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For Teachers

Performance Pay

Executive Summary of Plan for Teachers

An Overview of the Douglas County Performance Pay Plan

The Douglas County performance pay plan for teachers can be considered as a plan with two major parts. The first part is comprised of the basic salary structure for all teachers in the district. The second, and completely distinct from the first, is a series of bonus incentive components that teachers may participate in voluntarily. Teachers who choose to participate in one or all of the incentive components can augment their salary, but under no circumstances do they risk losing base salary.

Base Salary Determination

The first part establishes a teacher's base salary by using a compound interest formula that factors in both a teacher's number of successful evaluation credits (what in a salary schedule is termed a longevity step) and the level of education a teacher has attained. Each factor represents a percentage value of the base salary. Multiplying these two factors against the base determines the actual salary a teacher receives.

While this might appear to be a salary schedule by another name, unlike a conventional single-cell schedule, under the performance pay plan a teacher does not automatically receive an increase based on length of service. Teachers must receive a satisfactory evaluation of their performance to be eligible for such an increase. Thus, the base salary distinguishes between "proficient" and "unsatisfactory" teacher performance. Teachers who receive an unsatisfactory rating are not eligible to receive an evaluation credit, a negotiated cost-of-living adjustment, for the coming year. In essence, their salary is frozen for one year. Moreover, unsatisfactory performance ratings also preclude the teacher's participation in any of the bonus incentive components of the plan

Bonus Incentive Components

The second part of the Douglas County performance pay plan is composed of a series of incentive bonus components. All of these components, there are six, are designed to encourage and reward aspects of teacher performance that were not traditionally rewarded under the single-cell salary schedule or an additional activities schedule. Bonus incentive awards are completely separate from a teacher's base salary and are made as one-time payments, though eligible teachers may participate each year.

Group Incentive Program

The first bonus incentive component of the pay plan is the group incentive program. This component is designed to encourage cooperative efforts within schools, or groups of teachers, to work on common goals that directly impact student performance. Plans are developed within schools by planning committees that work with the school's entire staff. Teachers draft a plan, collect signatures of support from other faculty members, the building administrator and the building Accountability Committee. All of this is done prior to submitting the school's proposal to the Group Incentive Board (GIB), the governing body of the Group Incentive Plan component. This body reviews the proposed plan, can recommend revisions, and grants final approval for the school to move ahead. At the end of the school year, a participating group compiles a final report detailing the execution of the plan and evidence of the impact on students. Additionally, reflections of the overall plan and recommendations for the future are submitted  to GIB. The GIB then makes the determination whether the plan's goals were met and a bonus should be awarded.

In 2000, the GIB has focused on aligning a school's improvement plan with its group incentive proposals. The current thinking is that schools who are able to enlist 75 percent of their teachers to participate in the group incentive plan would also be able to use it as their school improvement plan.

Outstanding Teacher

An another bonus incentive component, and perhaps most controversial, is the Outstanding Teacher Program. This component of the plan rewards teachers who have demonstrated individual outstanding performance. The Outstanding Teacher programs are currently a bonus of $1250. Today, teachers in Douglas County can take advantage of four different outstanding programs. The reason Douglas County has four different programs is due to the fact that teachers who were successful on Type A a number of times asked for more and challenging ways to demonstrate their performance.

Type A, the original outstanding teacher program, uses criterion established by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and modified by the Outstanding Teacher Committee. To receive the bonus, teachers notify their building administrator of their intent to participate, collect six artifacts during the school year supporting their outstanding performance, compile a portfolio that includes relevant career and teaching assignment information. Teachers must also include their educational philosophy and information generated by peer and client (parents/student) surveys. The portfolio is submitted to the building administrator at the beginning of May who then reviews the documentation and makes the decision whether or not to award the teacher the designation of "Outstanding Teacher" and the $1250 bonus.

Type B is a portfolio based on standards-based education. Teachers compile a "body of evidence" showing their efforts in using Douglas County's "configuration map" to develop a standards-based classroom. The configuration map is a rubric that defines standards-based educational practices on a variety of domains. Teachers "measure" themselves against the rubric and submit their portfolios.

Type C is for teachers who are pursuing National Board Certification. To limit the amount of paperwork, teachers can submit a copy of their National Board portfolio with some minor modification.

New for the year 2000, Type D is based purely on actions resulting in student growth. Teachers submit proposals directly related to student growth and measure their success. Teachers will receive the designation based on their ability to demonstrate "outstanding" student growth within their unique assignment.

An appeals process was also developed for teachers who are denied the designation of "Outstanding Teacher." The appeals board is composed of nine members, five teachers appointed by the DCFT and four administrators appointed by the district, and has the authority to review the appeal and recommend to the superintendent of schools that the decision by the building administrator be upheld or overturned. The final decision rests with the superintendent

Skills Blocks

The performance pay plan also includes a "Skill Block" component designed to provide incentives for teachers to obtain skills identified by the district as central to fulfillment of its mission. Skill blocks are offered at after-school sessions and carry graduated values ranging from $250 to $500. To receive the skill block bonus teachers must not only attend training sessions but must also demonstrate mastery of the skill through an authentic assessment administered at the conclusion of the training program. In other words, the teacher must integrate the skill with his or her daily instruction.

Douglas County currently offers nine skill blocks for teachers and is developing two more. Over time, skill blocks will be phased out and others added.

Master Teacher

One bonus incentive component that was incorporated into the plan but was not available until the 2000 school year is "Master Teacher." This component was intended to address the Colorado Master Teacher License as mandated by the 1991 Educator Licensing Act. However, those requirements are still not available and the decision was made to develop criteria unique to Douglas County. A master teacher must show outstanding student growth similar to Type D outstanding teacher and possess a National Board Certification or two years of "outstanding teacher." Additionally, applicants must show leadership in their teaching field. Once a teacher receives the master teacher designation, he or she will be eligible to assume a variety mentoring roles within Douglas County. The Master Teacher award is for five years and is currently worth $2,500 each year.

Responsibility Pay

The final bonus incentive component addresses the issue of additional responsibilities undertaken by teachers for which they historically have received no additional compensation. Responsibility pay is broken into to divisions: district and site based responsibility pay.

District Responsibility Pay

District responsibility, funded at a level of approximately $25 per teacher FTE per year, is awarded to teachers who take on responsibilities at the district level. This includes such things as membership on the district's Teacher Evaluation Committee and the Twenty-first Century Partnership, a committee that considers and approves waivers to board policy and contract provisions. All of the committees that direct and modify the performance pay plan are paid by district responsibility.

Site-based Responsibility Pay

Site based responsibility pay, based on a per student formula, is distributed at the individual school level to teachers based on criteria and in award amounts determined by the school staff. Teachers in every building either elect representatives or use the entire staff to decide what responsibilities will be paid and in what amounts. This program is entirely site-based and there is very little guidance from Central Office or the DCFT. Schools make their decisions and submit pay vouchers to the payroll department.

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