Virginia had three successful applicants to the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) in 2010. This program is run by the U.S. Department of Education to “support efforts to develop and implement performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems in high-need schools.”lxvi Goals of the program include:
Improving student achievement by increasing teacher and principal effectiveness;
Reforming teacher and principal compensation systems so that teachers and principals are rewarded for increases in student achievement;
Increasing the number of effective teachers teaching poor, minority, and disadvantaged students in hard-to-staff subjects; and
Creating sustainable performance-based compensation systems.lxvii
Henrico County Public Schools
Henrico County Public Schools received a TIF grant for their Learning Leaders Initiative, which is described in the following excerpt from an October 15, 2010 news release:
Henrico County Public Schools, in partnership with the Community Training and Technical Assistance Center (CTAC), was awarded a Teacher Incentive Fund grant in the amount of
$16,447,775 over five years. The Learning Leaders Initiative will pilot and sustain a performance-based staff development and differentiated compensation plan. The initiative will provide teachers and principals in Henrico County’s highest-need schools with incentive pay tied directly to effective and engaging classroom instruction leading to growth in student achievement.
Learning Leaders directly addresses our nation’s greatest challenge and the Henrico School Division’s Strategic Plan focus of ensuring all children have access to a quality education by supporting the recruitment, retention and training of exceptional teachers and leaders. It is only through high quality staff that creates engaging learning environments that high levels of student learning can be ensured.
The goals for the Learning Leaders Initiative are to:
1. Build teacher and principal capacity to increase student achievement by aligning and improving implementation of teaching standards to ensure effective and engaging teaching.
2. Retain a community of high-performing educators in typically hard-to-staff schools to drive academic achievement in the short and long term.
3. Develop the school division’s capacity to implement and evaluate a performance-based compensation system.
Eight schools serving 5,725 students have been selected to participate in the Learning Leaders Initiative as a pilot program. They include Highland Springs High School, Fairfield Middle School, Wilder Middle School, Highland Springs Elementary School, Fair Oaks Elementary School, Laburnum Elementary School, Glen Lea Elementary School, and Adams Elementary School.
A total of 323 teachers from the eight schools are eligible to participate in the grant in the Learning Leaders Initiative. Teachers responsible for a course with an end-of-year or end-of- course Standards of Learning assessment or those responsible for the results of the PALS assessment in the primary grades are eligible. Principals and assistant principals who supervise eligible teachers may also participate. All eligible teachers and principals will attend a Learning Leaders Academy where they will learn details of the initiative and be given the opportunity to participate.
Individual teachers and administrators may choose not to participate in the Learning Leaders Initiative.
The incentive compensation for teachers includes up to $3,000 for creating an engaging learning environment based in the school division’s teaching standards and an additional
$5,000 for meeting individual student learning targets on state and local assessments. Total performance incentive compensation for teachers will be up to $8,000 per year.
The incentive compensation for principals and assistant principals includes up to $4,000 for supporting teacher growth in creating an engaging learning environment and up to $6,000 for school-wide and individual student learning goals as well as stakeholder perception targets.
Total performance incentive compensation for principals will be up to $10,000 per year.
The CTAC has had a long history on the national stage with performance-based compensation programs. They will provide technical assistance, training, and consultation to the initiative. The Center will also be responsible for the ongoing evaluation of the project.lxviii
Prince William County Public Schools
Prince William County Public Schools received a TIF grant for their Teacher Incentive Performance Award initiative, which is described in the following excerpt from a September 23, 2010 news release:
The U.S. Department of Education has announced that the Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC)/Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) partnership is the recipient of a
$11,108,124 Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s TIF grant competition. The grant proposal, which was ranked 11th highest in the country out of 62 awards, will fund the School Division’s Teacher Incentive Performance Award (TIPA) initiative.
CTAC/PWCS will be awarded the funds over a five-year grant period. Funding for the first two years was awarded yesterday; further funding is contingent on congressional action. Initial
funding will be used for planning purposes during the 2010–11 school year, with the pilot implementation beginning in 2011–12. Applicants were required to demonstrate a high level of local educator support and involvement for their proposed program and a plan for financial sustainability after the five-year grant award period.
TIPA provides a significant monetary award to teachers and principals in eligible schools that qualify to receive performance-based compensation; integrates a performance-based compensation system with the new PWCS standards-based evaluation system, Professional Performance Process; provides professional development that focuses on individualized school and educator improvement; and builds on growth targets set in the Division's recently adopted Strategic Plan for 2010–11 through 2014–15.
“I believe that we have a plan that can be a model for the Commonwealth and for the rest of the country,” said School Board Chairman At-Large Milton C. Johns. “As with any pilot, we will discover some things that need to be tweaked that we haven’t even imagined right now. It’s a dynamic environment and we recognize that we will make adjustments.”
“By partnering with CTAC, PWCS has received invaluable guidance in developing and submitting the successful TIF Grant proposal to the U.S. Department of Education. CTAC’s experience provides a national knowledge base that will enable PWCS to choose the most strategic and appropriate directions for the Division,” said retired Associate Superintendent Kris Pedersen, whose leadership in writing the grant application was crucial to getting the award. Through the partnership, PWCS will continue to gain valuable insight to help structure the early decisions, and to use that knowledge to advance the Division’s TIPA initiative.
“The Prince William project has the potential to offer lessons in content and process to districts throughout the nation while supporting both students and educators in the county,” said Executive Director of CTAC, William J. Slotnick.lxix
Richmond Public Schools
Richmond Public Schools received a TIF grand for their Schools of Excellence initiative, which is described in the following excerpt from an October 19, 2010 news release:
Richmond Public Schools will take part in a National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) grant program that will create and integrate a performance-based compensation system for teachers and principals. The “Schools for Excellence” initiative is being funded by a five-year, $27 million grant from U.S. Department of Education Teacher Incentive Fund.
Richmond will receive between $6 and $7 million during the next five years.
Several high-need schools from Richmond and the state of Maine will take part in a comprehensive program that will study professional development, evaluation and compensation with regard to teacher effectiveness and student achievement. The program is designed to help school districts recruit and retain National Board certified teachers, improve professional development opportunities, expand mentor training, align teacher and principal evaluations with national student achievement standards, and reward teachers and principals whose students meet targeted standards.
“The teacher remains the most critical and important element for a student achieving success in the classroom,” said Richmond City School Superintendent Dr. Yvonne Brandon. “Our inclusion in the NBPTS five-year Teacher Incentive Fund grant program will allow the district to expand and enhance our professional development and teacher mentor training programs so we may continue our ongoing pattern of improved student achievement. This year, for the first time, we achieved one hundred percent accreditation on the state’s Standard of Learning tests.
To maintain that level of achievement, the district must continue to recruit and retain this nation’s top educators.”
School officials are currently developing the program and plan to implement it during the 2011- 2012 school year.lxx