New Directions in Teacher Compensation

1. New Directions in Teacher Compensation First Annual National Conference on New Directions in Teacher Compensation and Performance Evaluation Sponsored by Consortium for Policy Research in Education Pew Charitable Trusts December 7, 2000 CPRE

2. Based on: Paying Teachers for What They Know and Do by Allan Odden and Carolyn Kelley Corwin Press, 1997 CPRE Research & State/Local Policy Changes Further information, research and cases: www.wcer.wisc.edu/cpre www.tqclearinghouse.org CPRE

3. Teacher Compensation Changes • The era of the traditional single salary schedule may be coming to an end • Multiple and varied innovations in teacher salary structures and levels all across the country CPRE

4. Examples of Innovation • Initiatives in numerous states and districts to raise teacher salary levels • Iowa, Nebraska, Arizona, South Carolina, Philadelphia and other urban districts • Pay for knowledge and skills • Cincinnati, Iowa, Vaughn Charter School, Douglas County (CO), Coventry (RI), Menomonee Falls and Manitowoc (WI), England and Victoria (Australia), and half the states and the 50+ districts that pay fiscal incentives for National Board Certification CPRE

5. Use of National Board Certification • Iowa, Ohio & Wisconsin: $2500 salary increase • Georgia: 5% salary increase • Mississippi: $6000 salary increase • North Carolina: 12% salary increase • Oklahoma: $5000 salary increase • South Carolina: $7500 salary increase • Districts: • Cincinnati, OH: additional $2500 • Broward County, FL: $2000 salary increase • Douglas County, CO: $1000 one time bonus • Los Angeles:15% salary increase • Long Beach: 10%+ cost of assessment & materials CPRE

6. Additional Examples of Change • School-based performance bonuses • Kentucky, North Carolina, California, Florida, Dallas, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Fairfax County, Memphis, Colonial (PA), Denver, A+ schools in Arizona, England • Proposed in Georgia, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, Philadelphia, Arkansas, • Higher salaries for teachers in shortage areas • Cincinnati, San Francisco • Incentives for teachers in high poverty or low performing schools • New York City, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Fairfax County CPRE

7. More Salary Structure Changes • Signing bonuses and moving expenses • Mississippi, Houston, Las Vegas • Housing supplements • Cincinnati, Silicon Valley • Full retirement benefits with districts being able to hire back: • South Carolina, Arizona, New Mexico CPRE

8. Even More Pay-Related Innovations • Differentiated staffing and differential pay via Milken Foundation Teacher Advancement Program • Florida, Arizona, South Carolina • New standards- and performance-based teacher evaluation systems that could be used for pay differentiation • Newport News, Reno, Coventry and dozens of other districts across the country CPRE

9. New Directions in Teacher Evaluations • Ability to conduct sound, valid and reliable performance evaluations: • National Board, INTASC and PRAXIS III • Use of National Board standards for evaluation • Montgomery County, MD • Use of INTASC adaptations for evaluation • Phoenix Union, Phoenix Elementary, Eden Prairie (MN) • Use of Danielson Framework • Newport News, Reno, dozens of other districts CPRE

10. Comments on Pay and Evaluation Innovations • Extensive – scope is breath taking • Greater variety than at any time in history • In the main, not merit pay • In most cases, have union and management support • Are vehicles for higher pay levels but not across the board CPRE

11. Adopted by public school systems, charter schools and private schools • When done well, can contribute to a stronger teaching profession • As will be shown, supports standards-based education reform • Matches similar fundamental pay changes in the private sector CPRE

12. For the evaluation approaches ... • Highly professional • Requires standards-based judgements of behavior to professional standards of practice • Sophisticated and dramatically improves typical evaluation practices • Generally includes peer assessors as well as management assessors CPRE

13. CPRE Approach to Compensation • As a strategy to accomplish the goals of standards-based education reform • As a strategy to enhance teaching as a profession • As a strategy to raise teacher salary levels CPRE

14. Standards Based Education Reform • To teach more (most) students to high levels requires: • Quality teachers • Whose instructional expertise is first rate • And who not only believe students can learn to high levels but know how to instruct them so they do CPRE

15. Professional Knowledge Base for Teaching Students to High Standards • How People Learn by John Bransford, Ann Brown and Rodney Cocking, National Academy Press, 1999 • Summarizes research from cognitive psychology on how students learn complex academic subject matter • Summarizes research on professional development for teachers to teach this way CPRE

16. A Knowledge & Skill Continuum • This and other research and practical knowledge must be organized into a knowledge and skills continuum, that expands and deepens over a teacher’s career CPRE

17. So, to accomplish all these goals ... • A state, its districts and the teaching profession must identify what teachers need to know and be able to do -- teaching standards -- to educate students to state performance standards • This expertise, which expands and deepens over time, must become the vision for pre-service preparation, new teacher induction, licensure, ongoing development, & teacher evaluation -- i.e., the education HR system must be overhauled • … including a redesigned compensation structure CPRE

18. Why teacher compensation? • The single salary schedule • Provides salaries to all teachers in a fair way, but • Is not strategically aligned with needed knowledge & skill continuum or education goal • Education units and degrees at best indirectly focused on desired teacher knowledge and skills • Does not have a student achievement results element • Not a good structure for salary increases re recruiting and retaining teachers CPRE

