Interest renewed in tying teacher pay to student achievement
Published: September 14, 2009
The Henrico County school system is poised to start a pilot program in which teacher pay would be tied to student performance.
It is the only school system in the Richmond area to consider such a program.
"We've been talking about that in Henrico for the last two years now," said Patrick Kinlaw, assistant superintendent for administrative services. "We've done a study of the literature, and we're ready to explore our own internal performance-based incentive pay program."
The school system is waiting for Congress to authorize hundreds of millions in funding for performance-based pay programs for teachers, he said.
President Barack Obama and his secretary of education, Arne Duncan, have rekindled a national discussion on tying teacher pay to student achievement. Obama has recommended $487 million in funding in fiscal 2010 -- up from $97 million the previous year -- for the Teacher Incentive Fund to support performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems in high-needs schools.
The promise of more funding might get school systems to consider trying performance incentive pay programs, said Christopher Corallo, the Henrico schools' director of staff development.
"From what we've seen and read, the federal government is approaching this concept appropriately and wisely, giving the state and localities the opportunity to decide what it means to them," he said. "The devil is in the details. There are many types of performance-based pay."
Henrico school officials provided few details on their internal performance-based program. They plan to apply for the Teacher Advancement Program and start with a small number of teachers who will enter into incentive contracts beyond their regular contracts. Among the many factors for determining incentive pay would be student achievement.
While the Henrico schools are ready to give performance-based pay a chance, Richmond, Chesterfield County and Hanover County say it is not something they are considering.
"The superintendent [Marcus J. Newsome] asked us two years ago to look at the compensation part, to take a look at incentive programs for teachers who work in schools that may be having difficulty," said Lyle Evans, Chesterfield's assistant superintendent of human resources and administrative services.
"All that kind of got turned upside down with the changes in the budget cycle. It was an issue of, can we give raises period, much less have a plan to pay teachers differential pay because of performance."
The traditional compensation system for teachers is based mostly on experience and education, said Jo Lynne DeMary, former state superintendent of education and director of the Center for School Improvement at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Education.
"There's nothing that ties compensation to teacher performance," she said. "If, in fact, the major purpose of effective teaching is student achievement, then such achievement needs to be part of that evaluation process."
Nine times out of 10, teachers are dismissed for ethical or moral issues rather than performance, DeMary said.
"To me, that speaks to a linear evaluation system, one that we are unwilling to devote enough time to really differentiate performance," she said.
Hanover and Chesterfield have few teachers who do not meet teaching expectations. In the 2008-09 school year, about 1 percent of Hanover teachers did not meet expectations, said school spokeswoman Dale Theakston.
"Probationary teachers [those who are in their first three years of teaching] who do not meet expectations are not offered employment or resign," she said. "Tenured teachers are placed on plans of action for the upcoming year with strong expectations for improvement."
Chesterfield dismisses five to 15 teachers a year, most of them beginning teachers, because they don't meet expectations, Evans said.
"That's not many, when you consider 4,100 teachers," he said. "Six, seven years ago, you would find that very few teachers at all were nonrenewed. I think we've come a long way in that end."
Henrico school officials did not want to provide data on teachers who don't meet expectations. Richmond school officials said they were still compiling that data.
Teachers organizations have long opposed tying pay to student performance.
Frank Cardella, president of the Chesterfield Education Association, said he talked to Duncan when Duncan spoke at the National Education Association this summer and made a pitch for performance-based pay.
Cardella, who took a break from teaching to serve as president, said he sees two major problems with merit pay. How would school systems determine teacher performance, and how they would pay for it?
"I think everybody has a different idea of what merit pay is," he said. "What is the metric that is going to be used to determine whether a teacher has been highly effective or not? You simply can't use student scores. If you do, you leave a whole number of variables out of that calculation."
As school systems implement merit pay systems, more teachers likely will receive that money, Cardella said.
"They shouldn't even be having a conversation about what merit pay would look like until there's a revenue stream to support it," he said.
Performance-based pay for teachers has been the subject of debate over the decades, and such states as North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama have programs that reward teachers or schools based on student performance, according to the Atlanta-based Southern Regional Education Board. Other states have abandoned their programs.
Research on performance-based pay has been mixed, showing gains for some schools and no impact for others. Performance-based pay systems have been dismal because teachers do not trust the criteria that are used to represent their performance, DeMary said.
