Performance Pay Pioneers: Harrison's "Effectiveness and Results" Raises the Bar

8/9/2019 Performance Pay Pioneers: Harrison's "Effectiveness and Results" Raises the Bar

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PERFORMANCE PAY PIONEERS:Harrisons Effectiveness and Results Raises the Bar

by Benjamin DeGrowSenior Education Policy Analyst,Independence Institute

IP-1-2015 | January 2015

institute.org


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PERFORMANCE PAY PIONEERS: Harrisons Effectiveness and Results Raises the Bar January 2015

IndependenceInstitute.org 1

E XECUTIVE S UMMARY Colorados 2010 educa or effec ivenessre orm has improved he K-12 publicschool sys ems capabili y o dis inguish

he quali y o ins ruc ion. One schooldis ric has gone ur her han any o her inaking he nex logical s ep: differen ia ingeacher pay based on effec iveness. Harri-son School Dis ric 2 in Colorado Springshas pioneered a rigorous and sus ainablesys em o per ormance-based compensa-ion. Seniori y and academic creden ialsno longer ac or in o eacher salaries. eapproach aligns well wi h he research

on he ineffec iveness o radi ional paysys ems.

Launched in 2010, Harrisons Effec ivenessand esul s (E& ) program grew ou oormer superin enden Mike Miles in enseocus on boos ing achievemen amonga challenging s uden popula ion. edis ric is comprised o abou 70 percenlow-income and 70 percen minori ys uden s. Es ablishing and main aining a

sys em o rue per ormance pay has reliedon s rong leadership, aided by he lack oa ormal union con rac , and an organiza-ional cul ure driven by high expec a ions.

e guiding principles o E& balancerigor and a rm belie in individual each-er accoun abili y or s uden resul s wi hhe need o ensure airness and accuracy.e approach has gained deep rac ion by

building a meaning ul ool and purpose-ul process o observing and evalua ingeacher per ormance on he job. Equallyas impor an is he dis ric s horough andcare ul use o s uden achievemen da a.I logically ollows ha a eachers effec-iveness is evenly de ermined by regularper ormance evalua ions on one hand and

mul iple measures o s uden academicachievemen on he o her.

Harrison eachers move up he nine levelso E& earning anywhere rom $35,000o $90,000 a year s ric ly by making hemark bo h in pro essional per ormanceand s uden achievemen . A he lower halo he scale, eachers have clear oppor uni-y o increase heir earnings more quicklyhan heir coun erpar s in radi ional paysys ems. Comple ing he Dis inguishedeacher Evalua ion process and reachinghe op end o he pay scale is a more chal-lenging endeavor.

Dis ric principals, who also are paidaccording o a per ormance-based model,express overwhelming suppor or hesys em. o a lesser ex en , majori ies oeachers are also avorable o E& . Evi-dence poin s o widespread changes in in-s ruc ional prac ices, par icularly rela ed oda a usage and lesson prepara ion. Bu herela ive inexperience o Harrisons eaching work orce and he modera e ra e o eacherurnover persis .

No rigorous ormal research has been doneo show E& resul s in grea er s udensuccess, bu he ollowing key indica orss rongly sugges he need o s udy a po en-ial connec ion:

e dis ric climbed s eadily rom aca-demic wa ch s a us in 2006 o a s rongaccredi a ion ra ing in 2013.

Overall CAP and dis ric assessmenscores rose s eadily be ween 2009 and2013.

e dis ric s average AC es scorerose rom 16.8 in 2010 o 19.0 in 2014.


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PERFORMANCE PAY PIONEERS: Harrisons Effectiveness and Results Raises the Bar

IndependenceInstitute.org

January 2015

2

...To the extent

we can better

distinguish

effective and

highly effective

educators from

their ineffective

counterparts, we

also should pay

them accordingly.

Wi hin our years, he on- ime gradua-ion ra e wen rom lagging he s a e av-erage by 10 poin s o opping he s a e.

E& s ar ed as a ve-year es drive wi h aailsa e op ion ha would allow he dis rico re urn o a radi ional pay s ruc ure.Bu dis ric leaders consis en ly expressa s rong commi men o con inuing heprogram in o he oreseeable u ure. Har-rison has pioneered a less difficul , albeis ill challenging, pa h or o her dis ric s oadop rue per ormance pay. Poli ical willand leadership are needed o duplica e hisapproach elsewhere. e more Harrisoncan demons ra e he source o i s success,he easier ha decision will be.

INTRODUCTION

e call o re hink how eachers are paidhas been sounded or decades by hoseconcerned abou he need o drive moreeffec ive classroom ins ruc ion and ospend K-12 ax dollars more produc ive-ly. Experimen s and hal -hear ed effor shave been atemp ed and discarded. Someini ia ives o al er or o abolish he uni ormsalary schedule con inue wi h varying de-grees o success. esearch is mixed abouhe role o bonuses and o her incen ives inchanging eacher behavior or he composi-ion o he eaching work orce in ways hadrive improvemen s in s uden learning.Even so, he s ill predominan sys emo educa or compensa ion represen s acos -ineffec ive, and ul ima ely unsus ain-

able, approach o raising s uden achieve-men wi h ni e resources.

In 2010, he ground shifed under Col-orados public eaching pro ession. eadop ion o Sena e Bill 191 commenceda leng hy process in ended o dis inguishmeaning ully be ween eachers and prin-cipals o differen skill levels, iden ied

in signican par based on impac s ons uden learning, and o ie job pro ec ionso proven effec iveness. Local dis ric shave he op ion o crea e heir own evalua-ion rameworks ha mee or exceed s a e

s andards, bu mos dis ric s have leanedon he s a es empla e.

eal progress has been made. Ye imple-men a ion con inues o ace various chal-lenges including he consis en applica-ion o meaning ul s a ewide rubrics andullling he revamped evalua ion require-men s wi hin reasonable ime cons rain s.1 S ill, a logical oppor uni y has ollowedhe promise o SB 191: o he ex en wecan beter dis inguish effec ive and highlyeffec ive educa ors rom heir ineffec ivecoun erpar s, we also should pay hemaccordingly.

Colorados larges school dis ric s havemade headlines over he pas decade orheir effor s a compensa ion re orm.Preda ing SB 191, Denvers ProComp isa join crea ion wi h he local eachers

union ha offers a menu o pay incen ivesor i ems, many o which are only looselyconnec ed wi h measured s uden learninggains.2 In 2012-13 Douglas Coun y, whichcrafed i s own evalua ion rameworks, began issuing eacher pay raises based ona combina ion o pro essional evalua ionra ing and marke demand or specic jobassignmen s.3

Laboring in he shadow o hese wo large

me ropoli an Denver dis ric s has been alocal Colorado Springs agency ha argu-ably has surpassed hem by crea ing andsus aining a more progressive and durableoverhaul o eacher compensa ion. each-ers in Harrison School Dis ric 2 as inDouglas Coun y and smaller, moun ainousEagle Coun y gain no au oma ic reward


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...Harrisons

demographics

could have been

used as a crutch

for the districts

lackluster results.

or years o service or degree creden ialsearned. Among hem, Harrison eachersalone have he po en ial no only or a sal-ary increase bu also or a salary decrease.e dis ric s Effec iveness and esul s

program hus represen s rue per ormancepay.4

Like any o her K-12 policy change, headop ion o a pay- or-per ormance (PFP)sys em does no provide a silver bul-le solu ion. None heless, PFP can be a valuable ool o drive improved ou comesor s uden s when done in conjunc ion

wi h o her cri ical changes. e successHarrison has achieved has been bols ered by a more rigorous ocus on school-levelins ruc ional leadership, a robus evalu-a ion ool, an enhanced body o assess-men s, and an effec ive process o analyzeda a. Underpinning i all is an excep ionalpublic school dis ric cul ure buil on highexpec a ions or s uden s and goals oimprove achievemen , wi h less ocus oninpu s and ewer dis rac ions rom ou sideorganiza ional in eres s and poli ics.

M AKING THE M OVE TO P ERFORMANCE P AY

e Harrison s ory began wi h an excep-ional leader commited o boos ing s u-den achievemen in a s ruggling dis ric . When Superin enden Mike Miles ookhe helm in 2006, he s a e educa ion de-par men had jus placed Harrison SchoolDis ric 2 on academic wa ch. I was near

he botom 10 percen o Colorados178 school dis ric s in erms o s udenachievemen .5 en as now, Harrisonserved abou 11,000 pupils, including 70percen racial minori ies.6

Wi h more han 60 percen o kids eligibleor ederal lunch aid (72 percen in 2014-15), and high ra es o s uden mobili y,

Harrisons demographics could have beenused as a cru ch or he dis ric s lacklus erresul s. Miles chose ins ead o orge Harri-son in o a cuting-edge model commitedo high expec a ions and a new way o do-

ing business. a included paying eachers based on heir per ormance. We neededo do some hing dras ic, said Margieucks uhl, he dis ric s esearch, Da a,and Accoun abili y officer.7

In he summer o 2009, Miles drafed heini ial concep paper or wha would be-come he Effec iveness and esul s (E& )program.8 During he ollowing mon hs,he superin enden shared his plans wi h

board members and cen ral adminis ra-ors.9 Cri ically, he also brough in buildingprincipals o earn heir inpu and buy-in.e Board o Educa ion ormally approvedhe plan in Oc ober 2009.10

Miles also broached he idea wi h heHarrison Educa ion Associa ion (HEA),a non-bargaining local associa ion harepresen ed (and s ill represen s) only a

minori y o dis ric eachers. HEA admin-is ered i s own licensed eacher survey andreleased resul s ha showed roughly evenlevels o suppor , opposi ion, and waiand see. By he end o he school year,hough, 76 percen o dis ric s aff vo ed ogo ahead wi h E& .11

In he 2010-11 school year, eacher per or-mance pay became a reali y in Harrison,albei hardly a a convenien ime. e dis-

ric s budge was undergoing a recession-ary squeeze, and he ransi ion o E& ne-cessi a ed subs an ial s ar -up cos s. Wi hhe excep ion o an $800,000 Daniels Fundgran , he dis ric made he ini ial ransi-ion wi hin i s exis ing budge cons rain s.

