Paideia Academy enters Q Comp
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
Contact: Joe McQuillen |
PAIDEIA ACADEMY ENTERS Q COMP
~The 22nd charter school enters professional development and achievement-based pay system~
Apple Valley– Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren announced today that Paideia Academy will implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school will receive $88,140 in total revenue for the 2008-09 school year for implementation.
“We welcome Paideia Academy into this nation-leading education reform initiative,” Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said. “Q Comp provides a modern and professional compensation system, as well as the opportunity for teachers to enhance and improve their skills, which can lead 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 Paideia Academy administration and teacher representatives have agreed to the following:
Provide career ladders or career advancement opportunities for teachers: The career ladder includes four positions with various duties and compensations. These positions are:
• Academy Lead Teacher- Serves on the Academy Review Team (ART); field-tests instructional strategies and curriculum; evaluates all team teachers; leads a PLC group; mentors team members; and assists in development of a Personal Development Plan (PDP) for team members. Three days of professional development and a $2,000 salary augmentation will be given as compensation.
• Curriculum Content Leader (CCL)- Assists in curriculum mapping, student learning and test analysis; evaluates teacher performance and student learning; observes and advises teachers on instructional skills; conducts monthly content specific meetings; leads curriculum development; and provides lesson demonstrations. Two professional development days and a $1,500 salary augmentation will be given as compensation.
• Mentor Teacher- Provides classroom support by observing, modeling and reflecting with teachers; meets with assigned teacher; and trains as a mentor teacher. One professional development day and a $1,000 salary augmentation will be given as compensation.
• Mentor Lead Teacher- Attends mentoring and peer coaching professional development trainings and disseminates that information to mentors; provides training for mentors; meets weekly with assigned teacher; trains as a mentor teacher; and observes and coaches assigned teacher. Three professional development days and a $1,500 salary augmentation will be given as compensation.
Job-embedded professional development: The school has selected the following student achievement goal: 66% of all students will be at the “meets the standards” or “exceeds the standards” levels in math on the 2008 MCA II assessment. Math guidelines have been established including new strategies for teachers and ongoing training will be provided on each new strategy.
Staff development time will be embedded into the instructional day. There will be 100 hours of staff development scheduled throughout the year. This professional development will be provided by the CCLs on a weekly basis through demonstration lessons.
Teachers will be divided into teams which have an estimated planning time of 400 minutes each week. Of the 400 minutes, teams must utilize 100 minutes to review student data, reflect on observations and discuss strategies.
Academy Lead Teachers meet with staff monthly to conduct professional development activities. CCLs will meet monthly with staff for staff development discussions, book study, resources for lesson plans and instructional demonstrations. CCLs and Academy Lead Teachers will work with the Director and the Compliance and Reporting Administrator to develop and refine the PDP. This team will meet monthly to plan professional development activities. Mentor Teachers will meet weekly with their assigned novice teacher. The Mentor Lead Teacher will meet monthly with Mentor Teachers to disseminate Master Teacher Series information.
Objective and comprehensive teacher evaluation: Teachers will be observed and evaluated three times per year. The evaluation team will be the Academy Lead Teachers, Director and Compliance and Reporting Administrator. The observation cycle will consist of a pre-conference, an observation and a post-conference.
Teachers will be allowed to voice concerns related to personnel assigned to their evaluation team. Teachers will make their concerns known to the administrator (or the teacher liaison if the teacher wants another administrator to be part of the team) within five days of notification of the evaluation team membership. The administrator will replace the individual that is part of the evaluation team. If the individual the teacher wants replaced is a content area specialist, the administrator will determine if a negative assessment by the specialist may be excluded from the analysis. If the teacher feels that the administrator would not give an equitable evaluation, another administrator will be included.
Any eligible employee denied any compensation based on the evaluation has the right to make a timely appeal of the decision. Appeals must be made by a teacher in writing and be received by the school director within five days of the teacher receiving the results of the final evaluation. The school director will forward the appeal to the human resources committee, which shall hear the concerns and examine the evaluations and any other evidence offered. The majority decision of the human resources committee will be final and will not be able to be appealed.
Inter-rater reliability will be ensured by creating measurable goals and objectives for teachers and by using rubrics that have explicit definitions that describe the analysis. Evaluators will train using rubrics to score sample video-taped lessons. Administrators will meet with evaluators to discuss inter-rater reliability and score inflation. Ongoing training will be provided throughout the year to assure that inter-rater reliability problems do not arise.
Performance pay: A teacher’s compensation will be based on the following factors:
• $500/25% for meeting the school-wide goal outlined in Component 2.
• $500/25% for meeting the student achievement goal set by the teacher and administration.
o This goal will focus on the achievement results of the students in the teacher’s homeroom and will be measured by the results of the spring MCA II assessment.
• $500/25% for individual teacher evaluation results.
o $500/100% if the teacher’s average scores are either distinguished or proficient.
o $350/50% if the teacher’s average scores are between basic and proficient.
o No compensation if the teacher’s average scores are basic or lower.
• $500/25% for a PDP that is created in consultation with their mentor teacher, content area specialist and school administration.
o The PDP must be measured with the PDP evaluation instrument and the teacher presentation survey and a score of three or better on both measurement tools must be earned to receive the full compensation.
Alternative professional pay schedule: At hiring, the school will review a teacher’s licensure, skills and demand for the position to determine initial base salary. Salary increases will be determined by factoring all stipends into the salary, with each teacher eligible for a four percent salary increase each year. A one percent base salary increase will be paid to each teacher for earning performance pay in each of the four areas outlined in Component 4. A teacher who receives the full $2,000 in performance pay will receive a 4% base salary increase. A teacher who receives $1,000 in performance pay will receive a 2% base salary increase.
"Paideia Academy is thrilled to be receiving Q Comp,” said Paideia Director Jill Godtland. Q Comp “will allow our educators to meet collectively to review and discuss best practices and the latest educational research as well as to provide data-driven instruction to our students. Our teachers are anxious to get started."
Paideia Academy is a K-7 charter school, with 28 teachers serving 335 students.
Paideia Academy is the twenty-second 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 ● Birch Grove Community School
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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