"You've got to be sure that the process you're using to tie to that performance pay is perceived as balanced and fair by people who are affected by it."
Contact Juan Antonio Lizama at (804) 649-6513 or
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Reader Reactions
Goofy idea…but don’t let stop you.
As usual government will, after shooting one foot, reload and shoot the other. LOL
Go and ahead and run off the few remaining teachers that will put up with all of the BS.
Goofy idea…
(Tip: Logic will get you nowhere with administrators and school board members)
I am not sure what the policy is in Virgina regarding step pay increases…but in California once I reached my 13th year teaching I did not get any more pay increases except COLA, and that is negotiated by unions and administrators, not automatically passed onto teachers yearly. The only other opportunity to receive more pay for teaching the standard day comes from increasing my level of education. A masters degree earns me about $900 more a year, a doctorate even less. I am not even certain I could recover tutition costs before I retired, 10-15 years from now. I would be curious to know if corporate jobs give that measely of an incentive for advanced degrees. So look at the bigger picture when you are judging teachers for working in the same job, year after year…they are working for pennies with an occasional dime thrown in. Personally I have worked in the same school for 18 years…13 as a Title 1 teacher split between 3 years as 4th and 2 years as a 5th grade teacher. Every year I get new responsibilities, projects, committe work, curriculum requirements, professional development and its too many to list here. This year my pay was cut, but not the responsibilities.
skeller85-My point was even the sales person is not 100% in control of work environment. I was not speaking of those who do not perform. If a teacher improves testing in 50% of students or reading levels beyond the norm isn’t that a basis for evaluation. Use merit evaluations to reward the outstanding, not to punish the underachievers. I am not looking at testing as the only criteria and don’t think schools should either. My experience with employee merit evalutions is you get judged in several areas. You can be technically great but if you can not commnunication that to co-workers or customers that’s a problem. Some issues that do creep into evaluations are friendships, relationship, egos, etc.
As to teachers remaining in same position, I just say they should recognize the economic limits of same. While there is benefit of the experience, there is also a benefit of bringing in the new techniques hopefully being learned by those entering teaching now. On how about promoting that valuable experienced teacher to a mentoring position?
BW, a salesperson who is not performing because of a week economy or inferior product does not get impacted due to personal performance. It is an overall impact to the entire sales company. We’re talking about performance measurements- is someone performing their job to the best of their ability. Using your sales example, let’s say one salesman is not performing, but all others, in the same environment, are doing just fine. That would be a fair performance issue. But, if a salesman loses his job because the economy led to poor sales, that’s not a performance issue, it’s a function of the economy. Some of your best teachers don’t necessarily get the best results on standardized testing. Let’s say a special education teacher has 8 students in a math class, and 4 of them pass the SOL. That’s only 50%. However, given the disabilities and other baggage, that may be 2 students better than any other teacher would have achieved. Further, let’s say you have a 9th grade English teacher who receives as student who reads at a 3rd grade level, for whatever reason. The student does not pass any standardized tests, but leaves this teacher reading at a 6th grade level. Did that teacher fail? Again, speaking as a manager who has to hold people accountable every day, my HR department will not allow me to hold an individual employee solely accountable to a result that is not 100% within their control. I can measure behaviors associated with that result and hold them accountable to that, but not he result itself.
As far as the point about promotional opportunities, administrators do not teach. What a waste it is when a fabulous teacher, someone who reaches maybe 60-120 student a year, is removed to administration and does not directly impact any one student. Good administrators are important and truly can have an impact, but they are not teachers. I know of many teachers who have passed on the opportunity to move into administrative roles because they did not want to leave the classroom, and we are much better off for it.
Shekker85-“For most employees who have performance based measures, those measurements are only based on things they have 100% control over.“
Not sure most have 100% control? Sales people can perform at high levels but can be done in by the economy, products offered, other employees or a company’s actions. Or a supervisor efforts can be undercut by the employees in his charge. Don’t know if many employees have complete control of their work environment.
“As far as your comment about teachers staying at the same level, you really can’t compare one profession to another.“
Teachers can see to advance in responsibility to dept. heads, assistance principal or principle, etc.
My point is for those who desire to stay at the same level, which is fine if they select to do so, is can they expect annual increases beyond cost of living amounts for all of their careers? If they obtain advanced degrees, professional recognition, professional development, continuing education, maybe so. But at some point they reach a top level. I also know its frustrating for 2nd or 3rd year teachers to find the hiring salary of graduates get bumped up to near their current salaries. But I found this happened in other occupations.