Among o her expenses, $400,000 was seaside o bee up dis ric -wide assessmen s


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January 2015

4

All teachers

fall into one of

nine pay bands

as a result of

their overall

effectiveness

rating.

and da a, and an addi ional $300,000 wasdedica ed o eacher salaries.12

In moving rom he radi ional s eps-and-lanes schedule o he nine- iered per or-mance pay plan, our in ve eachers drewa pay raise and none los earnings eveni heir ini ial effec iveness level coincided wi h a lower salary amoun .13 Abou wo-hirds o licensed s aff were shifed in oE& or he rs year.14 Wi h a ew excep-ions, nearly all oday par icipa e in hecuting-edge compensa ion plan.15

E& launched as a ve-year experimen . Incase Harrison ailed o show progress, he

Board crea ed a ailsa e. Per ormance pay would be ermina ed, and eachers would be placed back on he 2009-10 salaryschedule, adjus ed upward or ina ion.16 oday, hough, he ailsa e op ion is noin con empla ion as he dis ric movesorward on i s high-expec a ion, per or-mance-based rajec ory.

e ex ension o he program was aided by he receip o a ve-year, $9 millioneacher Incen ive Fund ( IF) rom heU.S. Depar men o Educa ion in Sep em- ber 2012.17 e use o unds has included bringing counselors, principals, and o herlicensed s aff in o E& ; hiring ins ruc ion-al coordina ors o provide enhanced s affpro essional developmen ; and con rac ing wi h an ex ernal evalua or o examine heprogram quali y and resul s.18

E&R P ROGRAM D ESIGN

Harrison iden ies he seven ollowingprinciples and parame ers underlyinghe Effec iveness and esul s plan, whichgovern i s design and implemen a ion:19

1.Student academic achievement andobservable teacher performanceeach count for half of the profession-

al evaluation. Harrison adop ed hisprinciple be ore Colorado enshrineda similar SB 10-191 requiremen in os a e law.

2. eacher accountability is over- whelmingly at the individual level, wi h he predominan par o he s u-den achievemen score coming roms uden s he eacher ac ually ins ruc s.

3.Fairness, accuracy, and rigor arefundamental guiding principles. Ahe same ime, he dis ric acknowledg-es ha varying condi ions a differenschools (e.g., s uden popula ions, class

sizes, and school-based ins ruc ionalprograms) are no ac ored.

4.Te plan does not inherently favor ordisfavor any particular job positions.e dis ric aims o make i equallydifficul or eachers o differen gradesand disciplines o achieve he sameeffec iveness ra ings and accompanyingpay.

5.Compensation is fundamentallydifferentiated based on measuresof effectiveness , providing ruepay- or-per ormance ra her han anincen ive add-on.

6. A premium is placed on standard-ized implementation. eachersare no ra ed differen ly based on heschool si e where hey work.

7.Te rst version of E&R is not neces-sarily the nal version , providing orongoing program evalua ion and oppor-uni y or revision.

All eachers all in o one o nine pay bandsas a resul o heir overall effec ivenessra ing. e ra ing is largely, bu no exclu-sively, de ermined by a eachers overall


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evalua ion score in a given year. esalary amoun s associa ed wi h each o heeffec iveness levels are included in gure1 below. Every hree years he E& FocusGroup ( ormerly known as he Harrison

Plan Focus Group) an advisory councilo eachers, adminis ra ors, and school board represen a ives con ers o makerecommenda ions o dis ric adminis ra-ion and school board regarding he ad-

jus men s o he nine-level scale. e nexadjus men is being considered his year oake effec in 2015-16.20

Harrison denes he hreshold o educa-or effec iveness differen ly han SB 191does. A Procien I ra ing coincides wi han effec ive ra ing. o be considered highlyeffec ive, an employee mus comple e heDis inguished eacher Evalua ion process(described on page 11) and atain a Pro-cien II or higher ra ing.21

T HE F IRST H ALF : M ORE E FFECTIVE E VALUATIONS

Based on his prior adminis ra ive experi-ence in Maryland, School Leadership Offi-cer Edwin Saunders observed ha dis ric sypically pay more aten ion o complying

wi h eacher bargaining con rac s han ohe quali y o ins rumen s used o evalu-a e eachers.22 Harrison represen s a s ark

depar ure rom ha approach, which iscommonly ound in a unionized con ex .In applying or ederal IF money, dis ricleaders no ed he remendous impor anceo developing a s rong evalua ion ool:

A dis ric could implemen arigorous eacher evalua ion sys em wi hou having a pay- or-per or-mance plan. However, i is unlikelyo be able o implemen an effec ivepay- or-per ormance plan wi h-ou a air, accura e, and rigorousevalua ion sys em ha emphasizesgood classroom ins ruc ion ied os uden achievemen .23

E VALUATION F ACTORS

Exac ly 50 percen o a Harrison eachersoverall effec iveness ra ing, and ul ima elyhis or her earnings, is de ermined by hera ing achieved hrough a well-denedpro essional evalua ion process and rubric.e mark achieved on a scale o 0 o 50 isknown as he eacher per ormance evalu-a ion score.24 e score is derived rom aeachers ra ing on seven clearly iden iedper ormance s andards.25

e seven s andards are comprised o 27o al elemen s. Each elemen con ainsmul iple indica ors, which are graded on

Harrison SchoolDistrict 2 Teacher

PerformanceStandards

1. Teachers pre-pare for qualityinstruction usinga comprehensiveapproach.

2. Teachers useassessment data toinform instruction.

3. Teachers deliverquality instruction.

4. Teachers increasethe probabilityof advancingindividual studentachievement.

5. Teachers estab-lish a culture thatis conducive tostudent well-beingand learning.

6. Teachers areresponsible forprofessional growthand positive lead-ership.

7. Teachers have aresponsibility to theprofession, Districtparents, studentsand the public.

Novice Progressing Profcient Exemplary Master

I II I II III I II

35 38 40/44 48 54 60 70 80 90

Nine Effectiveness Levels

Figure 1. E&R Program Effec iveness and Pay Levels (Harrison School Dis ric 2)

Principal District Review

in thousands of dollars


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January 2015

6

...the process is

trying to get to

an end product:

improved

professional

performance.

a our-poin scale.26 I a eacher clearlyalls shor o dis ric s andards and earnsan Unsa is ac ory ra ing on a par icularindica or, zero poin s are earned; 2 orProgressing; 4 or Procien ; and 7

or Exemplary. Exemplary classroomsconsis o a communi y o learners, char-ac erized by rigorous ins ruc ion and highs uden engagemen .27

e ra ing or each elemen is de ermined by aking he average score rom each ohe associa ed indica ors and assigning i apoin value as illus ra ed in he ollowingable:

Rating Point ValueUnsatisfactory 1Progressing I 2Progressing II 3Pro cient I 4Pro cient II 5Pro cient III 6Exemplary 7

ere are wo no able excep ions:28

I wo indica ors are Unsa is ac ory,he overall elemen ra ing is Unsa is-ac ory

I one indica or is Unsa is ac ory, heoverall elemen ra ing is Progressing I

e same basic ormula and excep ionsapply or de ermining he ra ings or eacho he seven s andards. An average is akeno he poin values or each o he hree,ve, or seven relevan elemen s wi hin hes andard. e eacher is hen assigned as andard ra ing on he same seven-poinscale. e eacher per ormance evalua ionscore equa es o he sum o all seven s an-

dards, wi h ra ings ied o score ranges asshown below.

E VALUATION P ROCESS

en-year ve eran principal John ogerson

s a ed ha key elemen s o ins ruc ion can be quan ied. Harrisons E& evalua ionool makes one o he more precise e -or s o demons ra e ha ru h. ogersonacknowledges ha i here are errors incalcula ions or cu scores, hese errors endo be adjus ed in he eachers avor.29 esame rend is observed commonly in K-12educa ion, hough wi h less precision. eprocess used o ra e and evalua e also has aorma ive purpose. In o her words, as og-erson explained, he process is rying o geo an end produc : improved pro essionalper ormance.30

e dis ric s ar s each school year wi ha manda ory in orma ional mee ing ocommunica e clearly and exac ly how heevalua ion process will work, includinghe orms o be used. eachers hen workoge her wi h heir evalua ors o develop

individual pro essional grow h plans. Eacheacher is expec ed o se wo SMA 31 goals one or heir per ormance evalu-a ion and one or heir s uden s learningachievemen wi h he op ion o includ-ing a hird goal.32 Each goal includes a plano ac ion, as well as specic da a sourcesand means o evalua ion o de ermine ihe goal has been me .33

e bes evalua ion ool will have lim-

i ed value i i s seldom used. Harrisonprincipals and dis ric leaders wa ch heirclassroom ins ruc ors in ac ion morerequen ly han he norm. Every eacher

who has achieved he hree consecu ive

Evaluation of Performance

Unsatisfactory Progressing I Progressing IIPro cient I Pro cient II Pro cient III Exemplary

0-10 11-17 18-24 25-31 32-38 39-45 46-50


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Multiple measures

are used to help

ensure a more

reliable picture of

teacher impacts.

