

Douglas County Federation of Teachers

(303) 688-3381

e-mail: DCFT@aol.com