QUALITY COMPENSATION FOR TEACHERS OR “Q COMP” Minn. Stat. 122A Enacted by the Minnesota Legislature and Signed by Governor Tim Pawlenty Chas Anderson Patty DeJarlais August

History of Alternative Teacher Compensation in Minnesota Alternative teacher compensation grant program pilot passed in 2001 and started in $3.6 million per year allocated --Local design --Focused on alternative salary schedule and career ladders for teachers -Five school districts participated in the program

History of Alternative Teacher Compensation in Minnesota Governor Pawlenty took office in As a legislator and as House Majority Leader, he strongly supported alternative teacher compensation. The state had a $4.5 billion deficit in 2003 – alternative compensation proposal was put into planning stage. Governor directed the Department of Education to look at various models and take input from stakeholders. Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) was started in two school districts through a federal Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant. Governor Pawlenty proposed “Q Comp” in Q Comp passed in July 2005 during a special session of the Minnesota Legislature.

Q COMP COMPONENTS Component #1: Career Ladders or Career Advancement Options Component #2: Job-embedded Professional Development Component #3: Performance Pay Component #4: Teacher Evaluations and Observations Component #5: Alternative Salary Schedule

Component #1: Career Ladders or Career Advancement Options Language in state law: The alternative teacher professional pay system agreement must: (1) describe how teachers can achieve career advancement and additional compensation; (2) describe how the school district, intermediate school district, school site, or charter school will provide teachers with career advancement options that allow teachers to retain primary roles in student instruction and facilitate site-focused professional development that helps other teachers improve their skills; Additional language in state law: ….provide integrated ongoing site-based professional development activities to improve instructional skills and learning that are aligned with student needs…. led during the school day by trained teacher leaders such as master or mentor teachers;

Component #1: Implementation in Minneapolis Public Schools Each site’s Q-Comp goal supports the School Improvement Plan at the site, which in turn supports the District Improvement Agenda. Career Ladder Positions at each school include: Mentor Teacher Planning and implementing professional development for the staff using research- based strategies based on student need. Field-testing instructional strategies. Managing and supporting each teachers’ Individual Growth Plan (IGP). Classroom observations (evaluations)/conferencing. Demonstration teacher Co-planning and team-teaching lessons. Developing pre- and post-assessments. Coaching (peer, cognitive, and content). Leadership team participation.

Component #1 (continued) Instructional Coach Assisting with the planning and implementation of professional development for the staff using research-based strategies based on student need. Field-testing instructional strategies. Assisting with the support of each teachers’ Individual Growth Plan. Classroom observations (evaluations)/Conferencing. Demonstration teacher. Co-planning and team-teaching lessons. Coaching (peer, cognitive, and content). Leadership team participation.

Component #2: Site-based Professional Development Language in state law: ….provide integrated ongoing site-based professional development activities to improve instructional skills and learning that are aligned with student needs under section 122A.413, consistent with the staff development plan under section 122A.60 and led during the school day by trained teacher leaders such as master or mentor teachers;122A A.60

Component #2: Implementation in Minneapolis Public Schools Weekly job-embedded staff development is delivered via cluster meetings led by career ladder teachers (approximately 60 minutes per week during the teachers’ contract day). Cluster configurations are based on grade levels or content areas. Specialists are included in each cluster or meet separately. Mentors and Coaches field-test instructional strategies and bring student work to the cluster meeting (i.e., data driven). Through modeling, teachers are taught the new instructional strategy. Teachers are given time during cluster meetings to develop their own lessons using the strategy. Mentors and Coaches follow-up with each teacher to ensure the strategy is implemented via observations and coaching. After using the strategy, teachers bring student work to cluster meetings for analysis.

Component #2: Professional Development Tips Tips: Tightly align 2% staff development set aside (set aside is required by state law) Drive staff development plans to the site – high schools will look different from elementary schools, etc. Importance of hiring process with career ladder teachers Remember the specialists!

Component #3: Performance Pay Why performance pay? Attract and retain quality teachers – Beginning salaries perceived as too low. – Experienced teachers have cap on salary increases later in their career.

