Chisago Lakes enters Q Comp program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
Contact: Christine Dufour |
CHISAGO LAKES ENTERS Q COMP PROGRAM
~The 40th School District to enter professional development and achievement-based pay system~
Chisago Lakes – Education Commissioner Alice Seagren announced today that the Chisago Lakes School District will implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school district will receive $923,520 in total revenue for implementation in the 2008-09 school year.
“I commend Chisago Lakes School District on their decision to participate in this important education reform,” said Commissioner Seagren. “Doing so will give the district’s teachers an opportunity to enhance their skills, which will help raise student achievement.”
In 2005, Governor Tim 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.
“Chisago Lakes School District’s staff are excited to become part of the Q-Comp process,” said Mike McLoughlin, Chisago Lakes superintendent. “We believe our plan has the potential to increase student achievement, enhance professional practice, and increase staff communication. We will be introducing teacher peer review, professional learning communities and a strong mentorship program, all of which are aimed at enhancing classroom instruction and student achievement. These are exciting times at Chisago Lakes Area Schools.”
The Q Comp program gives participating school districts the flexibility to meet local needs within a comprehensive model of improved teaching and learning. The Chisago Lakes Area School District administration and teacher representatives have agreed to the following:
Provide career ladders or career advancement opportunities for teachers: The career ladder includes six positions with various duties and compensations. These positions are:
• Oversight Committee Member: Works with other committee members to oversee that the Q Comp system is following protocol; interview, hire and supervise all Q Comp positions; review Q Comp files for each member of the bargaining unit to determine qualification of receiving Q Comp payments, and work in a group of seven members. They will receive $500 salary augmentation annually. The seven member committee will include: four members from the exclusive representative of the teachers and three members appointed by the superintendent.
• Peer Coaching Facilitator: Works with members of the bargaining unit, administration and Oversight Committee; coordinates observations; updates the database for peer coaching and serves as a resource person for peer coaching. This position will receive a $1,500 annual salary augmentation. There will be one Peer Coaching Facilitator for 25 to 35 teachers depending on the building including: two positions at the Chisago Lakes High School; two positions at the Chisago Lakes High School, Pathway to Change and Fairview School; one position at Lakeside Elementary School; one position at Primary School and one position at Taylors Falls Elementary School and Family Center.
• Learning Community Facilitator: Works with members of the bargaining unit, administration and Oversight Committee: provides support and oversight to learning community members as related to the site goal and updates a database for reporting purposes. The position will receive a $1,500 annual salary augmentation. There will be one Learning Community Facilitator for every 25 to 35 teachers depending on the building including: two positions at Chisago Lakes High School; two positions at Chisago Lakes Middle School, Pathway to Change and Fairview School; one position at Lakeside Elementary School; one position at Primary School and one position at Taylors Falls Elementary School and Family Center.
• Q Comp Director: Helps develop, implement and coordinate the alternative compensation program in the district. The primary role is to coordinate the district Q Comp program from early childhood through grade 12. The director will receive their current full-time salary and .5 release time. There will be one Q Comp Director for the entire district of 216.1 staff members.
• Mentor Teacher: Meets regularly with the mentee, both formally and informally, to provide support and assistance; uses a variety of strategies to help the mentee develop professionally. There will be one mentor for one to two teachers and the position will receive a $1,500 annual salary augmentation for mentoring a first-year, non-tenured teacher or new hire who previously had tenure in another Minnesota district; a $1,000 annual salary augmentation for mentoring a second-year, non-tenured teacher, and a $500 annual salary augmentation for mentoring a third-year, non-tenured teacher. The position will be assigned to all probationary staff to:
o Reduce teacher attrition
o Enhance instructional/professional growth
o Enhance personal interactions/collegiality
o Encourage and support new teachers
o Reduce job-related stress
Job-embedded professional development: As the focus for the Q Comp plan, the district has selected the following student achievement goal from the Educational Improvement Plan (EIP): Chisago Lakes students will continue to demonstrate achievement in reading, mathematics and writing according to state and local measures. In alignment with this, each site has chosen the following goals from the site EIP as the focus for student improvement:
• Chisago Lakes High School will increase by 2 percent the number of students who perform at the proficient level on the 2007-08 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA II) in reading, which equates to 72.55 percent of students will be proficient or higher.
