Performance-based Compensation Experience

CTAC provides technical assistance and evaluation services to numerous school districts in the area of performance-based compensation. We also share our knowledge and expertise with members of the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, state legislatures and numerous other entities on issues of performance-based systems. For example, CTAC presented the cornerstones of effective teacher compensation reform to more than 60 state legislators at the James B. Hunt Institute in North Carolina. In addition, we presented to an audience of several hundred Washington policy-makers at the Center for American Progress.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), North Carolina. CTAC worked with CMS to help develop, implement, and evaluate a Teacher Incentive Fund initiative linking teacher effectiveness, student growth and performance-based compensation. CTAC’s evaluation demonstrates that high-quality Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) contribute to improving teaching and bolstering student growth. This work around performance-based compensation and teacher effectiveness was one of the elements which contributed to CMS winning the Broad Prize in 2011 for being the urban school district in America that demonstrated the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps.

Denver Public Schools, Colorado. CTAC assisted the Denver Public Schools and Denver Classroom Teachers Association to develop, implement, and assess its groundbreaking performance-based appraisal and compensation initiative. CTAC research found that students whose teachers crafted high quality SLOs outperformed their peers and showed significantly greater gain on two independent measures of student achievement at all three school levels during all years under study. The project demonstrated that linking what students learn to what teachers earn can be a catalyst for systemic change that benefits students and teachers. Denver teachers approved the new teacher compensation system, ProComp, by a 3-to-2 margin and Denver voters approved a $25 million tax increase by a 3-to-2 margin to fund the new system.

Delhi Unified School District, California. CTAC is partnering with Delhi Unified School District in implementing a Teacher Incentive Fund-supported initiative, providing technical counsel and evaluation services. SLOs are the anchor of the district’s new evaluation and compensation systems, serving as both a measure of student academic growth and a measure of teacher practice. Based on the strength and systemic potential of this initiative, the Delhi Board of Trustees and the Delhi Teachers Association re-opened a pre-existing collective bargaining agreement to incorporate and sustain the new performance-based human capital management system.

Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS), Virginia. Supported by a Teacher Incentive Fund grant, CTAC is assisting HCPS to implement a performance-based staff development and differentiated compensation plan. The Learning Leaders initiative provides teachers and principals in Henrico County’s highest-need schools with incentive pay tied directly to effective and engaging classroom instruction that leads to growth in student achievement. CTAC is providing technical counsel, evaluating the project, and conducting professional development audits.

Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS), Virginia. CTAC is partnering with PWCS in implementing a Teacher Incentive Fund-supported initiative, providing technical counsel and evaluation services, and conducting professional development audits. The initiative, Teacher Incentive Performance Award, is a school-wide bonus program that provides focused professional and leadership development to teachers and principals in 30 high need schools.

Central Ohio. CTAC is providing technical assistance to a coalition that includes the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio, LEAs and charter schools in Central Ohio. Over a three-year period, this partnership is developing and implementing an initiative linking teacher evaluation, compensation reform, and licensure change in order to improve student learning and strengthen teacher practice. As the foundation of this initiative, SLOs are being used to measure teacher practice and student academic growth in both tested and non-tested grades and subjects.