years o effec ive evalua ions required oearn non-proba ionary s a us undergoesa minimum o one ormal observa ionprocess each year. Proba ionary eachersexperience a leas wo rounds o ormal

observa ions.34

Each round begins wi h a pre-observa ioncon erence be ween he eacher and he building adminis ra or responsible or heevalua ion. According o Harrisons E&plan, his one-on-one mee ing gives heeacher a chance o clari y s ep by s ephow he process will work, and o iden-i y areas in which he or she would likeocused eedback.35 Conversa ions ocus

on s reng hs and areas in need o im-provemen . I s no a go cha sys em, said Wildower Elemen ary principal WendyGodwin.36

ree o ve school days afer spend-ing ex ensive ime observing classroomins ruc ion, he wo par ies mee again sohe evalua or can go over he decision re-garding a eachers iden ied per ormancelevel in de ail. eachers are encouraged ogo hrough a reec ion process ocusedon s uden s and he ins ruc ional process,and o bring an accompanying orm o hecon erence.37 e eacher may choose oshare addi ional in orma ion rela ed ohis or her per ormance during he ormalobserva ion.38

e ormal observa ion process is rein-orced by a series o spo observa ions,sus ained looks a classroom ins ruc ionor 10 or more minu es. Following dis ricguidelines, Godwin said ha each semes ershe makes our spo observa ions o ve -eran eachers and eigh spo observa ionso newer, growing eachers.39 Addi ionalin ormal observa ions o eacher per or-mance hrough various day- o-day in er-

ac ions are encouraged or principals ounder ake as needed.40

Evalua ors issue remedia ion plans in wri ing o eachers who earn an unsa is-ac ory ra ing, or who are s uck or ve

years on a progressing ra ing or hesame s andard or elemen .41 e checkliso ollow includes a clear iden ica ion ohe problem, he desired level o per or-mance, and a specic ac ion plan ha mayinclude pro essional developmen . By heend o he alloted ime, ailure o x heproblem may resul in renewing he plan orin a recommenda ion or dismissal.42 Suc-cess ul comple ion o a remedia ion plan

is required be ore a eacher can advance oano her effec iveness level.43

As long as he evalua ion proceduresare ollowed properly, a eacher has nogrounds or an appeal. Upon reques , heevalua ors supervisor is charged wi hde ermining whe her a breach o proce-dural in egri y occurred.44 e dis ric s well-documen ed summa ive evalua ionorms enable principals o provide a paperrail ha proves heir case.45

One circums ance can ini ia e a closer lookin o a eachers evalua ion. epresen a-ives o wo dis ric depar men s SchoolLeadership, as well as Curriculum, Ins ruc-ion and Assessmen can be reques ed oissue a review, bu only i he per ormancescore and he [s uden achievemen da ascore] differ by more han one level.46

T HE S ECOND H ALF : M EASURING S TUDENT A CHIEVEMENT

An objec ive, measurable s uden achieve-men da a score de ermines he o her 50poin s o a eachers evalua ion and overallevalua ion ra ing.47 Mul iple measures areused o help ensure a more reliable pic ureo eacher impac s. Harrison adminis ra-


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January 2015

8

...the district has

developed the

use of unique pie

graphs (familiarly

known as pies)

to depict the

various measures

and speci c

weights used

to determine a

speci c teachers

score.

ors believe ha o do pay- or-per ormancecorrec ly, he goal should be a minimalamoun o mul iple measures, so as no ooverload eachers wi h complexi y.48

In he early s ages o E& , he se s o ac-ors used o ra e eachers in differen gradelevels, subjec areas, and special ies werelaid ou in de ailed s uden achievemenempla es.49 More recen ly, he dis ric hasdeveloped he use o unique pie graphs( amiliarly known as pies) o depic he various measures and specic weigh s usedo de ermine a specic eachers score. Seegure 2 below o a sample pie.50 e redpor ion, which comprises 25 percen o anevalua ion ra ing, includes grow h on s a e

assessmen s. Only 5 percen is de ermined by he School Per ormance Framework(SPF), a collec ive ra ing assigned by heColorado Depar men o Educa ion.

e precise number o dis ribu ions ordifferen licensed s aff posi ions changesannually. Various numbers o he piesused in 2013-14 were ei her spli orcombined, while he curren school yearincluded he in roduc ion o o hers.51 For2014-15, Harrison employs 95 differenpies. o demons ra e he evolving sys-em, he dis ric used 88 differen s udenachievemen empla es during he 2011-12school year, while a ano her poin here were more han 100.52

Assessment Measure Weight Description Attribution

TCAP MGP/ACT/Accu-placer

25% Core content staff accountability signi cantly basedon growth when available, otherwise growth-to-mas-tery

Individual

National Assessments 15% A nationally-normed assessment aligned to CCSS

(Math & ELA), National Science Education Stan-dards, and National council for the Social Studies(NCSS) Curriculum Standards. Researching growthmetrics to apply

Individual

District Assessments 5% Will be vetted using the District Quality AssuranceTool.

Individual

SPF 5% Staff contribution to school performance Collective

TCAP MGP/ACT/Accuplacer

National Assessments

District Assessments

SPF (School Performance Framework)

50%PerformanceEvaluation

25%

15%

5%5%

2013-14 Core Teacher Evaluation Distribution

Figure 2. E&R Program Sample eacher Pie (Harrison School Dis ric 2)


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...[A]djustments

are made based

on previous

years data, to

help ensure an

approximate

distribution, and

are not used as

a hard-and-fast

quota.

In be ween school years, he dis ric s da aeam rese s he cu poin s wi hin someo he various assessmen s ha ra e anins ruc or rom Unsa is ac ory o Exem-plary. e eam compiles he pas hree

years o eacher resul s and plo s hem ona dis ribu ion in order o se prociencygoals. Afer he ini ial hree years o setingand adjus ing, he respec ive cu poin s arelef in place or ano her hree years, unlesschanges o he es or curriculum neces-si a e ha hey be rese .53 Dis ric leadershave placed he emphasis on academicgrow h, or year-over-year progress ors uden s. o measure high-s a us schoolsand classrooms more airly, eachers wi h80 percen or more o s uden s already aprocien level are ra ed based on lowergrow h arge s.54

In par o keep he program scally solven ,he dis ric has se an overall arge dis ri-

bu ion goal or he differen effec ivenessra ings a eacher can earn, as displayed ingure 3. e dis ribu ion is applied o hecu poin s o he various assessmen s used

o record a s uden achievemen score. Iis impor an o no e ha he adjus men s

are made based on previous years da a, ohelp ensure an approxima e dis ribu ion,and are no used as a hard-and- as quo a.55

e varie y o dis ribu ions atemp s ocarry ou he E& principles o rigor,airness, and individual accoun abili y. Noall eachers work in grades or subjec areas where s uden s receive s a e assessmen s.Bu wi h a number o measuremen oolsa i s disposal, Harrison seeks o ensureha s uden progress in all non-coresubjec areas (e.g., ar , music, physicaleduca ion, world languages) is measuredin a way ha gives eachers o differen jobdescrip ions equi able oppor uni y o gehigher ra ings and ascend he pay scale.Group incen ives, such as SPF recogni ionrom he Colorado Depar men o Educa-ion, represen no more han a small shareo any eachers overall ra ing.56

Na urally, he goal o he sys em is o alignhe resul s o s uden s wi h he eachers

who ins ruc and supervise hem duringpar or all o a school day. Assigning

s uden s who ail o show up because oamily mobili y, ruancy, or o her reasons

Figure 3. E&R Program Prociency arge Dis ribu ion (Harrison School Dis ric 2)

Target Distribution

3%

12%

25%

40%

12%

8%

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%Unsat Prog I Prog II Prof I Prof II Prof III+


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January 2015

10

Harrison

uses over 200

different district

assessments to

measure student

learning status

and growth.

presen s a challenge. While ensuring haimpor an linkage, Harrison also excludess uden s who are absen more han 25percen o ime rom affec ing a eachersscore.57

In all cases, he s uden achievemen da aused o de ermine a eachers effec ivenessra ing and salary is compiled over a leashe rs hree academic quar ers o heprior school year. I a eacher is workingin he dis ric or a leas his or her second year, es da a rom he previous academicquar er is also used. For example, a ve eraneachers 2015-16 salary placemen incor-pora es s uden achievemen da a rom heour h quar er o he 2013-14 school yearas well as he rs hree quar ers o 2014-15.58

As wi h he per ormance side o he evalu-a ion ra ing, oppor uni y exis s or each-ers o ge a second look a he achievemenscore used o ra e hem. eachers generallycan reques a review wi hin wo weekso he pos ing o challenge calcula ions,

s uden - o- eacher linkage, or any concernsha rela e o ha assessmen .59

A SSESSMENTS AND D ATA Harrison uses over 200 differen dis ricassessmen s o measure s uden learnings a us and grow h.60 e dis ric ve s herigor and reliabili y o i s assessmen shrough a Quali y Assurance ool. WhileHarrison has con inued o wri e and addi s own assessmen s, hey have cu back onhe number o imes he es s are admin-is ered o s uden s.61 Under he leadershipo Superin enden Andre Spencer, whoook over in January 2013, he dis ric hass opped regular quar erly assessmen s.None heless, Harrison has main ainedmid-year assessmen s or all subjec s and

endo -year assessmen s or non-s a e-es ed subjec s.62

In implemen ing new es s or high-s akespurposes, he dis ric works care ully ogive hem a rial run rs . Spencers prede-cessor Miles urged as an impor an lessonha he es s should be given o eachers aleas wo mon hs in advance o use so heycan see how hey are aligned o dis ric andCommon Core s andards. He also s ar edhe prac ice o pilo ing dis ric assessmen sor a year in order o give bo h he cen raloffice ha crea ed hem and he eachersha rely on hem a chance o work ou hekinks.63 Similarly, he Colorado Measureso Academic Success (CMAS) or scienceand social s udies rs given by he s a e in2013-14 did no ac or in o any eacherseffec iveness ra ing or 2014-15.64

