The Contract in Context

1. Continuing the Partnership: Implementing the Landmark Contract Negotiated by the Baltimore Teachers Union and City Schools

2. The Contract in Context • With foundations for reforming the district in place, City Schools’ focus is on ensuring excellent teaching and learning in all classrooms so that all students can achieve at their potential. • As City Schools began building the instructional framework and professional development systems to support excellent teaching and learning, a new teacher contract was negotiated and ratified. • The three-year contract, now at its mid-way point, directly reflects a shared commitment—across the district—to excellence in every classroom.

3. Continuing the Partnership: Outline • The partnership: Recap • The vision • Key contract principles • Governance • Compensation • School-based options • Evaluation • Implementation challenges

4. Key Elements of the Contract • Baltimore City’s teacher contract: • Recognizes the essential role of teachers in school reform • Stresses the role of the teacher in student achievement and school improvement • Provides rewards and incentives to attract and retain the best teachers • Creates a culture of collaboration and shared leadership

5. Negotiating and Ratifying the Contract • Contract negotiations were marked by collaboration and teacher input • Teacher surveys were key part of initial research • Teaching and Learning Office was a content lead; principals and teachers were on negotiating team • Expectations and ground rules were set jointly by BTU and district • Communication with and listening to teachers were critical • Town hall meetings, focus groups, flyers, brochures, press conferences • Survey teachers to reveal misconceptions • Promote contract advantages • Train leaders to speak on contract

6. Ongoing Commitment to Success of Contract

7. Continuing the Partnership: Outline • The partnership: Recap • The vision • Key contract components • Governance • Compensation • School-based options • Evaluation • Implementation challenges

8. A Vision for Baltimore City Teachers • Ensuring that all students can achieve at their potential requires attracting, retaining and developing the best teachers by… Attracting Retaining Developing

9. The Right Time • Correlation between teacher compensation and school or student outcomes • Race to the Top • At the time of contract negotiation, Baltimore City teacher salaries lowest in the State of Maryland • No teacher salary increases in 2 years

10. Continuing the Partnership: Outline • The partnership: Recap • The vision • Key contract components • Governance • Compensation • School-based options • Evaluation • Implementation challenges

11. Governance and Shared Leadership 5 members of City Schools’ administration and 5 BTU/AFT executives • 8 high-performing teachers • 4 appointed by BTU • 4 appointed by City Schools • 1 City Schools staff member

12. Continuing the Partnership: Outline • The partnership: Recap • The vision • Key contract components • Governance • Compensation • School-based options • Evaluation • Implementation challenges

13. Leveraging Contract to Retain Great Teachers • “Years of service” increases are replaced with “earn as you grow” model • Increases and career advancement based on graduate degrees are replaced with advancement based on demonstrated effectiveness As a result of contract, City Schools moves from the bottom quartile to the top quartile for teacher compensation in Maryland New Model Potential to reach $92K in 5 years Old Model 21 years to reach $76K

14. Pathways to Professional, Financial Advancement These pathways… • Reward and recognize teachers excelling in their field based on student outcomes and practice • Engage rigorous, standards-based peer-review process to drive career advancement • Allow for optional, self-initiated participation • Elevate successful candidates Lead Pathway ($92,916 - $99,316) Serve as lead academic teacher at a school; collaborate with principal to improve academic performance Model Pathway ($85,337 - $105,079)* Serve as model of excellence; play a leadership role; create professional development opportunities Professional Pathway ($58,434 - $95,222)* Focus on classroom success; active in school-based roles Standard Pathway ($46,773 - $60,563)* Focus on instruction; professional development * Based on 2011-12 Salary schedule. Range includes 12-month positions.

15. Movement within Pathways • Teachers move within a pathway as they accrue Achievement Units (AUs) • Teachers earn AUs as they demonstrate improvement in their practice and leadership in their profession through: • Strong evaluations • Completion of Professional Development activities that result in student achievement • Other professional activities that lead to student achievement

16. Professional Development for Effective Teaching • City Schools invests in the growth of its teachers by offering high-quality opportunities for professional development • Standards-based PD opportunities are offered and systematically tracked through a Professional Growth System • Within the Professional Growth System (as of May 2012): • There are 47 AU-approved courses available for registration • There are 74 Non-AU trainings available for registration • As of April 2012, 509 Professional Development AUs have been awarded • Currently, 1,500 AUs are pending course completion and award

17. Current Distribution across Pathways • In May 2012, 100 teachers successfully completed the peer review process to move from the Professional to the Model pathway. *By virtue of the position, the BTU president holds the Lead teacher designation while in office. The process for lead teacher selection will be announced in 2012-13.

