Minnesota Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren announced [Dec. 7] that Yinghua Academy will implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school will receive US$59,280 in total revenue for the 2009-10 school year for implementation.
 
“I commend Yinghua Academy on their decision to participate in this important education reform,” said Commissioner Seagren. “Q Comp will give participating teachers an opportunity to enhance their skills and take part in real-time, research-based professional development, which will help raise student achievement.”
 
In 2005, Governor Tim Pawlenty proposed and the state legislature approved Minnesota’s Q Comp program. Q Comp provides up to US$86 million for districts that join the program. The Q Comp program has funds available for school districts, school sites and charter schools to implement a program for the 2009-10 school year. This funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis until all available funds have been exhausted.
 
Q Comp is designed to advance the teaching profession by providing structured professional development and evaluation, as well as an alternative pay schedule that compensates teachers based on performance, not just seniority. The program brings together career advancement, professional development and compensation linked to academic achievement. It includes a locally agreed-upon peer evaluation process for every teacher that is based on skills, responsibilities and student academic growth. This plan is voluntary and will add up to an additional US$260 per student in participating districts.
 
"Our program, which focuses on the development of intellectual curiosity and critical-thinking skills, is dependent on dedicated, high-quality teachers,” said Betsy Lueth, Yinghua Academy executive director. “This is achieved through embedded professional development and incentive programs for high-performing teachers. As a leading Chinese immersion charter school in the nation, we want to establish a model for language immersion and rigorous academics. Q-Comp will help us support this initiative.”
 
The Q Comp program gives participating schools the flexibility to meet local needs within a comprehensive model of improved teaching and learning. The Yinghua Academy administration and teacher representatives have agreed to the following:

Provide career ladders or career advancement opportunities for teachers
The career ladder includes eight positions with various duties and compensations. These positions are:
*       Professional Educator: responsible for providing resources to all grade level and specialist staff, participating in Curriculum and Instruction team meetings, conducting triannual review of teacher’s lesson plans and providing feedback and suggestions to the Academic Director, and field-testing new instructional strategies.
*       Instructional Leader: serves as the department coordinator and instructional leader for the grade level team in his/her designated area.
*       Problem Solving Team (PST) Leader: serves as the team leader and conduct monthly team meetings.
*       Curriculum and Instruction Team (CIT) Leader: coordinates schoolwide professional development and conduct monthly team meetings.
*       Evaluation and Assessment Team (EAT) Leader: participates in individual evaluations, conducts monthly team meetings, reviews the quality of student testing tools, helps coordinate student testing requirements and participates in staff evaluations.
*       PST Member: meets with teachers experiencing chronic behavior or academic problems with their students, provides resources and solutions for general education interventions, and offers ways to objectively track interventions by providing data to encourage student progress in problem areas.
*       CIT Member: reviews grade level curriculum map progress triannually and reports to Academic Director, determines needs for professional development, prepares recommendations and coordinates schoolwide professional development, evaluates grade level curriculum needs and reports to Academic Director.
*       EAT Member: reviews the quality of student testing tools, help coordinate student testing requirements, helps teachers build Individual Development Plan (IDP) and participates in staff
 
Job-embedded professional development 
As the focus for the Q Comp plan, the school has selected the following student achievement goal from the Educational Improvement Plan (EIP):
*       At least 80 percent of students consistently enrolled for three years in grades taking the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA-II) reading test will earn a score at the proficiency level (Meets the Standards or Exceeds the Standards) in 2009.
*       At least 85 percent of students consistently enrolled for three years in grades taking the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA-II) mathematics test will earn a score at the proficiency level (Meets the Standards or Exceeds the Standards) in 2009.
 
Teachers will meet weekly for 60 minutes in collaborative grade level teams of two to four teachers. In addition, teachers will be expected to participate in the following once monthly meetings as well:
*       One 60-minute curriculum meeting with a focus in instructional content areas.
*       One 60-minute assessment meeting with a focus on instructional content areas.
*       One 60-minute staff meeting with a focus on classroom management, differentiation and curriculum alternating as the monthly theme.
 
Teacher Observation/Evaluation 
Each teacher at Yinghua Academy will be observed and receive formative evaluations three times per year by multiple trained evaluators/observers. The three formative evaluations of each teacher will be conducted in the following formats:
*       One formal observation in the fall of the year, which will be completed in October.
*       Three informal walk-through observations conducted between November and January, which will be reported to the teacher as a formative observation in February.
*       A second formal observation will be conducted in May by the Academic Director or School Director and at least one member of the EAT.
 