Another teacher salary issues that frustates me is “average” national or local salaries. Just because states with union dominated teachers overpay their teacher, Va. should not feel obligated to just meet the national average. And locally, you would have to pay me higher salary to teach in the City vs. some of the Counties. It is sad to be that way but the reality exists.
Lot of issues in this debate.
BW, you make some good points. I totally agree, teachers should have some performance based measures. However, grades or achievement tests are not totally within the teacher’s control. For most employees who have performance based measures, those measurements are only based on things they have 100% control over. You can possibly rate how a teacher presents material because that is totally within their control. But, how the child ultimately processes that material is something entirely different. A student can be taught by a master teacher in American History. But, if that student does not independantly study the material, and/or is sleeping in class due to a difficult private life, how can the teacher be held accountable to those results. A teacher is not in the household and can not do anything to force studying outside of the school. But, I totally agree with performance measures. The issue I have is that, currently, the most commonly proposed performance measurements take the lazy, politically correct way out by simply looking at test scores.
As far as your comment about teachers staying at the same level, you really can’t compare one profession to another. Personally, I would rather have an experienced expert teaching my child who understands the age group.
The next big issue on this administration’s agenda is Education Reform.
This is just the opening salvo.
It woud be a great idea to get a jump on what Arne Duncan and Baraack Obama’s ideas are on that “reform.“
Check into what Mr. Obama die in conjunction with Mt. Ayers in Chicago a
decade or so ago and you will get a good idea.
Bravo Welshwoman, you hit the nail on the head.
I feel so sorry for this and even the last generation of kids that have been left to run their own world.
It must be terrifying to be allowed to make all the decisions and to have no boundaries to bash up against.
No one who says the buck stops here buddy.
I see children everywhere acting up and out, not because they are “bad” but because they are terrified.
They don’t perform because nothing is expected of them. Certainly not excellence. There is no longer any healthy competition. Everybody gets a trophy. I remember the days when a teacher could complain (in a note or a phone call) about a child’s performance in class, and be reasonably assured that the parent would take it from there. Not so any more.
Children need all the love in the world accompanioned by guidance and discipline and above all boundaries.
It is the boundaries that make them feel safe even though it is their job to push against those boundaries.
The anchors and wings.
The children and the teachers need the parents to get back in the game.
For the record. I think that merit pay is a rotten idea, “because teachers do not trust the criteria that are used to represent their performance.“
Perhaps all parents should be condemned to a month of home schooling
once a year?
So why are most all other occupations graded on performance but teachers find reasons not to be? So some don’t want to be held to student performance. I would ask that test grades be used as part of teacher evaluation, along with other goals, requirements, etc. And what if poor grade performance was not used in evaluations, but grade improvements were used to recognize those teachers performing above the average. In my experience with evaluations, I usually received the average increase if I performed at or near my expected level. If I wanted a greater increase I found performing at a higher level brought that to me. I even went to the further step of recording what I saw as performances beyond the normal and presenting them to my supervisor, as they can be easily overlooked over time.
Couple issues I have with schools:
1-Attempts to get all kids to same level. Brings down the overachievers and makes it difficult for those that struggle. Not all need to be prepared for Harvard?
2-Teachers seem to stay at same level, teaching 3rd grade of 20-30 years, and still get annual increases. What other jobs allow one to continue with the same responsibilities and continue to get raises? A bookkeeper, clerk, etc. position is only worth a limited salary. At some point you reach the top and if you want more money you work for a promotion.
just some random thoughts.
welshwoman has the correct answer—bravo!
Any proposal to base teacher compensation SOLELY on student achievement is inherently flawed. Many, perhaps most, of the factors that inhibit student achievement are completely outside the classroom teacher’s control and involve significant failures on the parts of parents, school administrators - principals included - and bureaucrats.
Such a proposal unduly punishes teachers for failing to overcome factors they cannot change and offers an “easy-out” for administrators, especially principals who evalaute teacher performance in their schools, who fail to establish and maintain an environment in which discipline is enforced, teachers are supported, parents are held accountable for their student’s achievement so that teaching and learning can occur.
The “100%“ proposal does nothing but shift blame to teachers for failures which, for the most part, derive from the failures of others.
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