Three Roseville schools enter Q Comp program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
Contact: Joe McQuillen |
THREE ROSEVILLE SCHOOLS ENTER Q COMP PROGRAM
~ Emmet D. Williams Elementary, Central Park Elementary and Falcon Heights Elementary undertake
professional development and achievement-based pay plan for teachers ~
Roseville – Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren announced today that the Roseville School District’s Emmet D. Williams Elementary, Central Park Elementary and Falcon Heights Elementary are implementing Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The schools will receive a total of $318,240 in state aid for the 2007-08 school year for implementation efforts.
“The addition of these three schools points to the success the district is already enjoying through Q Comp,” Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said. “Roseville should be commended for their success as well as the example they are setting for other districts interested in the Q Comp program.”
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. At the three schools, administration and teacher representatives have agreed to the following:
Career advancement opportunities for teachers: The career ladder includes two positions with various duties and compensations. These positions are:
• Lead Teacher- Participates in approval of SMART team goals; reviews student learning data to determine performance pay; recommends and participates in approval of professional development plans (PDPs); participates in the decision to grant performance pay for completed PDPs; reviews the decisions to place a teacher in the assistance phase of the district’s professional development system; uses rubric to evaluate SMART team goal(s); evaluates and develops PDPs; assists teachers to collect objective performance data related to the PDP; assesses performance data; reviews student learning results for SMART team goals; meets with each SMART team; and develops SMART team goal(s) to align with site goal. A stipend of $1,612, extended year pay for up to 40 hours at base salary and eligibility for performance pay of up to $2,000 will be given as compensation.
• Q Comp Oversight Teacher- Trains in the ISD 623 professional development system and the Edgerton alternative teacher professional pay system; approves SMART team goal(s); reviews student learning data to determine performance pay; approves professional development plans (PDPs); participates in the decisions to grant performance pay for completed PDPs; reviews the decision to place a teacher in the assistance phase of the district professional development system. This position will receive 40 hours of extended time at the regular hourly rate for training and planning, responsibility pay of $994 and eligibility to receive performance pay of up to $2,000.
Job-embedded professional development: The focus of sites’ Q Comp program is for all students to be proficient in reading, mathematics and writing. The district has identified the objective to achieve or exceed the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA II) target rates set by the state at both the school and district level for math and reading in each student subgroup. Also, students will meet or exceed the national average growth in reading and mathematics during the 2007-2008 school year based on the Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress Assessment (NWEA MAP). In order to meet this goal the site has set objectives that will be measured by the growth achieved from fall of 2006 to the spring of 2007
Emmet D. Williams Elementary:
• 2nd and 3rd graders will focus on the math portion of the NWEA MAP, through strategies aligned to number sense and computation in the state standards. Emphasis will be on strategies that meet the needs of students scoring below the mean on the September math assessment.
• 4th graders will focus on the reading portion of the NWEA MAP, through strategies aligned to the vocabulary expansion strand in the state standards. Emphasis will be on strategies meeting the needs of students who score below the mean on the September reading assessment.
• 5th graders will focus on the reading portion of the NWEA MAP, through strategies aligned to the literature strand in the state standards. Emphasis will be placed on strategies that meet the needs of students who score below the mean on the September reading assessment.
Falcon Heights Elementary:
• Students in grades two through six will focus on the math portion of the NWEA MAP, through strategies aligned to the comprehension/number sense and computation strand in the state standards. Emphasis will be placed on strategies that meet the needs of black students, students receiving special education services and students eligible for free and reduced price lunch.
Central Park Elementary:
• 3rd graders will focus on the reading/math portion of the NWEA MAP, through strategies aligned to comprehension/number sense and computation in the state standards. Emphasis will be on meeting the needs of Hispanic students, special education students and English language Learners.
• 4th graders will meet focus on the reading portion of the NWEA MAP, through strategies aligned to the literature strand in the state standards. Emphasis will be placed on strategies that meet the needs of Hispanic students, special education students and English language learners.