Harrison ofen revisi s he na ional assess-men s ha gure in o many eachers eval-ua ion ra ings.65 Signican curren exam-ples include he S an ord 10 (grades K-2); AC Aspire (3-10); Advanced Placemen ;

Accuplacer (12); and SAMP (WorldLanguages). e dis ric s da a eam has begun using a linear regression model opredic resul s on he AC Aspire, wi hou side echnical advisers assis ing hemin making correla ions o he Coloradoes ing sys em.66

e esearch, Da a, and Accoun abili yoffice has developed ex ensive proceduresand calcula ions o ensure he in egri y

o he resul s, largely de ailed in a ech-nical documen .67 Mos s aff do no needo grapple wi h he deeper ma h. Bu heoffice works regularly o empower eachersand principals wi h he da a resources heyneed o unders and and effec ively do heir work. IF gran manager Laurie Eas upproduces regular podcas s, accompanied


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In order to

advance beyond

the Pro cient I

level, a teacher

must successfully

complete

the districts

Distinguished

Teacher

Evaluation (DTE)

process.

wi h compu er screen demons ra ions, oshare wi h s aff.68

P ERFORMANCE -B ASED C OMPENSATION

A Harrison eachers evalua ion ra ingcombines he scores earned hroughhe evalua ion process and hrough hedis ribu ion o s uden achievemen da ain a given accoun abili y year. Evalua-ion ra ings range rom Unsa is ac oryup hrough wo levels o Progressing andhree levels o Procien , o Exemplary.e lower rungs o he seven-level ra ingscale are climbed more easily. Ob aining a

higher evalua ion ra ing up hrough Pro-cien I also direc ly raises a eachers overalleffec iveness ra ing and salary. Conversely,a eacher has o receive back- o-back lowerevalua ion ra ings o drop back o a lowercompensa ion level.69

In order o advance beyond he ProcienI level, a eacher mus success ully com-ple e he dis ric s Dis inguished eacherEvalua ion (D E) process. A eacher becomes eligible by earning a leas a 32per ormance evalua ion score and a 35s uden achievemen score (which bo hequa e o a ra ing o Procien II).70 Uponhe principals recommenda ion, an eligibleeacher presen s o he dis ric evidenceo leadership ou side he classroom,li elong learning, and broader pro essionalcon ribu ions. ese hree ac ors all counin he decision o con er D E designa ion,

hough quali y o ins ruc ion is given dou- ble weigh in he calcula ion. e principalalso provides his or her assessmen o heeacher on an applica ion orm.71

A dis ric review near he end o he school year hen commences. A our-membeream, including wo cen ral office employ-ees, in erviews he applican afer con-

duc ing wo classroom observa ions o 40minu es or longer. ey ra e he applican blindly on a 50-poin scale. I oo large adiscrepancy emerges among heir evalu-a ions, o her independen reviewers may

be invi ed o weigh in. Once approved, adis inguished eacher undergoes a paperreview process wi h he dis ric every o her year o main ain his or her s a us.72

o achieve he higher overall effec ivenesslevels, and associa ed pay, a eacher mussucceed in he D E process as ollows:73

Procient III: receive a minimums uden achievemen score o 44 and a

minimum dis ric -level review o 38 Exemplary I: receive a minimum

s uden achievemen score o 48 and aminimum dis ric -level review o 42

Exemplary II: receive a minimums uden achievemen score o 48 and aminimum dis ric -level review o 46

e nal hill o climb in E& s nine levelso overall effec iveness is he dis inc iono Mas er eacher. wo condi ions areatached o receiving he ra ing and i s ac-companying $90,000 salary. Firs , a eachermus main ain he Exemplary II ra ing orwo consecu ive years. Second, a eacherei her has o have earned Na ional Boardcer ica ion or o have success ully augha leas one academic year in an impover-ished school ou side o his or her homeschool as de ermined by he Dis ric .74

I NITIAL P LACEMENT AND G ROWTH Harrison ypically places incomingeachers a ei her he Novice ($35,000)or Progressing I ($38,000) effec ivenesslevel based on a review o heir pasachievemen da a and an es ima ion oheir en ering prociency.75 e Human


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January 2015

12

In the 2012-13

school year, the

average Harrison

teacher had about

ve years of

combined teaching

experience...

Capi al (human resources) depar menlooks a prior experience wi h assessmen sand da a-driven ins ruc ion o make hede ermina ion.76 I is possible or a eachernew o he dis ric o be placed a a higher

salary level, based on a writen reques wi h suppor ing documen a ion rom heprincipal o he appropria e School Lead-ership Officer.77

e expec a ion is ha 60 percen oeachers will have reached Procien I($48,000) by heir hird year.78 A eacher wi h a mas ers degree creden ial in any ohe surrounding Colorado Springs dis ric s

would have o wai 10 o 12 years o reachhe same pay level, regardless o heir class-room effec iveness.79 Middle school princi-pal John ogerson says he kind o pow-er ul nancial incen ive Harrison offers ogrea eachers, especially hose working inan economically-challenged demographic,sends a power ul message.80

Given he depar ure rom radi ional edu-ca ion sys em prac ices and he oppor uni-

y or rapid early career advancemen , i sno surprising o learn ha Harrison has arela ively young eacher popula ion. In he2012-13 school year, he average Harrisoneacher had abou ve years o combinedeaching experience, less han hal he s a eaverage o 10.7 years.81 e previous year,abou one in 10 o he dis ric s 700 each-ers were par o he each or Americaprogram, which brings in op-igh collegegradua es or wo-year classroom assign-men s. I does end o atrac people onhe early end o heir career, said Direc oro Human Capi al Pam Aragon, whoseoffice is responsible or recrui men .82

Harrison discarded he prac ice o each-er recrui men and re en ion bonuses in2009.83 In ac , he dis ric curren ly offers

no sor o pay differen ial or harder- o-ll special ies. oday, he dis ric ocusessimply on compensa ing i s educa ors ac-cording o he ene s o he E& program.Harrison se a goal ha by 2018 hree ou

o our new eaching hires will be atrac edo work here because o E& .84 Evalua orsrecommended he dis ric could beterreach ha goal wi h a brochure or webpresen a ion o E& s ea ures and bene- s.85

rough IF- unded s udy, he dis richas learned ha a majori y o incomingeachers do no come because o E&and ha some are no even aware o hedis ric s dis inc ive ea ure. S ill, when pre-sen ed wi h he idea o per ormance pay,mos candida es are no urned off. Weare looking or ha inch or some hing,or some hing o show ha hey migh bescared, Aragon said. Very rarely is hahe case.86

alking abou he program and wha irequires o s aff members has become par

o a more purpose ul recrui men s ra -egy. We have a lo more conversa ions wi h applican s abou heir da a, HumanCapi al Officer Dee Mullins no ed. Weused o jus look a ranscrip s.87 o upda ei s own in ernal da a sys ems, he HumanCapi al Depar men has had o move beyond spreadshee s o help ensure E& isopera ed correc ly.

E&R FOR P RINCIPALS Appropria ely, principals and assis anprincipals a each o Harrisons 20 dis ric(non-char er) schools are paid based onper ormance as well, using he same basicormula. Guidance and supervision comerom he dis ric s wo School LeadershipOfficers, one o whom has responsibili yor elemen ary schools and he o her sec-


14/25



Its rare to see

this kind of

culture permeate

a system,

rather than just

a compliance

model, School

Leadership Of cerEdwin Saunders

observed.

ondary (middle and high) schools.88 es uden achievemen side o adminis ra orper ormance is weigh ed o composi eso school-level assessmen resul s, wi h asmall ac or ied o Harrisons Dis ric Per-

ormance Framework ra ing.89

A copy ohe principal dis ribu ion, or pie, is seen below in gure 4.

In 2013-14, he average principal or assis-an principal in Harrison received a sligh -ly higher annual salary ($84,053) han heaverage coun erpar s a ewide ($81,539).90

N OT J UST P OLICY : B UILDING A N EW C ULTURE

A pay- or-per ormance program can hardlysucceed wi hou a s rong evalua ion ool.

Nei her will i be effec ive or sus ainable wi hou a s rong cul ure in which i s lead-ers and educa ors are inves ed. I s rare osee his kind o cul ure permea e a sys em,ra her han jus a compliance model,School Leadership Officer Edwin Saundersobserved.91

Assessment Measure Weight Description Attribution

SPF 15% Principal contribution to school performance. School

State Assessments 10% Principal accountabili ty based on growth when avail-able, otherwise growth-to-mastery.

School

National Assessments 10% A nationally-normed assessment aligned to CCSS(Math & ELA), National Science Education Stan-dards, and National council for the Social Studies(NCSS) Curriculum Standards. Researching growthmetrics to apply.

School

District Assessments 5% Will be vetted using the District Quality AssuranceTool.

School

ACCESS Growth 5% A nationally-normed language acquisition assess-ment (state is determining growth metric).

