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Douglas County Schools
Colorado
A Strategic Approach to
Teacher Compensation &
Appraisal
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
Ê
Diverse committee (1993-94)
Ê
Completely separate from negotiations
Ê
Very, very slow
Ê
At times deliberate
Ê
Sometimes unplanned
5 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:
Professional Base Pay Knowledge Advanced Coursework and degrees Proficient Evaluation Evidence of proficiency in the classroom Outstanding Teacher
Must apply and provide evidence
Unsatisfactory Evaluation
Teachers with an unsatisfactory
evalua--tion will not be eligible for any salary increases Skills Acquired, applied and demonstrated skills that support the goals of the school district Master Teacher Total General Compensation Responsibility Pay
(District & Site-based)
Group Incentive Total Teacher Salary
+
=
Evaluation Credit7
Unsatisfactory
Ê Unsatisfactory in any single criterion Ê No evaluation credit or salary increase Ê Remediation program
Proficient
Ê Classroom performanceÊ Evaluation criteria based on job description
Ê Must be satisfactory in all criteria
Ê Increase in base salary
Outstanding
Ê Must be proficient
Ê Application process
Ê Additional criteria
Ê Proficient salary increase plus bonus
Four Program Options:
Ê
Type “A” - District Developed Criteria
Ê
Type “B” - Standards Based Instruction
Ê
Type “C” - National Board Applicants
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Type “D” - Student Achievement Growth
Decision by Principal*
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ÊAssessment & Instruction ÊContent & Pedagogy
ÊCollaboration & Partnership
National Board Standards
Major Areas of Emphasis:
ÊAdjustment of Instruction
ÊFeedback on Student Progress
ÊProfessional Collaboration
ÊRole of Assessments
ÊStudent Ownership and Understanding
ÊTiming of Assessments
Standards Based Instruction
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National Board Certification
Candidates may use the same
portfolio as for National Board
certification - with minor
modifications
Student Achievement Growth
Goals are Tied to:
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District Strategic Plan
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Feeder System Objectives
Ê
Building Objectives
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Skills must be:
Ê
Newly acquired, applied and
demonstrated
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Supportive of district’s strategic plan
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District/Teacher-selected
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Taught by highly skilled teachers
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Measured by authentic assessment
Ê Student Growth Ê National Board or Twice Outstanding Ê Two additional Ê Leadership/Expertise Ê Recognition Ê Creativity/Innovation
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Ê
PREVIOUSLY
Ê Special assignment pay
Ê Secondary school activities
Ê Elementary school activities
Ê
NEW CONCEPT
Ê Site-based responsibility pay - governed by the site
Ê 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
Work supported:
Ê PPIC - the umbrella group
Ê Group Incentive Board
Ê Outstanding Teacher
Ê Health Insurance Committee
Ê Skill Blocks Development
Ê Transfer Committee Ê Evaluation Committee Ê Professional Development Ê 21st Century Partnership
DETERMINING
FACTORS
Ê Number of meetings Ê Time of meetings Ê Difficulty of tasksÊ Time required outside meetings
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Purpose:
º
Reward teachers for outstanding student
performance -Tied to measurable gains in
student achievement
Â
Enhance collegiality
Â
Encourage positive school and community
relations
Process:
ºEstablish group
 Determine goal
 Determine measurement ( pre & post)
 Define activities, responsibilities & timeline
 Submit plan for approval
 Work the plan
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ºReading &writing skills
ºMathematics proficiency
ºConflict management/problem-solving skills
ºComputer/technology skills
ºIndividual learning plans
ºContent-specific vocabulary
ºMost are tied to building accountability plans
Sample Goals:
90% of Goals Ê General Salary $39,000 Ê Evaluation* (SG)* $ 1,188 Ê Knowledge** $ 1,000 Ê Outstanding Teacher (SG) $ 1,250 Ê Master Teacher (SG) $ 2,500 Ê Group Incentive (SG) $ 437 Ê Skill Block*** (CD) $ 425 Ê Site Responsibility*** $ 225 Ê District Responsibility*** $ 500 $46,525 General Pay Incentive Bonuses SG - Student Growth CD - Classroom Demonstration Average $81921
Douglas County Schools
Colorado
A Strategic Approach to
Teacher Appraisal
The Teacher Evaluation Pendulum
Input ?? Output Focusing on Achievement Alone Focusing on Teacher Behavior Alone 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
Student
Growth
Teacher
Appraisal
Teacher
Compensation
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²
Each site will have an action plan that is
linked to the strategic directions of student
achievement growth and effective use of
resources.
²
Individual appraisals will include the use
of data aligned with the strategic
directions of student achievement growth
and the building actions plans.
Ê Measurable increases in student performance as demonstrated on standardized tests & other district assessments (We must be very cautious with these results)
Ê Teachers are more able to qualify and quantify what they do
Ê Increased collaboration and focus on goals and student performance measures
Ê Entire system has increased knowledge of developing and using data
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Ê Greater buy-in by all constituencies because of increased input
Ê Observed increases in teacher skill level and changes in teacher behavior
Ê Greater focus on all aspects of teacher evaluation
Ê Program choice has increased the feeling of professionalism among teachers
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Enhanced public image and support
Ê Communication systems
Ê Ambiguity tolerance until “bugs” worked out
Ê Time and attention - lots of both!!!!!
Ê Implementation committee
Ê Payroll system modifications
Ê Ability to deal quickly with unforeseen issues
Ê Training
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Ê Additional funding required to launch program
Ê Cannot reward by “taking away”
Ê Some increases applied to base
Ê Some payments made in bonus format - easier to fund and to budget
Ê Do not set quotas!!!
Ê Prediction difficult until track record set
Ê Basic salaries must remain competitive in market
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