• Chisago Lakes Middle School will increase by 3% the number of students in grades 6-8 who meet their individual growth targets from fall to spring on the Northwest Evaluation Association Measure of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP) assessment in reading, which equates to 59 percent meeting or exceeding their individual growth targets from fall to spring.
• Lakeside Elementary School students in grades 3-5 will improve achievement in mathematics by an increase in individual student growth demonstrated by increasing the percentage of students who will meet the nationally established norms in the fall for each grade level by 2 percent in the spring as measured by the NWEA MAP assessment in mathematics, which equates to 82 percent of students meeting national norms.
• Primary School students in grades 2 and 3 will improve achievement in the NWEA MAP total RIT scores to show an increase in individual student growth. The percentage of students who will meet the nationally established norms in the fall for each grade level will increase by 2% in the spring, which equates to 64 percent of students meeting the national norms in the spring.
• Taylors Falls Elementary School students in grades 2-5 will improve achievement in mathematics with the NWEA MAP total RIT scores to show an increase in individual student growth. The percentage of students who will meet the nationally established norms in the fall for each grade level will increase by 2% in the spring, which equates to 60 percent meeting the national norms in the spring.
Teachers at each site will meet in PLCs on an ongoing basis to review student data, make instructional decisions, share best practices and embed research-based instructional strategies into classroom practice. PLCs will vary slightly by site and meet for up to an hour each week.
Objective and comprehensive teacher evaluation: Each tenured teacher in Chisago Lakes Area School District will be observed and receive formative evaluations three times per year as part of a four-member Peer Coaching Team.
Each team member will be observed once by the other three team members and will observe each of the other team members one time during the school year. All formative evaluations will be based on direct classroom observations and will be scored using the district-designed Evaluation Rubric Guidelines and Peer Coaching Evaluation Form. Teachers will be expected to achieve Proficient or Exemplary in four of the five components of each of the two observed/evaluated domains (The Classroom Environment and Instruction).
The probationary teachers receive summative evaluations three times each year by an administrator using the Charlotte Danielson teacher evaluation model with all domains and standards covered over the course of the three evaluations. Probationary teachers are expected to meet the level of Developing or higher as determined by the administrator in each domain following all three evaluations.
A post-conference will help eliminate any bias or inconsistencies as the teacher being observed has the right to respond to any feedback or scores given by the observer. In addition, the Peer Coaching Facilitator will coordinate the scheduling of the observations/evaluations and will monitor scores that are unusually high or low to ensure reliability.
Self-analysis/reflection will be part of the post-conference questions and discussion between the Peer Coach and the staff member being observed within three days of the observation. Teachers can appeal the results of their observation/evaluation in the event that there is a concern regarding the equitability or validity of the observation.
Performance pay: A teacher’s compensation will be based on the following factors:
• $300/11 percent for school-wide gains awarded if site meets or exceeds the goals
• $590/22 percent for measures of student achievement awarded if each teacher completes and shows progress toward his/her Professional Growth Plan goal, which includes a student achievement goal, and meets the required amount of learning community meeting time
• $1,800/67 percent for teacher evaluation based on a tenured teacher reaching a Proficient or higher rating on four of the five standards in each of the two observed domains or a probationary teacher achieving a rating of Developing or higher at the completion of the evaluation cycle
Alternative professional pay schedule: The district has reformed the salary schedule by linking vertical movement on the schedule to a teacher meeting the standards set in the evaluation cycle. To move vertically on the salary schedule, a tenured teacher must successfully complete their job duties. Success for a tenured teacher is a rating of Proficient or higher on four of the five standards in each of their two observed/evaluated domains or as determined by a probationary teacher being rated Developing or higher on the evaluations.
Chisago Lakes School District is the 40th school district to be approved for the Q Comp program during the 2008-09 school year.
School districts that began implementing the Q Comp program 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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