Alternative Compensation for Teachers

1. Alternative Compensation for Teachers John Brendza, Stone Creek Charter School Dale DeCesare, APA Consulting February 18, 2011

2. About Us • John Brendza • Former superintendent, Eagle County. • Current headmaster, Stone Creek Charter School. • Dale DeCesare • Augenblick, Palaich and Associates (APA). • Key focus areas: Teacher recruitment and retention, Alternative compensation, School finance, Program evaluation.

3. Review of Today’s Session • Why consider systemic reform initiatives for educators? • What is happening nationally? • Helping charter schools develop their own alternative compensation and accountability systems • Experience with Eagle County and Stone Creek Charter School • Colorado’s policy landscape and the emerging emphasis on student growth and teacher evaluation • Breakout discussion: What types of changes are charter leaders most interested in pursuing? • Discuss key concerns and questions.

4. Why Consider Systemic Reform? • National movement to standards based education and accountability. • Evolving understanding that compensation systems are not aligned with key goals. • Coming state-level push for schools to emphasize student growth and teacher evaluation.

5. Why Consider Systemic Reform? • To keep ahead of future changes in charter school legislation • To improve funding and sustainability opportunities • To improve the quality of teaching • This is the only thing we have control over ultimately • Improved staff development, coaching and evaluation • It holds us accountable for student learning • Alternative compensation offers financial incentives for staff • Helps administrators to identify poor teaching

6. What is happening nationally? • Literature review for CSI of alternative compensation in charter schools • Reviewed 3 traditional district alternative compensation plans • Reviewed 4 selected charter school alternative compensation plans

8. Charters in General • Many charters use salary schedules. • About a third of charters do not use a schedule at all. • Charters more likely to use differentiated base pay to attract applicants in high-demand subjects. • Greater use of non-financial incentives. • More likely to tie some part of pay to teacher performance.

9. Charters in General • Performance awards in charter schools typically:  • Use a one-time bonus or larger-than-average raise if teacher or school meet goals. • Range from between 5 -10% of base pay. • Are made to larger proportions of the school’s teachers than in traditional schools.

10. Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, Los Angeles • One of first conversion charters in nation in 1993. • Noted for alt comp program developed 1998. • Multiple goals: boost achievement, working conditions, retention. • Use non-financial incentives

11. Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, Los Angeles Key implementation of pay aspects : • Phased in system • Piloted with new teachers • Teacher input • Mix of pay incentives • Use of bonuses and stipends • Allow program to evolve over time.

12. Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, Los Angeles Key Components: • All staff performance bonus ($1,500 for meeting CA index goal) • Multiple Evaluations using common scoring rubric (can earn up to $14k). • Leadership roles (can earn $3-4k). • Attendance. • Other benefits. • Results .

13. Edward W. Brooke Charter School, Massachusetts • Alternative pay project began 2007-08 • Goals: • Raise achievement • Improve teacher recruitment and retention • Initial bonus components • For student achievement in subject area taught; • Teacher and principal bonuses for school-wide achievement ($5-10k); • Attendance. • Bonuses provided following school year.

14. Edward W. Brooke Charter School, Massachusetts • Now developing a teacher evaluation component • PD component also under development • Results: Too early to tell but teacher response positive.

15. Liberty Common School, Ft. Collins, CO • In 2002 began performance pay plan. • Traditional step system discarded. • Focus on teacher evaluation in five areas: • Content knowledge; • Instructional design; • Instructional delivery; • Classroom management; and • Supplemental responsibilities.

16. Liberty Common School, Ft. Collins,CO • Multiple reviewers • Multiple visits • Common rubric • Teachers placed in 5 performance bands to earn increases of 3-8% of base salary. • Amount can vary based on PPR school receives • Teachers can move up and down bands. • Now exploring student performance component.

17. The KIPP Delta College Preparatory School (DCPS) in Helena, Arkansas • School joined TAP program in 2006. • “Master” teachers earn pay boost of $8,000 or more. • “Mentor” teacher earn increase of $4,000 or more. • Individual teachers can earn $2,000.

18. The KIPP Delta College Preparatory School (DCPS) in Helena, Arkansas Key Components: • Multiple career paths • Professional growth • Teacher evaluation • Rubric • Multiple evaluations • Multiple evaluators • TAP also encourages programs to recognize leadership roles, hard to staff subjects.

19. The KIPP Delta College Preparatory School (DCPS) in Helena, Arkansas • Results: TAP evaluations claim positive results in: • Student performance • Teacher satisfaction • Reduced teacher turnover.

20. Conclusions from Literature • Charters can move quicker to innovate. • Phase in and pilot. Don’t try to do it all at once. • Teacher evaluation an important aspect of charter school alternative pay structures • Multiple evaluators • Multiple evaluations • Rubric-guided process

21. Conclusions from Literature • Use mix of pay and non-pay incentives tied to improved working conditions • Teacher involvement in planning systems • Clear role in effective district practice • Evidence of effectiveness in charters • Measuring performance: • Potential to integrate teacher-identified student growth measures. • Pros and cons of standardized test scores.

22. Helping Charters Implement Their Own Systems: Components to Think About • Measurement • Mandatory • Applicability • Accountability • School leader • Award type • Award size • Impact

23. School #1 Goals for Alternative Comp • Growing school adding new grade each year • Strong interest in developing teacher-leaders • Desire to enhance cohesiveness across grade levels • Teachers surveyed indicate strong interest in flexible professional development

24. School #1: Focus on Leadership

25. School #1 (Continued)

26. School #2 Goals for Alternative Comp • School leader interested in personalized “action research” driven by data • Interest in building stronger grade level teams • Student engagement a key concern.

27. School #2 PD & Student Engagement

28. School #2 PD & Student Engagement

29. School #2 PD & Student Engagement

30. School #2 PD & Student Engagement

31. Steps to Implementation • Budget planning • Staff review of plans • Potential for revisions • Use of pilot year • Revisit at end of year

32. Stone Creek: The challenges … • Have a clear understanding of your goals • It takes courage and dedication • Reform is systemic and comprehensive • Everyone is accountable • It requires • ongoing commitment • a willingness to take risks • it’s not easy • There will be casualties along the way

33. Stone Creek Expectations • The process had to be financially sustainable • All staff shares in the responsibility for student learning • The process and system is dynamic • It has to be fair

34. The Stone Creek Experience

35. The Stone Creek Experience: Additional Salary

36. The Stone Creek Experience: Other Benefits

37. The Colorado Policy Landscape • State policy emphasis evolving towards measurement of student growth. • Colorado student growth model • Colorado SB 191 • State Council on Educator Effectiveness • Charter school flexibility places them in strong position to reform compensation systems and working conditions.

38. The Colorado Policy Landscape • State Council for Educator Effectiveness recommendations likely to recommend that teacher performance be rated using CO student growth model plus at least one other growth measure. • School or district assessments • Student growth objectives • Student artifacts or portfolios.

39. The Colorado Policy Landscape • State Council for Educator Effectiveness recommendations also likely to recommend that teacher evaluations: • Be more intensive for teachers in their first two years or in first two years of new grade level or subject area responsibilities. • Be more intensive for experienced teachers rated as “ineffective.”

40. What types of changes are charter leaders most interested in pursuing?

41. What types of changes are charter leaders most interested in pursuing?

42. What types of changes are YOU most interested in pursuing? • Breakout group discussion • Groups report out • Discussion and questions.

43. Contact Information • John Brendza, School leader • 970-748-4535 • jbrendza@stonecreekschool.org • Dale DeCesare, APA Consulting • 720-227-0089 • dmd@apaconsulting.net