18. Continuing the Partnership: Outline • The partnership: Recap • The vision • Key contract components • Governance • Compensation • School-based options • Evaluation • Implementation challenges

19. Positioning Schools to Meet Unique Needs • Schools can vote to modify “Teacher Hours Working Conditions” (Article VII within the contract), including • School year • School week • School day • Available prep time Example: A school may submit a waiver to use a district-identified PD day as an instructional day, and schedule 7 hours of PD at another time (e.g., after school, before the school year, on a Saturday) • 35 schools have submitted proposals for 2012-13

20. Positioning Schools to Meet Unique Needs

21. Continuing the Partnership: Outline • The partnership: Recap • The vision • Key contract components • Governance • Compensation • School-based options • Evaluation • Implementation challenges

22. State Requirements for Teacher Evaluations • Possible Measures at City Schools • Formal observations using the instructional framework • Professional responsibilities • Student perception surveys

23. Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness: A District Pilot • In 2011-12, City Schools launched a pilot with select schools to explore possible components of a new teacher evaluation • 8 schools participated, representing elementary, elementary/middle, middle and high schools; traditional and charter schools; and schools with significant ELL student populations • All teachers at each pilot school—a total of 309—participated (approximately 54 percent teach in non-tested content areas) • All schools were invited to participate

24. Instructional Framework: The Starting Point City Schools recognizes that all teacher evaluation and support must be rooted in a model of what effective teaching looks like. At the heart of its work to ensure excellent teaching and learning in every classroom is its Instructional Framework.

25. Components of the Evaluation Pilot The components included as part of this year’s teacher evaluation pilot are: • Instructional Framework • This defines high-quality teaching and provides teachers with guidance on how to improve • Value-added model • This looks at individual student achievement over time and measures the effect a teacher has on a student, based on that student’s growth from year to year • Student surveys • Research shows that student perceptions are a reliable measure of teacher effectiveness • Professional responsibilities • These assess teachers on non-instructional functions, distinguished from those in the Instructional Framework

26. Value-Added Model Value-added =the teacher’s contribution to his/her student’s growth. The model calculates a predicted test score based primarily on the previous two standardized test scores. The student’s predicted test score is compared to the student’s actual test score (i.e. this year’s score). The difference between the predicted score and the actual test score is the teacher’s value-added. Model controls for factors (or variables) impacting student performance (e.g., mobility, free or reduced-price lunch, special education, attendance). Variables were identified with input from many teacher focus groups and the JGP.

27. Evaluation Next Steps

28. Continuing the Partnership: Outline • The partnership: Recap • The vision • Key contract components • Governance • Compensation • School-based options • Evaluation • Implementation challenges

29. Implementation Challenges Implementation of the contract has come with challenges: • Developing and communicating reasonable timelines without benchmarks • Ensuring the right standards—rigorous but fair • Gaining consensus on policies among 10 people (JOC) • Revisiting and revising policies once data are available • Ongoing communication of complexities, successes and challenges with all stakeholder groups • Undoing misconceptions about the contract motives and subsequent policies

30. Lessons Learned & Looking Ahead Lessons learned in the first half of implementation: • Need to ensure a deliberate and ongoing communications strategy for the life of the contract • Need to adjust timelines early, communicate changes often • Need to be willing collectively to revisit policy decisions and compromise to ensure interests are represented fairly Looking ahead to the remainder of implementation: • Communicate successes—awarding of AUs, Model teachers • Communicate timelines for remaining deliverables • Prepare for the next contract

31. Contact Information Neil Duke Chair, Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners nduke@bcps.k12.md.us Andrés A. Alonso, Ed.D. CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools aalonso@bcps.k12.md.us Marietta English President, Baltimore Teachers Union menglish@baltu.org