Component #3: Performance Pay How does it work? Individual evaluations School and student achievement gains (local assessment and/or state assessment – local option) Measures of student achievement

Component #3: Performance Pay Requirement for Q Comp Describe how at least 60 percent of teacher compensation increases aligns of teacher performance measures with student academic achievement using: (i) school wide student achievement gains under section 120B.35 or locally selected standardized assessment outcomes, or both; (ii) measures of student achievement; and 120B.35 (iii) an objective evaluation program that includes: (A) individual teacher evaluations aligned with the educational improvement plan under section 122A.413 and the staff development plan under section 122A.60; and (B) objective evaluations using multiple criteria conducted by a locally selected and periodically trained evaluation team that understands teaching and learning;122A A.60

Components #3: Implementation in Minneapolis Public Schools The 60 percent of teacher compensation as aligned with performance pay system will be divided equally as follows: (1) 50% based on professional growth or how much change in teacher practice and the effect on student achievement is documented by the TAP Instructional Standards Rubric (i.e., based on classroom observations/lesson evaluations). (2) 50% based on student achievement measures that include local standardized tests, teacher assessments, and school-wide student achievement as measured by the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs are used to determine AYP status).

Component #3: Performance Pay Tips Focus on systemic compensation changes and not individual teacher based. Try not to place too much performance pay compensation in one criteria or measurement. Use multiple data points. Embed as much of performance pay as possible. Local review of compensation system is important.

Component #4: Teacher Evaluations and Observations Goals: Improve teacher quality Identify areas of strength and have teacher share with colleagues Identify areas of need to design individual support and professional development Encourage collaboration and collegiality Reward professional growth-individually, by team, and by school.

Component #4: Teacher Evaluations and Observations Language in state law: ….individual teacher evaluations aligned with the educational improvement plan under section 122A.413 and the staff development plan under section 122A.60; and (B) objective evaluations using multiple criteria conducted by a locally selected and periodically trained evaluation team that understands teaching and learning;122A A.60

Component #4: What does the teacher evaluation look like in Minneapolis? Using the TAP Rubric, each teacher (including Mentors and Coaches) is observed at least three times per year. The TAP Rubric is tightly aligned with the Minnesota Standards of Effective Practice (based largely on the work of Charlotte Danielson). Each teacher is observed by an administrator, mentor, and coach (trained evaluators). The TAP Rubric includes three areas for observation and evaluation: Instruction, Designing & Planning, and Environment. Mentors, Coaches, and Classroom Teachers are also scored using a Responsibility Rubric. This rubric is weighted accordingly (based on the responsibilities of each career ladder position).

Component #4: Teacher Evaluation Tips Tips: Use multiple evaluations and observations. Watch and monitor for inter-rater reliability, including score inflation. One person should not control a teacher’s compensation – this needs to be a team to ensure inter-rater reliability. Evaluation rubric must be reasonable and focused on instruction. Make sure you have an appeals process in place. Remember the specialists! You may need to modify evaluation rubrics for specialists.

Component #5: Salary Schedule Historical Background Three phases of the development of teacher pay: Phase I: Lasted until roughly the 20 th century, teacher pay was negotiated between an individual teacher and school board. As districts grew and consolidated, this became a problematic process and unpopular with teachers due to favoritism. Phase II: Salary schedule included some merit pay components, and the pay differed based on grade levels, with high school teachers being paid more than elementary teachers. This lasted until 1920’s/pre-WW II. Phase III: The “single salary schedule” was accelerated around the WWII time period and pay was based on the level of experience and personal development through advanced education degrees and course credits, not by merit or grade level. The unification of the salary schedule was eventually embraced by NEA and AFT.