Teachers must earn an average score of 2.5 to 4.0 to earn full performance pay for the evaluations or an average score of 1.5 to 2.4 to earn half of the performance pay.
 
Performance pay 
A teacher’s compensation will be based on the following factors:
20 percent (US$180) for schoolwide student achievement gains based MCA-II performance.
*       Full compensation is paid to all teachers if at least 80 percent of students achieve proficiency on the Reading MCA-II and at least 85 percent of students achieve proficiency on the Mathematics MCA-II.
*       Half compensation paid if 60 percent or above of the students achieve proficiency on both the reading and mathematics MCA-II assessments.
 
40 percent (US$360) for measures of student achievement based on Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP) or the Student Oral Proficiency Assessment (SOPA) performance.
50 percent (US$180) for meeting the following mathematics goal on either the NWEA MAP for Primary Grades or the NWEA MAP test is available to all classroom teachers in grades K-5:
*       Full compensation if 85 percent of the individual class is at grade level.
*       Half the compensation if 70 percent are at grade level.
50 percent (US$180) for meeting the following English goal for grades 3-5 or Chinese goal for grades K-5.
*       English teachers at all grades are eligible for full compensation if 80 percent of the individual class is at grade level.
*       English teachers at all grades are eligible for half compensation if 60 percent of the individual class is at grade level.
*       Chinese teachers at all grades are eligible for full compensation if 85 percent of the individual class is at grade level and tracking to the level of Junior Intermediate Low (JIL) by fifth grade on the SOPA.
*       Chinese teachers at all grades are eligible for half compensation if 70 percent of the individual class is at grade level and tracking to JIL by fifth grade on the SOPA.
 
40 percent (US$360) for teacher evaluation based on the average score earned at the end of the three observations.
*       Full compensation for an average evaluation score of 2.5 to 4.0.
*       Half compensation for an average evaluation score of 1.5 to 2.4.
 
Alternative professional pay schedule 
The school awards contracts annually to employees meeting the performance standards. There is not a steps and lanes salary system in place.
 
Yinghua Academy is the 31st charter school to be approved for the Q Comp program. The other charter schools to implement Q Comp are: Dugsi Academy, Nova Classical Academy, Noble Academy, Harvest Prep Academy, The Best Academy, Cyber Village Academy, Paideia Academy, Seven Hills Classical Academy, Academy for Science and Agriculture, HOPE Community Academy, Lakes International Language Academy, Crosslake Community School, New Visions School, TRIO Wolf Creek Charter School, Emily Charter, El Colegio Charter School, STRIDE Academy, Minnesota Transitions Charter Schools, Northfield School of Art and Technology (ARTech), Beacon Academy, Duluth Public Schools Academy, Sojourner Truth Academy, Ridgeway Charter School, E.C.H.O Charter School, Hmong Academy, Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, Birch Grove Community School
 
School districts that began implementing the Q Comp program during the 2008-09 school year: Annandale, Mahtomedi, North Branch, Edina, Minneapolis (various sites), Chisago Lakes
 
The following districts were approved for Q Comp during the 2007-08 school year: Princeton, Rosemount-Eagan-Apple Valley, Roseville (three sites), Orono, Forest Lake, Minneapolis (various sites), Brooklyn Center.
 
School districts that began implementing the Q Comp program during the 2006-07 school year: Grand Meadow, Albert Lea, Alden-Conger, Brainerd, Wayzata, Eden Prairie, Red Rock Central, International Falls, Le Center, St. Louis Park, Osseo, Lac Qui Parle, North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale, Clearbrook-Gonvick, Proctor, Burnsville, St. Anthony-New Brighton, Minnetonka, Delano, Centennial, Pine River, Brandon, South Washington County, South Saint Paul, Farmington, Roseville (various sites), Minneapolis (various sites)
 
School districts that started implementing the Q Comp program during the 2005-06 school year: Minneapolis (various sites), Hopkins, St. Francis, Mounds View, St. Cloud, Fridley, La Crescent-Hokah, Marshall
 
Several schools and districts have indicated they are planning to submit Q Comp applications.