Birch Grove Community School enters Q Comp
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
Contact: Joe McQuillen |
BIRCH GROVE COMMUNITY SCHOOL ENTERS Q COMP
~The 21st charter school enters professional development and achievement-based pay system~
Tofte – Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren announced today that Birch Grove Community School will implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school will receive $12,480 in total revenue for the 2007-08 school year for implementation.
“Birch Grove Community School is showing that schools of all sizes can benefit from Q Comp,” said Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. “Q Comp is a modern and professional way to pay teachers while allowing them to enhance and improve their skills, all of which leads to increased student achievement.”
In 2005, 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 up to 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. The Birch Grove administration and teacher representatives have agreed to the following:
Provide career ladders or career advancement opportunities for teachers: The career ladder includes three positions with various duties and compensations. These positions are:
• Q Comp Data Coordinator- Ensures testing and evaluation cycles happen efficiently; analyzes test data; shares results and instructional strategies with the staff; sees that staff are working toward the Q Comp goals; serves as a mentor/coach to teachers; oversees Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) and Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA II) testing; schedules meetings to analyze testing data after each NWEA testing period; schedules teacher evaluations and maintains records for evaluations and pre/post conferences; analyzes and writes future Q Comp goals; serves as contact person to MDE; attends MCA II and NWEA training; and coordinates yearly plans for core knowledge. A salary augmentation of $1,280 will be given as compensation.
• Administrative Teacher Liaison- Outside consultant hired to ensure a sound evaluation system; conducts three evaluations per teacher per year, including pre- and post-conferences with each; evaluates and works with the four teachers on staff at the school; and conducts pre- and post-conferences for each evaluation. Payment of $600 will be given as compensation.
• Learning Community Member- All teachers serve in this position. Participates in leading meetings about instructional strategies and research used in the classroom; serves as mentors/coaches for others; facilitates four, 90 minute staff meetings about instructional strategies that have been researched and used in the classroom throughout the year; and attends all learning community meetings and follow-up meetings. No additional compensation or release time will be provided.
Job-embedded professional development: In 2007-2008, the rate of students reaching growth targets on the NWEA reading assessment will be 50% or more of all students in kindergarten through fifth grade. In 2005-2006, 33% of the 12 students tested from fall to spring on the NWEA reading assessment reached growth target. These targets are determined individually for each student, based on fall test scores and the norming data from NWEA related to one year of growth.
Teachers will meet bi-weekly for one hour in a learning community. The Q Comp data coordinator schedules the meetings and teachers will facilitate at least four meetings a year.
During the first team meeting of the year, staff will identify instructional strategies to assist the students in reaching the goal. The team will then determine who is responsible for researching each strategy and informing the team when assigned to lead the team meeting.
Objective and comprehensive teacher evaluation: Each teacher at Birch Grove Community School will be observed and receive formative evaluations three times per year. The evaluation team will consist of the administrative teacher liaison and one of the other teachers. The administrative teacher liaison will conduct all three evaluations as a partner to one of the other three teachers in the school who will each conduct one evaluation of their peers. All formative evaluations will be based on direct classroom observations and will be scored using the Birch Grove Community School Teacher Evaluation Rubric. Teachers must achieve a rating of proficient or higher on two of the three evaluations to receive performance pay.
The administrative teacher liaison will communicate and check-in with teachers in case there is a need for ongoing training. If needed, the Q Comp data coordinator will schedule the training.
Teachers will have a pre-evaluation conference to help determine the areas observed and will reflect upon the lesson observed during the post-evaluation conference. The process will be scheduled and tracked by the Q Comp data coordinator. All post-conferences will occur within three days of the observation.
The administrative teacher liaison and observing teacher will review scores after each observation. If there is a large discrepancy, such as one observer finding the lesson to be at the basic level and the other finding the same lesson to be at the exemplary level, another teacher will be brought in as a third observer and will observe the teacher. If a teacher disagrees with the results of the evaluation he/she can request an additional evaluation that will be figured into the overall rating.
Performance pay: A teacher’s compensation will be based on the following factors:
• $611 (33.3%) for meeting the school-wide student goal set in component 2
• $611 (33.3%) for each class meeting the student achievement goal set in component 2
• $611 (33.3%) for receiving proficient or higher ratings on at least two teacher evaluations, upon completion of three evaluations
Alternative professional pay schedule: The Q Comp data coordinator will earn half of his/her salary augmentation after each of his/her evaluations with the co-directors. This position is also a full-time teacher at the school and will be eligible for the performance pay awards outlined in the previous component in the same manner as the other teachers in the school.
The administrative teacher liaison receives one-third of the salary augmentation upon completion of each evaluation cycle.
Performance pay will be paid as one-time money once goals have been met. To earn this increase and salary and renew a contract each teacher must meet all performance pay goals each year.
"We are confident the Q Comp program will enable our teachers to enhance their skills,” said Birch Grove Co-directors Lisa M. Hoff and Diane Blanchette. “It will also provide valuable professional development opportunities for the staff."
Birch Grove Community School is a K-5 charter school.
Birch Grove is the twenty first-charter school to be approved for the Q Comp program behind: Seven Hills Classical Academy ● Academy for Science and Agriculture ● HOPE Community Academy ● Lakes International Language Academy ● Crosslake Community School ● New Visions School ● TRIO Wolf Creek Charter School ● Emily Charter ● El Colegio Charter School ● STRIDE Academy ● Minnesota Transitions Charter Schools ● Oh Day Aki Charter ● Northfield School of Art and Technology (ARTech) ● Beacon Academy ● Duluth Public Schools Academy ● Sojourner Truth Academy ● Ridgeway Charter School ● E.C.H.O Charter School ● Hmong Academy ● Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy
The following districts have been approved for Q Comp during the 2007-08 school year.
Princeton ● Rosemount-Eagan-Apple Valley ● Roseville (three sites) ● Orono ● Forest Lake ● Minneapolis (various sites) ● Brooklyn Center
School districts that began implementing the Q Comp program during the 2006-07 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 ● St. Anthony-New Brighton ● Minnetonka ● Delano ● Centennial ● Pine River ● Brandon ● South Washington County ● South Saint Paul ● Farmington ● Roseville (various sites) ● Minneapolis (various sites)
School districts that started implementing the Q Comp program during the 2005-06 school year. Minneapolis (various sites) ● Hopkins ● St. Francis ● Mounds View ● St. Cloud ● Fridley ● La Crescent-Hokah ● Marshall
Several districts have indicated they are planning to submit Q Comp applications.
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