Component #5: Salary Schedule Types of Salary Schedules not based on “steps and lanes” (or “steps and columns”): Knowledge and skill based pay: Base pay progression that rewards teachers for developing and using skills required for achieving high performance standards. School-based Performance Award: Goal oriented incentive program that rewards teachers when goals regarding student performance are met or exceeded. Pay Competitiveness: Salary levels that are adequate to recruit and retain top talent, including higher salaries for teachers in license shortage areas or hard-to-staff schools. Q Comp allows districts to take the “best” in each of the three above and incorporate it.

Component #5: Alternative Salary Schedule Under the Q comp program, a school district will need to negotiate a new salary schedule that is not based exclusively and “reforms” the lockstep steps and lanes system. School district and teachers will need to design a new salary schedule. It is expected that no teacher would receive a pay cut under a new salary schedule – they would start from where they left off on steps and lanes.

Component #5: Salary Schedule Examples Minneapolis: Spring 2006: teachers in the bargaining unit voted to pass an alternative salary schedule by a margin of 2:1 Alternative salary schedule is based on obtaining Professional Growth Credits (PGCs). Teachers receive a set number of PGCs per year in order to receive a salary advancement. A teacher’s Skills, Knowledge, and Responsibility (SKR) score is obtained through the observation/evaluation process (scores range from 1 to 5). Each SKR score is multiplied by three to determine the number of PGCs received. School-wide student achievement gains are based on a number of Quality Performance Indicators (QPIs). QPI scores range from 1 to 5. Each QPI is equivalent to one PGC.

Minneapolis Salary Schedule (continued) Teachers are also rewarded based on the thoroughness of their Individual Growth Plan or IGP (scores range from 1 to 3 based on the TAP Rubric for scoring IGPs). Each IGP score is equivalent to one PGC. PGCs received from the SKR, QPI, and IGP are totaled, and teachers advance on the salary schedule if they meet the minimum requirement. Advanced degrees and educational course work are still recognized on the alternative salary schedule. We are still in the process of examining (negotiating) individual teacher classroom gains.

Application Process for Q Comp School districts and teachers will be given a formal review with the status of their Q Comp Proposal within 30 days of the Department’s receipt of the application. Districts and teachers then have 30 days to revise the application. State (Department of Education) has final approval of Q Comp application. Districts and teachers may enter into a four-year contract (instead of two year contract) under Q Comp. Districts and teachers may re-open master agreement for the sole purpose of Q Comp. (This effectively amended the Public Employees Labor Relations Act or PELRA)

Letters of Intent – Transition Year Q Comp law requires school districts and charter schools to plan for one year before submitting an application. How many school districts and charter schools stated their intent to submit a Q Comp plan for or school year? 134 School Districts (out of 343) 1 Intermediate District 1 School Within a School 40 Charter Schools (out of 120)

Approved and Pending Districts and Charter Schools for the and school years (as of June 28, 2006) school year: 9 school districts 3 charter schools school year: 14 school districts approved (total of 23 school districts approved) 2 charter schools approved (total of 4 charter schools approved) 18 school district applications pending 13 charter school applications pending Total if all are approved: 41 school districts, 17 charter schools or 181,242 students Note: 343 school districts and 120 charter schools or approximately 820,000 students in Minnesota

Q Comp Funding – FY 2007 or School Year $ million in FY 2007 for basic state aid as part of the general education funding formula. Funding is permanent to base budget as long as district, school site, or charter school operating the Q Comp program. THIS IS NOT A GRANT PROGRAM. Equal to approximately $260/student in aid the first year and $190/student aid and $70/student levy the second year. Levy equalized to $5,913 Adjusted Net Tax Capacity (ANTC) Board approved levy Categorical aid program and part of general education Districts must also use 2% staff development set aside (about $100/student).

Looking to the Future: Opportunities and Challenges in Q Comp Opportunities: Focus on teacher quality and effectiveness Teacher collaboration Professional development based on student needs Attract and retain quality teachers Challenges: Sustainability of funding Must be a transparent process for teachers and public Political threats

Department of Education Contact Information Q Comp Program Linda Trevorrow or Pat King or Chas Anderson or Q Comp Funding: Terri Yetter, Program Finance Specialist or Tom Melcher, Program Finance Director or WEBSITE: