Minneapolis' Jefferson School enters Q Comp program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
Contact: Brianna Chambers |
MINNEAPOLIS’ JEFFERSON SCHOOL
ENTERS Q COMP PROGRAM
~Minneapolis continues to expand professional development and achievement-based pay system~
Minneapolis – Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren announced today that the Jefferson School will implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school will receive $156,780 in total revenue for the 2007-08 school year for implementation.
Anne Sullivan Communication Center, Cityview Performing Arts Magnet, Green Central Park School, Loring Community School and Nellie Stone Johnson Community School, all in Minneapolis, have also recently decided to implement Q Comp.
“The addition of these school sites points to the success the district is already enjoying through Q Comp,” Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said. “Q Comp provides teachers with the opportunity to receive compensation in a more modern and professional manner as they enhance their skills in order to continually improve student learning.”
Including the Jefferson School, Minneapolis Public Schools has 15 total sites approved for Q Comp for the 2007-08 school year.
“Q Comp schools have shown real and significant gains in student achievement,” said Minneapolis Superintendent Dr. William Green. “Q Comp’s focus on improving teacher quality and instructional practice pays off in real gains for all students.”
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 Anne Sullivan Communication Center’s administration and teacher representatives have agreed to the following:
Provide career ladders or career advancement opportunities for teachers: The career ladder includes two positions with various duties and compensations. These positions are:
• Mentor Teacher- Works with Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) leadership teams, cluster teams, mentor teachers and coaches; coaches tenured teachers on goals and individual growth plan (IGP); models strategies to support attainment of goals; observes classrooms and instructional strategies; and provides feedback on goal progress. The mentor teacher is assigned part-time to a classroom teaching assignment and is released the rest of the time as an on-site professional developer. The mentor teacher receives release time and a $5,000 salary augmentation as compensation.
• Instructional Coach- Brings classroom expertise to the modeling, evaluation and development of instructional strategies in the professional development goal; collaborates with site-level TAP leadership teams, mentor and classroom teachers; and facilitates, coaches and monitors implementation of instructional strategies. Instructional coaches receive release time and a $3,000 salary augmentation as compensation.
Job-embedded professional development: The site goals are equity education (academic achievement for all students) and results accountability (educational equity, high-quality instruction and effective service delivery and student performance). The site has analyzed disaggregated student data from the fall 2006 Northwest Achievement Levels Test (NALT) and spring 2006 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA-II) to identify areas that need improvement and set site Q Comp goals. These goals are:
• All sub-groups will meet or exceed the index targets in Math as measured by the 2007 and 2008 MCA II assessments.
• All sub-groups will meet or exceed the index target in reading as measured by the 2007 and 2008 MCA II assessments.
• Special education students will improve from an index rate of 26.-04 to a minimum of an index rate of 34.00, so that this student population achieves safe harbor in Math for each of the next two years.
The school is following TAP, which requires a minimum of 60 minutes per week of job-embedded professional development. This is reserved for meetings in which teachers will gather with their mentor and coach to learn new strategies and examine student work. Individual appointments will be scheduled for modeling lessons, demonstration lessons, pre- and post-observation conferences, etc.
Mentors and coaches will research standards and instructional strategies. They will field test an instructional strategy and teach it during the cluster meetings, demonstrating it to the teachers, as well as showing the results through pre- and post-assessments. The mentors and coaches will schedule follow-up activities based on teacher need. Mentors and coaches will assist until the teacher is comfortable with the strategy and will continue to guide and support the teacher’s progress until 80% of students in each classroom demonstrate proficiency using the strategy.
Objective and comprehensive teacher evaluation: Classroom observations are based on the TAP instructional rubric and are aligned with Minnesota’s standards of effective practice. The site will identify staff development needed to meet student needs as identified by the MCA-II, NALT and teacher-made assessments.
The rubric forms include three areas: instruction, designing and planning instruction, and the learning environment. Elements within each area are specific to the teaching standards. Teachers will be observed at least three times. Evaluations are aligned with teacher compensation.
The mentors, coaches and administrator(s) will form a team responsible for implementing Q Comp. Each team will be trained in the following:
1. Team building, decision-making, goal-setting and building capacity for change.
2. Professional teaching standards: evaluation and observation, allowing teams to become familiar with standards and the performance rubric, be trained in data-based observations, writing summaries and suggestions, and identifying types of support a teacher needs.
3. Practice observations in pairs for one month to ensure inter-rater reliability and improve observation skills. The practice allows teachers to go through observation and evaluation without consequences.
4. Professional development to give teams the skills needed in teaching adult learners.
5. Cognitive coaching refresher.
6. Writing professional growth plans and team professional growth plans.
7. On-going professional development (district and site).
An observation schedule has been written into each site’s professional development calendar. The post-observation conference will monitor the teacher’s professional growth.
Performance pay: A teacher will receive up to $2,000 per year with $1,000 for each 12 professional growth credits (PGCs) earned in a year. PGCs are earned in the following manner:
• Three to 15 PGCs based on Skills, Knowledge and Responsibility (SKR) scores obtained during observations
• One to five PGCs for the quality performance indicator (QPI) score
o QPI includes such items as percentage of continuously enrolled students making one year’s growth or more on the NALT, change in state points for the MCA from the previous year, percentage of students attending 95% of enrolled days
• Four PGCs for site adequate yearly progress (AYP)
• Three PGCs for individual teachers beating the odds
o A teacher’s class which makes above-average, value-added gains using state and district test data—for teachers who have this data
• One to three PGCs for school wide beating the odds
o The school makes above-average, value-added gains using state and district test data
• Three PGCs for completion of an individual growth plan/professional development plan (IGP/PDP)
o The IGP must have pre- and post-test data related to cluster goals
o Teachers will document cluster strategy implementation twice per month and document the student achievement data for at least one class
§ This will be done according to the TAP IGP case study rubric
• Two PGCs for 40 continuing education unit (CEU) hours
o 31 CEUs from cluster
o Nine CEUs from three observations
§ Three each which includes the pre- and post-conference
Alternative professional pay schedule: Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) has three different pay systems: Pro-Pay, TAP and steps and lanes. MPS is working to merge Pro-Pay and TAP to create one professional pay system. Teachers in TAP will receive the same guaranteed salary, as required by Q Comp, and will receive the performance pay as one-time compensation with the understanding that a new salary schedule and professional pay system is being developed.
The following districts have been approved for Q Comp during the 2007-08 school year.
Rosemount-Eagan-Apple Valley ● Roseville (three sites) ● Orono ● Forest Lake
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 ● Alexandria ● Fridley ● La Crescent-Hokah ● Marshall
Several districts have indicated they are planning to submit Q Comp applications.
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