Orono school district enters Q Comp program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
Contact: Joe McQuillen |
ORONO SCHOOL DISTRICT ENTERS Q COMP PROGRAM
~Becomes 37th district to undertake professional development and achievement-based pay system~
Long Lake – Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren announced today that the Orono School District will implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The district will receive $680,420 for the 2007-08 school year for implementation.
“We welcome the Orono School District into the group of schools and districts that have elected to participate in this important education reform,” said Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. “Q Comp provides a wonderful opportunity for teachers to enhance their skills, which will help raise student achievement. The plan also provides teacher compensation in a more modern and professional manner.”
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. In Orono, 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:
Professional Learning Community (PLC) Team Lead: Leads PLC meetings by developing meeting agendas; establishes a meeting schedule; facilitates meetings; prepares reports; and keeps records, such as meeting minutes and attendance. A salary augmentation of $1800.00 will be given as compensation.
PLC Building Lead: The PLC building lead is a person with advanced knowledge and expertise in PLCs, who will provide leadership, support and assistance to team leaders, as well as being a PLC team lead her/himself. A salary augmentation of $500.00 will be given as compensation.
Teacher Coaches: Teacher coaches will be a resource for teaching improvement. They will find research, as well as model pedagogical procedures for others. A pay rate of $45/hour will be given as compensation.
Peer Evaluator: Provides peer evaluation and feedback to each teacher; schedules pre and post observation conferences; provides a written report regarding observations, portfolio information, data and other evidence. A salary augmentation of $4000.00 and 0.5 release time will be given as compensation.
Q Comp Teacher Leader: The Q Comp Teacher Leader is the general coordinator of the Q Comp effort in Orono. A salary augmentation of $4000.00 and .5 release time will be given as compensation.
Mentor: Responsible for the personal and professional induction of new staff; supports and coaches new teachers as they transition into the Orono system and work toward tenure. This position requires a three year commitment, with training occurring in year one. A salary augmentation of $500.00 the first year, $300.00 the second year and $0.00 the third year will be given as compensation.
Job-embedded professional development: The focus for the Q Comp plan is the following student achievement goal: Orono Public Schools will deliver a rigorous academic program for each individual child. In alignment with this each site has chosen the following goals:
• Schumann Elementary School will improve reading skills and achievement of all students. By May of 2008, there will be a 2.5% increase in the total percentage of students reading at grade level or above on the Rigby assessment.
• Orono Intermediate School will improve the reading skills and achievement of all students. By May of 2008, there will be a 2.5% increase in the percentage of students proficient in reading on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA II) reading assessment.
• Orono Middle School will improve the reading achievement of all students. By May 2008, there will be a 2.5% increase in the number of students proficient in reading on the MCA II.
• Orono High School will improve problem-solving and critical thinking skills of all students. By May of 2008, there will be a 2.5% increase in the percentage of students proficient in mathematics on the MCA II.
All staff will develop and be evaluated on a professional growth plan aligned with the district goals. Those plans will include eight teacher selected sub-domains from the Orono Framework for Effective Teaching. PLC teams will be formed at each site which will design, implement and evaluate strategies aligned with best practice in literacy intervention and other district strategic goals.
Each PLC will conduct an average of four hours of meetings and/or follow-up activities each month from September through May. An end-of-year meeting will take place in June prior to the end of the school year. Time will be set aside on district professional development days to support these meeting requirements.
Three primary elements tie the job-embedded professional development plan together:
1. Establishment of the Orono Framework for Effective Teaching, based on the best practice model of Charlotte Danielson. Teacher development of a professional growth plan aligned with chosen elements of this model. Evaluation and coaching by colleagues and supervisors in those domains and sub-domains leading to professional growth.
2. Development of site-specific, content-based strategies aligned with the academic achievement goal. Training on those strategies through the staff development program. Teaching and modeling provided by trained teacher leaders, supervisors and content area experts.
3. Establishment of a PLC team model to ensure ongoing dialogue and implementation of instructional strategies aligned with each teacher’s professional growth plan and building goals.
Objective and comprehensive teacher evaluation: Each tenured teacher in Orono will receive evaluations three times per year. The evaluation team will consist of: Q Comp lead teacher, teacher evaluators and administration. At least two members of this team will complete evaluations of each teacher during the school year. All evaluations will be based on direct classroom observations and will be scored using the Orono Framework for Effective Teaching. Teachers will be expected to achieve proficiency on their professional growth plan with the selected sub-domains prescribing the process and indicators necessary.
Probationary teachers will be evaluated by a principal/supervisor who has received the same training as those individuals evaluating tenured staff. The rubric for probationary teachers identifies particular sub-domains deemed to be critical to the successful completion of the first year(s) of teaching in the district.
Each certified staff member will create a professional growth plan. PLC teams will focus on strategies aligned with building goals and individual professional growth plans. Specialists and other licensed staff members will have a specialized rubric aligned with their job description and responsibilities.
The district will ensure a process is in place for inter-rater reliability through training in coordination with regular meetings of the Coordination Committee. This committee includes the Q Comp Teacher Leader, Peer Evaluators, PLC Building Leads, Administration and the Director of Learning and Accountability.
The instructional performance tool for the district is the Orono Framework for Effective Teaching, which requires teachers to demonstrate proficiency in at least one-third of the twenty-two domains per year and all domains over a three-year period. Each teacher will select one-third of the standards across all four domains. In order to receive the year-end performance award, each teacher must be proficient in all standards as determined by their choices.
Performance pay: A teacher’s compensation will be based on the following factors:
1. $300/15% for school-wide gains as measured through the attainment of the site goals outlined in component two utilizing primarily the MCA II assessments
2. $700/35% for teacher evaluation as measured by a professional growth plan indicating what sub-domains of the Orono framework for teaching they will focus on. A teacher must achieve 100% proficiency rating on all of the sub-domains each year to be eligible for the performance award. Each year a teacher is required to become proficient in additional sub-domains (1/3 each year) with the expectation that a teacher will become proficient in all sub-domains by the end of year three.
3. $1,000/50% for measures of student achievement
• $900/45% for successful completion of the PLC requirements: team participation and attendance, application of strategies, data collection and evaluation of student outcomes
• $100/5% for showing student growth as a result of one particular strategy applied
Alternative professional pay schedule:
Teachers move through the schedule in two ways:
1. Successful completion of three peer evaluations.
2. Successful completion of additional graduate-level course work. Teachers receive educational increments based on pre-approved course work in 10 semester or 15 quarter credit increments.
All career ladder positions will maintain instructional responsibilities. As such, all will participate in a PLC, receive evaluations commensurate with full-time equivalency and work toward the site goal.
“Orono schools has a tradition of excellence and is constantly working toward meeting the standards of best practice in the teaching profession,” said Orono Superintendent Karen Orcutt. “Q Comp allows us to keep pace with current research in the field and will give our teachers a vehicle for the professional conversations that keep excellence a constant goal.”
The Orono School District is the third Q Comp approval for the 2007-2008 school year. The Rosemount-Eagan-Apple Valley School District and three Roseville schools were approved earlier this year.
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
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
Several districts have indicated they are planning to submit an application for the 2007-08 school years.
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