Brooklyn Center School District enters Q Comp program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
Contact: Christine Dufour |
BROOKLYN CENTER SCHOOL DISTRICT
ENTERS Q COMP PROGRAM
~Brooklyn Center to create professional development and achievement-based pay system~
Brooklyn Center – Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren announced today that the Brooklyn Center School District will implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school will receive $443,300 in total revenue for the 2007-08 school year for implementation.
“I commend the Brooklyn Center School District and its teachers for accepting this opportunity to enroll in 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.”
"When we started the Q Comp Application process, I felt it would make a difference for our students,” said Brooklyn Center Superintendent Keith Lester. “Now that our teacher leaders are selected and we’ve begun implementation, I feel even more confident this will have a significant impact on student achievement. Our teachers are the greatest and will use the opportunities our plan provides to make an even greater difference in student learning.”
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 Brooklyn Center School District administration and teacher representatives have agreed to the following:
Provide career ladders or career advancement opportunities for teachers: The career ladder includes five positions with various duties and compensations. These positions are:
• Staff Development Program Leader – would be designated as instructional coach. The position would be required to model effective teaching strategies once a month by teaching one period in a classroom. The position would coordinate staff development with district curriculum initiatives.
• Curriculum Program Leader – Link curriculum goals to all school-wide program areas including social worker, nurse and specialists and design and facilitate instructional strategies and materials to raise student achievement and analyze student data for the purpose of developing targeted instructional strategies. Once a month, this person would model effective teaching strategies.
• Instructional Coach – will provide observations and cognitive coaching opportunities to classroom teachers. This person would be required to model effective teaching strategies once a month by teaching in a classroom.
• PLC Facilitator – will provide shared leadership of Professional Learning Communities.
• Advisory Board – The advisory board will serve as the overall leaders of the Brooklyn Center Q Comp program. They will direct hiring, supervision and oversight.
Job-embedded professional development: As the focus for the Q Comp plan, each site selected the following goals from the site educational improvement plan (EIP), which aligns with the district EIP goals as the focus for student improvement:
• Students at Earle Brown Elementary performing at the meets-standards level in reading on Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA II) will increase by five percent each year in grades three, four, five and six.
• All students (including Black, Hispanic and special education) at Brooklyn Center High School will show a six percent increase in the number of students who perform at grade level proficiency or higher on the MCA II reading and math assessments.
Teachers will use a variety of instructional strategies including inquiry-based instruction, national urban alliance (NUA) strategies (thinking maps, integrated/culturally responsive teaching, etc.), Read 180, differentiation of instruction, data driven instruction, classroom management, technology integration, parent involvement, strategic reading, curriculum mapping, student professional learning communities, and individualized instruction achieve site goals. Teacher proficiency will be measured by teacher evaluations based on professional teaching standards, data analysis of classroom, grade level/subject, and district-wide assessments.
Team composition will vary. Teams are formed based on teacher Professional Development Plans (PDP) that are designed around site goals. Colleagues with the same or similar plans will be grouped together. Teams will meet 50 minutes weekly during the school day. Additionally, teams will meet for two hours, seven times throughout the year during early release staff development days.
The new staff development plan will rely heavily on the components of the Q Comp plan. PLCs will meet for a minimum of 50 minutes per week during school. PLC leadership will be rotated throughout the year among teacher members. Each PLC member will participate in teams of teachers with commonality in their PDPs. This will help ensure the efforts of the teams will be embedded in the efforts of the PLC and in the individual teacher’s classroom.
Teacher coaching and support through the work of the curriculum program leader, the staff development program leader and the instructional coaches will provide the assurances that the PDP goals are being implemented and met. With a district-wide focus on a specific goal using common strategies (best practice), these teacher leaders will be able to more easily ensure that each teacher is showing continuous improvement in content knowledge, instructional strategies and the use of best practices.
Objective and comprehensive teacher evaluation – Classroom observations will be conducted three times per year using the district’s rubric for instructional assessment. The evaluation team membership includes a licensed administrator, instructional coaches, PLC member, teacher leader and PLC facilitators. The advisory board will supervise the teachers doing the observations and will facilitate the appeals process.
A teacher must receive an average rating of two or three in order to qualify for performance pay. An average rating of three means all standards are fully met and shown in the observation. An average rating of two means that most of the standards are met or that each standard is met in part.
Performance pay – A teacher’s compensation will be based on the following factors:
1. $200/10% for school-wide gains based on the achievement of the site goals for student achievement outlined in component two (professional development).
2. $400/20% for measures of student achievement based on teachers meeting the personal goals they have set for student achievement in their classroom.
3. $1,000/50% for teacher evaluation if a teacher successfully (earns an average rating of two or three) completes three observation cycles by multiple observers showing proficiency in goal performance during those observations.
4. $400/20% for the preparation of a PDP and participation in a PLC. To earn this award teacher must demonstrate successful implementation and progress in an approved PDP and successful participation in a PLC.
Alternative professional pay schedule: The salary schedule for Brooklyn Center is not an “automatic” steps and lanes schedule, but rather a schedule based on the goals of the plan and the district. To receive approval of career level change, a teacher must document approved professional development related to district goals. “Performance” drives the incremental movement throughout the schedule. Incremental movement is dependent upon the satisfactory completion of a PDP, satisfactory observations by multiple evaluators using the instructional assessment rubric and active participation in a PLC. This schedule reflects the intent and purpose of the Q Comp program and the district professional development goals.
The following districts have been approved for Q Comp during the 2007-08 school year.
Rosemount-Eagan-Apple Valley ● Roseville (various sites) ● Orono ● Forest Lake ● Minneapolis (various sites)
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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