19. A More Strategic Teacher Compensation System • Knowledge and skills based pay • pay increases for demonstrated improvements in knowledge, skills and expertise needed to improve student achievement • School-based performance awards • bonuses for all faculty/staff in a school that meets pre-set performance improvement targets • Neither are individual merit pay • Salary benchmarks adequate to recruit & retain CPRE

20. What is Knowledge and Skills-Based Pay • Focused on individual teachers • Pay increases based on increased professional expertise, i.e., performance to teaching standards • Standards represent knowledge and skills needed to improve student performance • Usually the basis for permanent increases in base pay (instead of or in addition to years of experience and degrees and units) CPRE

21. What is Needed for Knowledge and Skills Based Pay • Identification of knowledge and skills, or teaching standards linked to student standards and teacher career stages • Assessments of knowledge and skills -- how to assess and who should do it • Linkage to a salary schedule • Related professional development and other system enablers CPRE

22. What is Needed for a Standards-Based Teacher Evaluation System • Explicit standards for what teachers should know and be able to do • An evaluation system that can identify the level of a teacher’s practice to the standards • Professional development that is linked to the level of a teacher’s performance (Everything except the link to salary!) CPRE

23. What Standards Do We Have? • Have: For performance-based teacherlicensure • standards: PRAXIS I, II, III & INTASC • Career teaching standards: ASCD Framework for Teaching written by Charlotte Danielson • Accomplished teaching standards: NBPTS • (Links licensure to evaluation standards) • Could use -- MA in license area, content • Could also use -- expertise for a school design CPRE

24. Adapt Current Teaching Standards • Adapt Teaching Standards to: • include a variety of discernable and measurable teaching practice levels • differentiate as much as possible by content area and student development level • provide examples of teacher behavior for both different standards and behavioral levels CPRE

25. The Performance Assessment Process • Create a solid performance assessment system so the almost year-long comprehensive review can occur periodically • Identify the evidence required for each standard • Develop clear rubrics for making assessment judgements from the evidence • Determine mix of classroom observations, videos of lessons, portfolios of standards-based instruction CPRE

26. Behavioral Levels of Performance 1. Beginning teacher -- entry level 2. Basic -- effective teaching and classroom management 3. Licensure -- “developing professional,” beginning content specific pedagogy 4. Proficient -- solid array of professional expertise including mastery of content specific pedagogy 5. Advanced -- assessment & instructional design 6. National Board Certified CPRE

27. Two Major Approaches to KSBP Plans • Redesign the entire salary schedule to include knowledge and skills as a core element that triggers major salary increases • Keep current steps and lanes structure and add knowledge and skill elements CPRE

28. Full KSBP Model CPRE

29. Additional Knowledge and Skills • For permanent pay increases: • License in a second subject • License in a shortage area -- mathematics, science, technology • Masters in area of license, or just content area • Expertise for a comprehensive school design • For one time payments, e.g. • computer software, district provided pd classes, • For leadership roles • lead teacher, curriculum council chair, peer assessor, school mentor/coach/instructional facilitator CPRE

30. Key Characteristics • Compensation structure reinforces state & district education reform goals and strategies • Advancement across categories depends on increased expertise -- better instruction • Salary is capped if professional expertise does not improve • Overlap of in-service, evaluation and license standards, assessments/evaluation and compensation • Linkage of compensation to teacher quality CPRE

31. Recommendations for Policy • Create a brand new teacher salary structure • adopt standards for new & beginning teachers, for career teachers & experienced, accomplished teachers • embed teacher licensure within the standards • link licensure, professional development, evaluation and compensation to the standards • adopt a teacher salary framework to allow the district to recruit and retain quality teachers CPRE

32. Why this broader approach? • Systemic & focuses on improving instruction -- the key to having all kids achieve to high standards • Addresses huge arena between beginning teachers (licensure) and National Board Certification • Integrates all elements of HR system -- pre-service, licensure, recruitment, selection, induction, development, evaluation and compensation -- around effective instruction • Improves teacher evaluation -- a huge plus • Including pay makes entire effort real and serious CPRE

33. And …... • This kind of a new salary structure is an attractive vehicle for raising overall teacher salary levels • This salary structure also could help recruit large numbers of new teachers -- it allows for quicker movement up the salary schedule and also offers higher salaries for the best teachers -- so is attractive to Generation Y CPRE

34. An Add-On Approach CPRE

35. School Based Performance Awards • School based • Student performance oriented • School goals are improvement in student performance, largely student achievement • Provide pay bonuses to all professional staff (and sometimes others) in schools that meet performance improvement targets CPRE

36. Creating a School Based Performance Award Program • Identify most valued results -- achievement • Measure results -- valid and reliable • Calculate change and make calculations fair • Set improvement targets • Determine types and levels of awards • Determine long term funding • Establish system enablers, including KSBP CPRE

37. Recommendations for Policy Initiatives -- SBPA • Design and implement a school-based performance award program using the state’s tests and assessments • Set performance improvement targets at 2-4 points a year; best is change to a standard • Provide 3-4 levels of awards, with the target award at the $2000-$3000 per teacher level -- one higher, and two lower -- and include classified staff as well, prorated CPRE