• 5th graders will meet focus on the math portion of the NWEA MAP, through strategies aligned to the number sense and computation strand in the state standards. Emphasis will be on meeting the needs of Hispanic students, special education students and English language learners.
• 6th graders will focus on the reading portion of the NWEA MAP, through strategies aligned to the comprehension strand in the state standards. Emphasis will be on meeting the needs of Hispanic students, special education students and English language learners.
SMART goal teams of two to five teachers will meet an average of 30 minutes per week with a minimum of one of these meetings per month led by the lead teacher. Meetings led by the lead teacher will be used to create a plan for the team each month. The other meetings will be used by the team or to coach, collect data, analyze data and do lesson studies. The staff development calendar describes the development activities by month. Teams will meet for longer periods of time on staff development days and may use regularly scheduled meeting time to work on professional development.
This professional development model includes the following attributes:
• Focuses on the relationship of instruction to student learning,
• Aligns the development with statewide standards and district/site goals,
• Is ongoing and contains the elements of collaboration and reflection,
• Employs research-based strategies,
• Developed and led by teachers, and
• Professional development will undergo monitoring, evaluation and adjustments on a regular basis.
The instructional strategies employed by the teacher are tied to the components of professional practice for their assignment. Each teacher will collect objective performance data, team members will provide feedback and teachers may adjust strategies based on feedback from their team.
Objective and comprehensive teacher evaluation: Teacher evaluation is directly tied to the teacher’s components of effective practice and judged against defined district standards. District standard is defined as the level of proficient or higher for a continuing contract teacher. Each teacher will have 3 direct observations (formative) by the professional development team. All teachers will have ongoing performance assessment by licensed administrators. A teacher whose performance is judged below the district standard will be referred to the teacher assistance track until performance is brought up to standard. If a teacher’s performance does not come up to the standard, the teacher will not receive performance pay.
Performance pay: A teacher’s compensation will be based on the following factors:
1. $1,100 (55%) will be awarded to teachers whose performance is judged to be at the district standard,
2. $300 (15%) will be awarded if the site achievement goal (as defined in component 2) is met,
3. $300 (15%) will be awarded if each team meets their SMART goal, and
4. $300 (15%) will be awarded to teachers who complete the professional development process.
Alternative professional pay schedule: Most of a teacher’s compensation increase will be based on performance. Compensation increases will include a base pay progression and performance pay.
The base pay progression will be based on the following:
1. A direct supervisor conducts on-going performance evaluation to assure a minimum standard of proficient. A teacher performing below proficient may not be awarded base pay progression.
2. Teacher’s professional growth, measured by completion of local board credit requirements, approved graduate credits, advanced degree in areas of licensure and yet-to-be-determined options.
3. Opportunities for accelerated base pay progression and steps beyond the top of the schedule for teachers who demonstrate performance above district standard.
As a condition of approval, the district and teachers union will follow the timeline for reforming the salary schedule and negotiate an alternative salary schedule in the next contract in accordance with that timeline.
“The program will assist Roseville Area Schools in achieving its purpose of ‘Quality Teaching and Learning for All,’” said Dr. John Thein, Roseville Schools Superintendent. “There is no doubt that the positive interaction between the Roseville Area Schools Learning Community and the Minnesota Department of Education will make a huge difference in improving student achievement.”
The three elementary schools have a total of 96 teachers and 1240 students.
Emmet D. Williams Elementary, Central Park Elementary and Falcon Heights Elementary are the first Q Comp approvals for the 2007-2008 school year.
School districts that started implementing the Q Comp program during the 2005-06 school year.
Minneapolis ● Hopkins ● St. Francis ● Mounds View ● St. Cloud ● Alexandria ● Fridley
● La Crescent-Hokah ● Marshall
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
Several school districts have indicated to the Department of Education they are planning to submit an application for the 2007-08 school year.
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