School

DPF 5% Principal contribution to district performance. District

SPF (School Performance Framework)

State Assessments

National Assessments

District Assessments

ACCESS Growth

DPF (District Performance Framework)

50%PerformanceEvaluation

15%

10%

5%5%

Principal & Assistant Principal Evaluation Distribution

2014-2015

Figure 4. E&R Program Principal and Assis an Principal Pie (Harrison School Dis ric 2)

Achievement Distributions

10%

5%


15/25



January 2015

14

S rong leadership is an essen ial oun-da ion, and i s ar s a he dis ric level.Mul iple adminis ra ors a he building andcen ral office level credi ed ormer super-in enden Mike Miles wi h bir hing he

vision and keeping i alive. He placed a pre-mium on persis en ly communica ing wi hhe communi y o overcome resis ance ando build suppor or per ormance pay.92 esuccess o he superin enden s ini ia iveand vision was enhanced by he dis ric slack o a ormal eachers union con rac , which has given Harrison more reedomo innova e. In he summer o 2012, Mileslef or Dallas, exas, o ry o reproducehis effor s.93

Be ore Miles depar ed, he dis ric s elec -ed Board o Educa ion moved o a modelo Coheren Governance. e numbero board policies has been reduced romabou 300 o 30, wi h aten ion on hold-ing he Superin enden more accoun ableor daily dis ric opera ions, challengingcurriculum, high-quali y eachers andmos o all, s uden achievemen .94 Now in

his hird year as chie o Harrison SchoolDis ric , Spencers annual evalua ion de er-mines his own level o per ormance-basedpay.95

One o he chie lessons Miles learnedrom he early days o building he sys emis s reng hening he ocus on ins ruc ionalleadership by [over-communica ing] wi hprincipals and o her building leaders. Moseachers urn o heir principals rs .96

In Harrison, he sys em is s reng hened byhe remendous buy-in o building-leveladminis ra ors. E& doesn shape hecul ure; i s par o he cul ure, oger-son said. His colleague Wendy Godwinobserved ha across he dis ric , principalsare very inves ed in E& .97

As par o a IF- unded December 2013evalua ion, Harrison principals and o her building adminis ra ors were surveyedabou he E& plan. Some key ndingsunderscore he broad suppor or he per-

ormance-based approach:98

99 percen said he program is on herigh rack

95 percen credi ed he new evalua ionsys em wi h increasing eacher effec-iveness

85 percen agreed ha E& personallymakes hem a beter leader

84 percen believed he program con-ribu es o beter s uden achievemen ,

while 76 percen saw a posi ive con ribu ion o college readiness

Harrison loses abou wo ou o 20 schoolleaders per year.99 According o Saunders,mos dis ric principals have seven or more years o experience.100 Unlike he case wi heachers, Harrison building adminis ra-ors line up wi h he s a e average in ermso pro essional educa ion experience.101 e Human Capi al depar men observesha effec ive, s able principals who builda s rong ounda ion and a lo o s affloyal y na urally have a posi ive impac oneacher re en ion.102

I is ques ionable whe her he E& pro-gram could sus ain a larger scale depar ureo principals a any one ime. While some

assis an principals are ready o s ep up andake he helm, he cen ral office repor -ed ha a number o hem do no ye eelready or he challenge.103 Nor does hereseem o be a mul i ude o qualied ou -siders lining up or school leadership jobs,even hough he oppor uni y exis s o earnmore money.

In Harrison,

the system is

strengthened by

the tremendous

buy-in of

building-level

administrators.


16/25



Leading a Harrison school means embrac-ing a vision ha differs rom he norm. As one ve eran principal expressed, heprograms cul ure o evalua ion coun ershe broader percep ion wi hin K-12 ha

all eachers are above average. He praisedhe dis ric s level o suppor , bu no edha being a success ul ins ruc ional leaderrequires ac ion. You have o decide o geou o your office now and s ar providingeedback and suppor o your s aff, og-erson said. e s a us quo in educa ionisn growing children overall. You have os ar by changing he cul ure in your own building.104

E&R AND T EACHERS

T EACHER P ARTICIPATION

rans orming he radi ional school dis-ric cul ure cer ainly did no mee wi h

widespread accep ance a rs . Principalssaw ha mos eachers were apprehen-sive in he beginning. Wi hin wo years,hough, hey say mos eachers had in er-nalized he changes, bough in o he ex ra

rigor, and were ocusing more seriouslyon heir own per ormance as an effec ivemeans o improve ou comes or heirs uden s.105

eachers were consul ed rom he begin-ning. As early as 2009, acul y membersrom differen grades and subjec areaspar icipa ed in he developmen o s udenachievemen empla es, he orerunners oodays pies. eir par icipa ion is ongo-ing. wo licensed eachers (along wi h oneadminis ra or) rom each building meeas par o he mon hly E& Focus Group. ey eel like i s some hing heyre rulypar o and can shape along he way, Ara-gon observed.106

ese eachers are seen as he go- o sourc-es wi hin heir respec ive schools or in el-

ligen insigh s on E& and i s la es devel-opmen s. In addi ion, he dis ric hos s anopen house a he end o each school yearo provide ull upda es on he upcoming

years s uden achievemen dis ribu ions.

Fify eachers, including a leas one romeach building, atended in 2014.107

T EACHER P ERCEPTION

Harrison surveyed i s eachers in 2013. Aplurali y o eachers, roughly one- hird,iden ied hemselves as having he mosinuence on, and accoun abili y or,s uden achievemen .108 a ounda ionalhinking generally leads o a broad suppor

or E& :109

94 percen suppor ed he logic o payor per ormance namely, ha moreeffec ive eachers should be paid more

80 percen believed E& makes heireaching more challenging

71 percen said he program is on herigh rack

62 percen credi ed E& wi h helpingo improve s uden achievemen

51 percen atribu ed o he programgrea er prepara ion o s uden s orcollege

Only 45 percen described E& spay- or-per ormance linkage as air

An in eres ing paradox was observed inhe da a abou Harrison eacher percep-ions. On one hand, eachers wi h moreexperience showed a grea er inclina ionoward he belie ha E& con ribu es oimproved s uden achievemen . Ye moreeffec ive, more senior eachers also weres a is ically less likely o agree ha moreeffec ive eachers should be paid more.110

94 percent

[of teachers]

supported the

logic of pay for

performance

namely, that

more effective

teachers shouldbe paid more.


17/25



January 2015

16

The doors

are open, and

teachers share

lesson plans

with each other,

Rogerson

said. Its more

cooperative.

Its about doing

whats right for

children.

Even so, he IF- unded evalua ors oundhe overall level o eacher suppor orE& o be remarkably higher han heircoun erpar s in o her jurisdic ions. eyare more willing o alk avorably abou he

heory and prac ice o pay or per ormanceand more willing o credi i wi h direc ing,encouraging, recognizing and rewardingheir work.111

T EACHER P RACTICE

Clearly, E& is no a magical ormula harans orms a se o policies and ideas in o

beter ou comes or s uden s. e programdoes i s work by changing pro essional

behavior. Fify-six percen o eachers oldhe evalua or ha E& has improved heirins ruc ional prac ices.112 wo par icularypes o changes emerge rom he repor edndings.

Firs and oremos , hree ou o oureachers atribu ed o E& heir improvedusage o objec ive assessmen da a o driveins ruc ion. wo- hirds said ha da ahas helped hem o iden i y and re-groups uden s by abili ies, and o differen ia eins ruc ion o mee heir various needs.Changes include grea er use o small groupins ruc ion.113

Second, more han 60 percen o Harrisoneachers agreed ha E& bols ered heirabili y o prepare lessons. Specically, oneresponse undercu s a common allacy usedo cri icize per ormance-based pay in K-12

educa ion: a such sys ems decrease heamoun o coopera ion among eachers. Jus over hal agreed wi h he s a emen :Since E& was implemen ed here has been more sharing among eachers.114 espiri o pro essional eamwork is alive aFox Meadow Middle School, accordingo i s principal. e doors are open, andeachers share lesson plans wi h each o h-

er, ogerson said. I s more coopera ive.I s abou doing wha s righ or children.115

T EACHER T URNOVER

urnover in classrooms has been consis-en ly high in Harrison School Dis ric ,a abou 30 percen . Par o he high ra eis explained by a number o s aff who aremarried o mili ary personnel s a ioned anearby ins alla ions and by he signicanuse o FAs wo-year residen s. e jobur her remains challenging due o largepopula ions o low-income s uden s andEnglish language learners. Never heless,pay or per ormance has nei her lessened

nor exacerba ed he annual churn o each-ers in and ou o he dis ric .116

O 168 depar ing eachers surveyed in2012-13, 58 percen ci ed personal rea-sons, 28 percen reloca ed, while onlya hand ul ei her re ired or ook o heremploymen in educa ion. e eachers who lef or personal reasons represen ed across sec ion o effec iveness ra ings. Mos were ra ed Procien I, wi h sligh ly moreon he lower end han he higher end ohe scale.117

R ESULTS AND F UTURE D IMENSIONS

No deni ive research has been conduc edo link he signican policy and cul urechanges in Harrison wi h resul s or hes uden s being served. Even so, somesignican anecdo al evidence calls orhe ques ion o be more closely examined.e hough ul and sys ema ic approacho paying licensed s aff more as hey help boos s uden achievemen has beenassocia ed wi h beter s uden ou comes.Even as Harrisons ree and reduced lunchs uden ra e has inched upward over 70percen , he ollowing key academic indi-ca ors provide a compelling s ory:


18/25



In 2013-14,

Harrisons

African-American

students also

graduated on time

at a slightly better

rate (77.7 percent)

than the averagestudent of any

color statewide.

Placed on academic wa ch in 2006, hedis ric s eadily climbed o Accredi eds a us, he s a es second highes ra -ing, in 2013. Harrison main ained has a us or he ollowing year.118

Overall CAP and dis ric assessmenscores rose s eadily be ween 2009 and2013. In he las wo years o ha ime,Harrison narrowed he gap wi h hes a e on six o nine achievemen areas.CAP resul s dipped somewha in2014.119

On he AC es adminis ered o allColorado 11h graders, he dis ric s av-

erage score climbed rom 16.8 in 2010o 19.0 in 2014.120

In 2008-09, Harrisons 64.7 percenon- ime gradua ion ra e lagged he s a eaverage by 10 poin s. Four years la erhe dis ric edged ou he s a e, 77.5 o76.9 percen . In 2013-14, Harrisons A rican-American s uden s also grad-ua ed on ime a a sligh ly beter ra e(77.7 percen ) han he average s uden

o any color s a ewide.121

A ew years ago, Wendy Godwins schoolpulled off a remarkable ea on a veryimpor an measure. A ull 100 perceno Wildower Elemen ary hird gradersra ed procien or advanced in reading in2011.122 e school has no been able orepea he accomplishmen , bu generallyhas main ained high numbers. As a dis-ric , he 73.2 percen o hird graders read-ing procien ly exceeds he s a e average,despi e signican ly higher ra es o low-in-come s uden s (71 percen ) and Englishlanguage learners (19 percen ).123

We are aiming o be he bes schooldis ric in he Uni ed S a es, said eresaLance, school leadership officer a he

secondary level.124 While ha lofy goal is ye o be achieved, Harrison also has sei s sigh s in he near erm on sus ainings rong grow h, increasing achievemen ,and addressing achievemen gaps among

selec ed s uden subgroups a he elemen-ary level.125

S USTAINABILITY

Nearing he end o i s ve-year rial run wi h he Effec iveness and esul s pro-gram, Harrison School Dis ric 2 showsno signs o going back. Wi h near unan-imous voice, in erviewed dis ric and building leaders asser ed heir ongoing

commi men o per ormance pay. acommi men does no carry wi h i a senseo complacency. a her, i reec s hedis ric s seven h and nal program princi-ple by exhibi ing a commi men o moveorward, improve, and address in ernal andex ernal challenges.126

e undamen al design o E& has prov-en i sel scally sus ainable. Back in 2012,hen-superin enden Miles wro e: As longas he plan s ays rigorous, wi h an es ima -ed 20 o 25 percen o eachers promo edeach year, he plan is nancially sus ain-able.127 e overall payou has s ayedgenerally balanced, as he dis ribu ion oeduca or effec iveness ra ings main ainshe expec ed bell curve. For every eacher

who goes up, some go ou and some in,said Aragon, direc or o Human Capi al.128 Seven ou o 10 eachers also repor ed ha

heir school possesses he resources o im-plemen E& evalua ions wi h deli y.129

Lance declared ha E& is no goingaway, even i he dis ric s eacher Incen-ive Fund gran is no renewed beyond2017.130 e Board [o Educa ion] hasgiven us a vision o ge i done, middleschool principal ogerson added. e


19/25



January 2015

18

The TIF-funded

evaluators

strongly suggest

that Harrison is

doing some of

the best work

in American

K-12 educationat providing

performance-

based

compensation.

dis ric made an economic commi meno his because i bene s our s uden s andrewards our s aff.131

C HALLENGES AND O PPORTUNITIES

Crea ing a high-deli y evalua ion sys em was an impor an accomplishmen . Main-aining ha evalua ion sys em wi h consis-en ra es o eacher urnover is an ongoingchallenge.132 S ill, a desire exis s o ake heprocess o he nex level. Many radi ion-al K-12 evalua ion ools merely work o valida e exis ing assump ions abou who iseffec ive. Here i s abou building capac-i y, Saunders, one o he dis ric s School

Leadership officers, observed.133

Harrisons nex level o work wi h eval-ua ions is o rene he abili y o dis in-guish he con inuum o effec ive eachers.e dis ric especially wan s o ocus onensuring ha he classroom supers arsare being iden ied and rewarded appro-pria ely.134 A some poin , his wor hy goals ands in ension wi h he need o keephe sys em scally sus ainable. Iden i ying,

developing, and ul ima ely re aining morehigh-quali y eachers comes wi h a priceag.

Harrisons leaders rmly believe hahey have iden ied and quan ied basicins ruc ion in a meaning ul way. eachers who ca ch on quickly can atain a rapid risein earnings ha eludes heir coun erpar sin neighboring dis ric s. A subs an iallygrea er challenge aces he ins ruc or who wan s o move beyond he curren $48,000salary ha accompanies he common Pro-cien I ra ing. e oppor uni y awai s oreview he Dis inguished eacher Evalua-ion process o ensure he proper amouno rigor.

An ex ernal challenge acing Harrison,along wi h many o her dis ric s, is he

2014-15 implemen a ion o wo roundso PA CC ma h and language ar s assess-men s as a replacemen or CAP. edis ric da a eam and building principalseach expressed condence o deal wi h

hese changes as hey come.F OLLOWING THE P IONEERS

e IF- unded evalua ors s ronglysugges ha Harrison is doing some o he bes work in American K-12 educa ion aproviding per ormance-based compensa-ion. Specula ing ha he posi ive ati-udes o Harrisons eachers may be rela -ed o he leng h o ime ha he dis ric has

been suppor ing i s pay or per ormancesys em, he evalua ors declared ha HSD2 may be a harbinger o posi ive prospec sin o her jurisdic ions.135 Where Harrisonleaders s rongly believe he dis ric is do-ing some hing righ , hey are no a raid osay so. ey are also looking or ways o dohings beter.

Harrison cer ainly has no solved all hechallenges associa ed wi h effec ing posi-

ive sys ems change. ey remain in enselyocused on carrying ou heir respec iveE& responsibili ies and looking or wayso improve implemen a ion rom wi hin.

While hey do no seek o prosely ize o h-er dis ric s, hey indica e a willingness oshare impor an ools and lessons i asked.Included is a signican por ion o heirechnical documen , which heir esearch,Da a, and Accoun abili y officer describesas plug and play.136 Harrisons da a eampu oge her he homegrown sys em inone years ime.

We used o ge more dis ric s con ac ingus righ afer SB 191 passed, explaineducks uhl. A grea deal o in eres wasexpressed in he s uden achievemenscore appeal process. She presen ed eigh


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Harrison has

pioneered much

of the hard work

that others would

not need to

repeat in order to

adopt their own

performance paysystem.

differen models o s uden score atribu-ion a a mee ing sponsored by he Col-orado Associa ion o School Execu ives, bu received litle response. oday he da aeam hears more rom ou side researchers

han rom o her dis ric s, she added.137

Similarly, Harrisons Human Capi al di-rec or s a ed ha her office had no heardrom any coun erpar s seeking advice ashey move in ha direc ion. e lack o in-quiries apparen ly is no due o ignorance.O her human resources offices know ha were doing i , she no ed.138

Mos o her Colorado dis ric s now ap-

pear o be ocused on he challenge oimplemen ing Sena e Bill 191 and he50-50 evalua ions. aking he nex s ep osys emic per ormance pay, or wha everreason, seems oo large a challenge o becon ron ed.

C ONCLUSION

ere are clear reasons why ColoradosHarrison School Dis ric 2 remains com-

mited o i s Effec iveness and esul sprogram, now in i s fh year o opera ionunder i s second superin enden . Harri-son has succeeded in aking a major s eporward or K-12 compensa ion re orm.ough con inuous improvemen is anecessi y o ensure he many moving par sare nely uned, he dis ric has imple-men ed genuine per ormance pay in a way ha is rigorous, equi able, and scallysus ainable.

S rong leadership and care ul, consis encommunica ion were needed o ge E&off he ground. Focused effor and wide-spread buy-in keep he program movingorward. e many personal inves men sin a hough ul policy s ruc ure and a ma-uring cul ure largely dis inc wi hin publiceduca ion are bols ered by he recen

evidences o s uden success. Whe her heimprovemen s are a mater o cause andeffec remains o be seen.

E& in i s precise orm will no in everydis ric or school. Bu given he inadequa-cy o he radi ional salary schedule, heprograms key componen s are wor h closeconsidera ion. Harrison has pioneeredmuch o he hard work ha o hers wouldno need o repea in order o adop heirown per ormance pay sys em.

Moving orward rom SB 191s pusho iden i y effec ive eaching on o heprac ice o paying educa ors accordingly

is a s ep many local Colorado K-12 agen-cies can and should ake. While ano herdis ric would have some share o echnicalchallenges, he larger hurdle o overcomeis one o poli ical will. K-12 agencies would have o decide he ex en hey wano develop and rely on s uden assessmen sand how commited hey are o robusevalua ions ra her han union con racdemands, among o her ac ors.

In he end, hough, i Harrison can demon-s ra e he source o i s success, and con in-ue he patern o improvemen , ollowinghe pa h o per ormance pay will proveharder o resis .


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January 2015

20

E NDNOTES

1 Colorado Department of Education, Starting theJourney: Progress Report on Colorados EducatorEvaluation and Support System, January 2015,http://www.cde.state.co.us/educatoreffectiveness/

reportcoevaluationsystem .2 See Benjamin DeGrow, Denvers ProComp and

Teacher Compensation Reform , IndependenceInstitute Issue Paper-5-2007 (June 2007), http:// education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IP-5-2007_web.pdf ; Pioneering Teacher CompensationReform: K-12 Educator Pay Innovation in Colorado ,Independence Institute Issue Paper-2-2011(March 2011), http://education.i2i.org/wp-content/ uploads/2011/04/IP_2_11_Web.pdf , pp. 6-7.

3 See Benjamin DeGrow, Douglas County: Building aBetter Education Model, Independence Institute IssuePaper-8-2013 (September 2013), http://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IP-8-13-Douglas-County-Building-a-Better-Education-Model-Web.pdf ,pp. 15-20.

4 For an earlier summary version of E&R, see PioneeringTeacher Compensation Reform , pp. 3-5.

5 Dale Mann, Ph.D., and Trevor Leutscher, Ph.D,Year 1 Report: External Evaluation to Support theTIF-4 Grant and the E&R Plan, December 19, 2013,p. 9; F. Mike Miles (with Ellen Belcher), TeacherCompensation Based on Effectiveness: The Harrison(CO) School Districts Pay-for-Performance Plan,Thomas B. Fordham Institute (March 2012), http:// edex.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/publication/pdfs/ FORINSTeacherCompensationReportHRa_7.pdf , p. 5.

6 Colorado Department of Education (CDE), pupilmembership data, http://www.cde.state.co.us/ cdereval/ .

7 Interview with the author, September 30, 2014.8 Miles explained his logic in Teacher Compensation

and Effectiveness, p. 19, citing this as a rst importantlesson: Draft a concept paper and framework;then get input. Talking in the abstract slows down

the process and allows people to create their ownnarrative, which may or may not resemble yourintentions or the truth.

9 The rst step was professional development forprincipals. Margie Ruckstuhl, Research, Data, &Accountability Of cer, Harrison School District 2,conversation with the author, September 30, 2014;John Rogerson, principal, Fox Meadow Middle School(HSD 2), conversation with the author, September 30,2014.

10 Teacher Compensation and Effectiveness, pp. 20-21.11 Ibid., p. 21.12 Ibid., p. 18.13 Dee Mullins, Human Capital Of cer, Harrison School

District 2, telephone conversation with the author,October 7, 2014.

14 Pam Aragon, Director of Human Capital, HarrisonSchool District 2, telephone conversation with theauthor, October 7, 2014.

15 Masako Kikuchi, Data Analyst, Harrison SchoolDistrict 2, electronic mail to the author, January 29,2015. Nurses, ROTC instructors, Chinese languageinstructors, and online modular instructors do notparticipate in E&R. Additionally, teachers hired forless than two-thirds of the school year wait to join theprogram until the following year.

16 Harrison School District 2, Teacher Evaluation System:Rules and Procedures, Section 12:14.

17 U.S. Department of Education, Teacher Incentive FundFY 12 (Cohort 4) Awarded Grants, http://www2.ed.gov/ programs/teacherincentive/2012awards.html .

18 Harrison School District 2, Application for Grants underthe TIF General Competition (CFDA #84.373A), http:// www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/ s374a120059.pdf , Budget narrative e135.

19 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 12:3.20 Teacher Compensation and Effectiveness, p. 18;

Pam Aragon, October 7 phone conversation.21 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 1:2.22 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.23 HSD 2 TIF Grant Application, http://www2.ed.gov/

programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdf , Project narrative, p. e19.

24 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 12:1.25 Ibid., Section 4.26 A complete list of the elements and indicators can be

found in Ibid., Section 5.27 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 4:2.28 Ibid., Section 4.29 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.30 Ibid.31

SMART is a commonly used acronym for goalsetting that embodies the following characteristics:Speci c, Measurable, Attainable (Harrison adds butchallenging), Relevant, and Time Bound. See HSD2,Teacher Evaluation System, Section 6:1.

32 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 3:1.33 Ibid., Section 6:2-4.34 Ibid., Section 2:1.35 Ibid., Section 3:2.36 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.
http://www.cde.state.co.us/educatoreffectiveness/reportcoevaluationsystemhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/educatoreffectiveness/reportcoevaluationsystemhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IP-5-2007_web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IP-5-2007_web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IP-5-2007_web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IP_2_11_Web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IP_2_11_Web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IP-8-13-Douglas-County-Building-a-Better-Education-Model-Web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IP-8-13-Douglas-County-Building-a-Better-Education-Model-Web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IP-8-13-Douglas-County-Building-a-Better-Education-Model-Web.pdfhttp://edex.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/publication/pdfs/FORINSTeacherCompensationReportHRa_7.pdfhttp://edex.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/publication/pdfs/FORINSTeacherCompensationReportHRa_7.pdfhttp://edex.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/publication/pdfs/FORINSTeacherCompensationReportHRa_7.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/http://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/2012awards.htmlhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/2012awards.htmlhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/apps2012/s374a120059.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/2012awards.htmlhttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/2012awards.htmlhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/http://edex.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/publication/pdfs/FORINSTeacherCompensationReportHRa_7.pdfhttp://edex.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/publication/pdfs/FORINSTeacherCompensationReportHRa_7.pdfhttp://edex.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/publication/pdfs/FORINSTeacherCompensationReportHRa_7.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IP-8-13-Douglas-County-Building-a-Better-Education-Model-Web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IP-8-13-Douglas-County-Building-a-Better-Education-Model-Web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IP-8-13-Douglas-County-Building-a-Better-Education-Model-Web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IP_2_11_Web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IP_2_11_Web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IP-5-2007_web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IP-5-2007_web.pdfhttp://education.i2i.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IP-5-2007_web.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/educatoreffectiveness/reportcoevaluationsystemhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/educatoreffectiveness/reportcoevaluationsystem


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37 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 8:8.38 Ibid., Section 3:2.39 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.40 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 3:3.41 Ibid., Section 11:1.42 Ibid., Section 11:2.43 Ibid., Section 12:13.44 Ibid., Section 3:5.45 Ibid., Section 9.46 Ibid., Section 12:12.47 Ibid., Section 12:1.48 Margie Ruckstuhl, Research, Data, & Accountability

Of cer, Harrison School District 2, telephoneconversation with the author, March 25, 2014.

49 Teacher Compensation and Effectiveness, p. 11 andAppendix F, pp. 31-35.

50 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Appendix A.51 Teacher Compensation Based on Effectiveness

and Results (E&R): Student Achievement ResultsProcedures and Calculations, 2014-2015 (revisedSeptember 5, 2014), p. 41.

52 Margie Ruckstuhl, conversation with the author,September 30, 2014; Teacher Compensation andEffectiveness, p. 11.

53 Procedures and Calculations, pp. 38-39; MargieRuckstuhl, conversation with the author, September 30,2014.

54 Procedures and Calculations, p. 14; Margie Ruckstuhl,conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.

55 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 12:8, 12;Procedures and Calculations, p. 38; Margie Ruckstuhl,conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.

56 Margie Ruckstuhl, conversation with the author,September 30, 2014. Another Colorado school districtthat has left behind the traditional teacher salaryschedule, Eagle County, notably places more weighton group incentives.

57 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 12:13;Procedures and Calculations, pp. 6-7.

58 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 12:11-14.59 Procedures and Calculations, p. 40.60

Margie Ruckstuhl, telephone conversation with theauthor, March 25, 2014.

61 Margie Ruckstuhl, electronic mail to the author,January 7, 2015.

62 Margie Ruckstuhl, conversation with the author,September 30, 2014; electronic mail to the author,January 7, 2015.

63 Teacher Compensation and Effectiveness, pp. 19-20.64 Procedures and Calculations, p. 37.

65 The TIF evaluators speci cally laud the district for itspro-active work in this area. See TIF Year 1 Report, p.33.

66 Margie Ruckstuhl, March 25 phone conversation;conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.

67 Teacher Compensation Based on Effectiveness

and Results (E&R): Student Achievement ResultsProcedures and Calculations, 2014-2015.

68 Examples can be viewed at http://www.screencast.com/t/FEc7bwte and http://www.screencast.com/t/ C99ERnWGTy .

69 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 12:7.It used to require three consecutive years of lowerratings to lose pay, a provision that changed in 2014.See Teacher Compensation and Effectiveness, p. 16.

70 Ibid., HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 12:8.71 Ibid., Section 10:3 ff.72 Ibid., Section 9:6; Section 10:1-2.73 Ibid., Section 9:8.74 Ibid., Section 12:8.75 Ibid., Section 12:2.76 Pam Aragon, October 7 phone conversation.77 HSD2, Teacher Evaluation System, Section 12:2.78 Teacher Compensation and Effectiveness, p. 14.79 See salary schedules of neighboring districts:

Cheyenne Mountain 12, Colorado Springs 11,Fountain-Fort Carson 8, and Wide eld 3. The districtfrequently cites the statistic that it takes a newColorado Springs teacher approximately twelveyears to reach a salary of $48,000. See also HSD2,Teacher Evaluation System, Section 12:2; TeacherCompensation and Effectiveness, pp. 17-18.

80 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.81 CDE, Full-Time Equivalence (F.T.E.), Average Salary,

and Average Experience of Classroom Teachers(201-206), Fall 2012, http://www.cde.state.co.us/ sites/default/ les/documents/cdereval/download/ pdf/2012staff/17avgsal_avgexp_teacher.pdf .

82 October 7 phone conversation.83 TIF Year 1 Report, p. 8.84 Ibid., p. 34.85

Ibid., p. 8.86 Pam Aragon, October 7 phone conversation.87 October 7 phone conversation.88 Wendy Godwin, principal, Wild ower Elementary

School (HSD2), conversation with the author,September 30, 2014.

89 http://www.hsd2.org/sites/www.hsd2.org/ les/u99/__principal_evaluation_dist_pie_chart_rev_11062014.pdf .

90 CDE, 2013-2014 Principals and Assistant Principals
http://www.screencast.com/t/FEc7bwtehttp://www.screencast.com/t/FEc7bwtehttp://www.screencast.com/t/C99ERnWGTyhttp://www.screencast.com/t/C99ERnWGTyhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdereval/download/pdf/2012staff/17avgsal_avgexp_teacher.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdereval/download/pdf/2012staff/17avgsal_avgexp_teacher.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdereval/download/pdf/2012staff/17avgsal_avgexp_teacher.pdfhttp://www.hsd2.org/sites/www.hsd2.org/files/u99/__principal_evaluation_dist_pie_chart_rev_11062014.pdfhttp://www.hsd2.org/sites/www.hsd2.org/files/u99/__principal_evaluation_dist_pie_chart_rev_11062014.pdfhttp://www.hsd2.org/sites/www.hsd2.org/files/u99/__principal_evaluation_dist_pie_chart_rev_11062014.pdfhttp://www.hsd2.org/sites/www.hsd2.org/files/u99/__principal_evaluation_dist_pie_chart_rev_11062014.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdereval/download/pdf/2012staff/17avgsal_avgexp_teacher.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdereval/download/pdf/2012staff/17avgsal_avgexp_teacher.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdereval/download/pdf/2012staff/17avgsal_avgexp_teacher.pdfhttp://www.screencast.com/t/C99ERnWGTyhttp://www.screencast.com/t/C99ERnWGTyhttp://www.screencast.com/t/FEc7bwtehttp://www.screencast.com/t/FEc7bwte


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22

Average Salary by District, http://www.cde.state.co.us/ cdereval/2013-14principalandasstprincipalavgsalarybydistrictpdf .

91 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.92 Teacher Compensation and Effectiveness, p. 20.93 Nancy Mitchell and Todd Engdahl, Miles picked for

Dallas school chief, Chalkbeat Colorado (formerly EdNews Colorado), April 2, 2012, http://co.chalkbeat.org/2012/04/02/breaking-mike-miles-to-dallas/#.VLAFxofnRKE.

94 HSD2, Board of Education Coherent Governance,http://www.hsd2.org/board-education/ board-education-coherent-governance .

95 HSD 2, Board Policy B/SR-5.96 Teacher Compensation and Effectiveness, p. 19.97 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.98 TIF Year 1 Report, pp. 5-7.99 Dee Mullins, October 7 phone conversation.100 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.101 CDE, Full-Time Equivalence (F.T.E.), Average Salary,

and Average Experience of Principals/Asst./Assoc.(105, 106), Fall 2012, http://www.cde.state.co.us/ sites/default/ les/documents/cdereval/download/ pdf/2012staff/14avgsal_avgexp_principals.pdf .

102 Pam Aragon, October 7 phone conversation.103 Dee Mullins, October 7 phone conversation.104 John Rogerson, conversation with the author,

September 30, 2014.105 Wendy Godwin, conversation with the author,

September 30, 2014.106 Pam Aragon, October 7 phone conversation.107 Margie Ruckstuhl, conversation with the author,

September 30, 2014.108 TIF Year 1 Report, p. 17.109 Ibid., pp. 5-7, 19, 25-26.110 Ibid., pp. 25-27.111 Ibid., p. 7.112 Ibid., p. 28.113 Ibid., pp. 6 and 20.114 Ibid., p. 18.115 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.116

Margie Ruckstuhl, telephone conversation with theauthor, March 11, 2014; Pam Aragon, October 7 phoneconversation. CDE, School/District Staff Statistics, http:// www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/staffcurrent .

117 TIF Year 1 Report, p. 29.118 Ibid., p. 9; CDE, School and District Performance

Frameworks Results, http://www.cde.state.co.us/ accountability/performanceframeworkresults .

119 CDE, CSAP/TCAP Summary Data, http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coassess-dataandresults ; TIF Year

1 Report, p. 5, Table 1; Margie Ruckstuhl, March 25phone conversation.

120 CDE, ACT Data and Results, http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coact-dataandresults .

121 State data compiled and reported by Harrison SchoolDistrict, http://www.hsd2.org/sites/www.hsd2.org/ les/

u99/graduation_rate.pdf ; CDE, Graduation Data for theClass of 2013-14, http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/ gradcurrent .

122 Carol McGraw, Third-grade reading up; D-2 schoolhits jackpot, Colorado Springs Gazette , May 10, 2011,http://gazette.com/article/117818 .

123 CDE, CSAP/TCAP Summary Data, http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coassess-dataandresults ; CDE, PupilMembership for 2013 District Data, http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/pupilcurrentdistrict .

124 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.125 Edwin Saunders, elementary school leadership of cer,

conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.126 The TIF-funded evaluators noted that Harrison is pro-

active in re ning its related processes. See TIF Year1 report, p. 33.

127 Teacher Compensation and Effectiveness, p. 19.128 Pam Aragon, October 7 phone conversation.129 TIF Year 1 Report, p. 19.130 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.131 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.132 Teresa Lance, secondary school leadership of cer,

conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.133 Edwin Saunders, conversation with the author,

September 30, 2014.134 Ibid.135 TIF Year 1 Report, p. 7.136 Margie Ruckstuhl, conversation with the author,

September 30, 2014.137 Conversation with the author, September 30, 2014.138 Pam Aragon, October 7 phone conversation.
http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/2013-14principalandasstprincipalavgsalarybydistrictpdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/2013-14principalandasstprincipalavgsalarybydistrictpdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/2013-14principalandasstprincipalavgsalarybydistrictpdfhttp://co.chalkbeat.org/2012/04/02/breaking-mike-miles-to-dallas/#.VLAFxofnRKEhttp://co.chalkbeat.org/2012/04/02/breaking-mike-miles-to-dallas/#.VLAFxofnRKEhttp://co.chalkbeat.org/2012/04/02/breaking-mike-miles-to-dallas/#.VLAFxofnRKEhttp://www.hsd2.org/board-education/board-education-coherent-governancehttp://www.hsd2.org/board-education/board-education-coherent-governancehttp://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdereval/download/pdf/2012staff/14avgsal_avgexp_principals.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdereval/download/pdf/2012staff/14avgsal_avgexp_principals.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdereval/download/pdf/2012staff/14avgsal_avgexp_principals.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/staffcurrenthttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/staffcurrenthttp://www.cde.state.co.us/accountability/performanceframeworkresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/accountability/performanceframeworkresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coassess-dataandresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coassess-dataandresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coact-dataandresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coact-dataandresultshttp://www.hsd2.org/sites/www.hsd2.org/files/u99/graduation_rate.pdfhttp://www.hsd2.org/sites/www.hsd2.org/files/u99/graduation_rate.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/gradcurrenthttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/gradcurrenthttp://gazette.com/article/117818http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coassess-dataandresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coassess-dataandresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/pupilcurrentdistricthttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/pupilcurrentdistricthttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/pupilcurrentdistricthttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/pupilcurrentdistricthttp://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coassess-dataandresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coassess-dataandresultshttp://gazette.com/article/117818http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/gradcurrenthttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/gradcurrenthttp://www.hsd2.org/sites/www.hsd2.org/files/u99/graduation_rate.pdfhttp://www.hsd2.org/sites/www.hsd2.org/files/u99/graduation_rate.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coact-dataandresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coact-dataandresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coassess-dataandresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/coassess-dataandresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/accountability/performanceframeworkresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/accountability/performanceframeworkresultshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/staffcurrenthttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/staffcurrenthttp://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdereval/download/pdf/2012staff/14avgsal_avgexp_principals.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdereval/download/pdf/2012staff/14avgsal_avgexp_principals.pdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdereval/download/pdf/2012staff/14avgsal_avgexp_principals.pdfhttp://www.hsd2.org/board-education/board-education-coherent-governancehttp://www.hsd2.org/board-education/board-education-coherent-governancehttp://co.chalkbeat.org/2012/04/02/breaking-mike-miles-to-dallas/#.VLAFxofnRKEhttp://co.chalkbeat.org/2012/04/02/breaking-mike-miles-to-dallas/#.VLAFxofnRKEhttp://co.chalkbeat.org/2012/04/02/breaking-mike-miles-to-dallas/#.VLAFxofnRKEhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/2013-14principalandasstprincipalavgsalarybydistrictpdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/2013-14principalandasstprincipalavgsalarybydistrictpdfhttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/2013-14principalandasstprincipalavgsalarybydistrictpdf


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Copyrigh 2015, Independence Ins i u e

INDEPENDENCE INS I U E is a non-pro ,non-par isan Colorado hink ank. I is governed by as a ewide board o rus ees and holds a 501(c)(3) axexemp ion rom he I S. I s public policy researchocuses on economic grow h, educa ion re orm, localgovernmen effec iveness, and cons i u ional righ s.

JON CALDAR is Presiden o he IndependenceIns i u e.

DAVID KOPEL is esearch Direc or o he Inde-pendence Ins i u e.

PAMELA BENIGNO is he Direc or o he Educa-ion Policy Cen er.

BENJAMIN DEG OW is Senior Policy Analysor he Educa ion Policy Cen er. He is he au hor onumerous Issue Papers, includingTe Ignacio Marke Driven Compensa ion Plan and Why I Fell Shor , Denvers ProComp and eacher Compensa ion Reformin Colorado , Pioneering eacher Compensa ion Reform: K-12 Educa or Pay Innova ions in Colorado, and Doug-las Coun y: Building a Beter Educa ion Model.

ADDI IONAL ESOU CES on his subjec can be ound a :htp://educa ion.i2i.org/

NO HING W ITEN here is o be cons rued asnecessarily represen ing he views o he Indepen-dence Ins i u e or as an atemp o inuence anyelec ion or legisla ive ac ion.

PE MISSION O EP IN his paper in whole orin par is hereby gran ed provided ull credi is giveno he Independence Ins i u e.
http://education.i2i.org/http://education.i2i.org/


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Performance Pay Pioneers: Harrison's "Effectiveness and Results" Raises the Bar

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Transcript of Performance Pay Pioneers: Harrison's "Effectiveness and Results" Raises the Bar