St. Anthony-New Brighton district enters Q Comp
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 14, 2006
Contact: Joe McQuillen, Office: (651) 582-8756, Cell: (612) 845-0083
ST. ANTHONY-NEW BRIGHTON SCHOOL DISTRICT ENTERS Q COMP PROGRAM
~ Becomes the 26th district in the state to undertake professional development and achievement-based pay plan for teachers ~
St. Anthony – Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren announced today that the St. Anthony-New Brighton School District will implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. St. Anthony-New Brighton will be the 26th district in the state to opt into Q Comp, and will receive $443,300 in state aid for the 2006-07 school year for implementation efforts.
“The students, as well as the teachers, will benefit from the implementation of this plan,” said Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren. “The long-term advantages of the Q Comp program will be felt throughout the district.”
Last year, Governor Pawlenty proposed and the state legislature approved Minnesota’s Q Comp program. Q Comp provides up to $86 million for districts that join the program.
Q Comp is designed to advance the teaching profession by providing structured professional development and evaluation, as well as an alternative pay schedule that compensates teachers based on performance, not just seniority. The program brings together career advancement, professional development and compensation linked to academic achievement. It includes a locally agreed-upon peer evaluation process for every teacher that is based on skills, responsibilities and student academic growth. This plan is voluntary and will add an additional $260 per student in participating districts.
The Q Comp program gives participating school districts the flexibility to meet local needs within a comprehensive model of improved teaching and learning. St. Anthony-New Brighton’s district administration and teacher representatives have agreed to the following:
Career advancement opportunities for teachers: The career ladder includes 2 positions with various duties and compensations. These positions are:
• Observer/Coach Teacher- Provides professional development opportunities, models instructional strategies to support professional goals, provides peer observation of classrooms and instructional strategies related to Q Comp goals and collaborates with Q Comp coordinator to provide feedback to tenured teachers on Q Comp goals and individual teacher professional growth plans. Compensation of $1,200 and release time will be provided.
• Q Comp Coordinator- Provides leadership for the Q Comp program, collaborates with district administration, communicates with the Minnesota Department of Education, keeps records of all observations and evaluations and monitors mentoring system for probationary teachers. Compensation will be release time.
Job-embedded professional development: The district goal for student achievement is to be a high performing school district in mathematics. In order to achieve this goal all sites have set goals and measurable objectives based on disaggregated student data as follows:
• Wilshire Park Elementary School will improve student performance on computation skills by 2% as measured by Northwest Education Association Measure of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP) tests, Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) II and locally developed criterion referenced tests.
• St. Anthony Village Middle School will improve student performance in math by 2% based upon student growth rates on NWEA MAP tests and locally developed tests.
• St. Anthony Village High School will increase the percentage of students in higher levels of the MCA IIs by 2% so that 2% of the students performing at level I or II will increase their achievement score by one level and a minimum 65% of the students will be proficient on the MCA II mathematics assessment.
Performance pay: Teacher compensation will be based on the following factors:
1. A performance increment or $800 for 4 observations averaging at or above proficient on the adopted district framework for effective teaching assessment rubric.
2. $100 for individual classrooms showing gains that meet or exceed the site goals set in component 2, as shown through the individual professional development plans.
3. $100 for school-wide student achievement gains as defined by the goals and measurable objectives in component 2.
Objective and comprehensive teacher evaluation: All teachers will be formally observed four times per school year. The observations will be conducted by the observer coach and the building administration. The district’s framework for an effective teaching assessment rubric, which is based on the Charlotte Danielson model, will be used in the evaluations.
Alternative professional pay schedule: A teacher will be eligible for the performance increment when they have successfully completed four evaluations in which they have averaged proficient or higher. If the teacher was not successful they will remain on their current pay scale.
“Our system will allow our teaching staff the opportunity to work together in a professional collaborative model to meet our goal of increasing student achievement,” said St. Anthony-New Brighton Superintendent Rod Thompson. “I am proud of our staff for using this innovative change to make our district an even better place to educate our students.”
St. Anthony-New Brighton District’s 230 staff members serve 1,700 students in 3 schools.
Minneapolis, Hopkins, St. Francis, Mounds View, St. Cloud, Alexandria, Fridley, La Crescent-Hokah and Marshall started implementing the Q Comp program during the 2005-06 school year. Grand Meadow, Albert Lea, Alden-Conger, Brainerd, Wayzata, Eden Prairie, Red Rock Central, International Falls, Le Center, St. Louis Park, Osseo, Lac Qui Parle, North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale, Clearbrook-Gonvick, Proctor, Burnsville and St. Anthony-New Brighton school districts will begin implementing during the 2006-07 school year. Approximately 134 school districts have indicated to the Department of Education they are planning to submit an application for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years.
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