Meeting the challenge: Highly qualified, experienced

and effective teachers, equitably distributed

2006-07 – 100% HQ

• Emphasis changing from HQ (now that we’re already there …)– Bachelors degree and

– State certification in subject(s) taught and

– Demonstration of content knowledge (major, coursework, HOUSSE, exam, etc.)

• To highly effective

• and equitably distributed

Highly effective indicators

• Years of experience (over 3)

• Contextual training

• Value-added: link teachers with student results

And - what else do we look at to measure teacher effectiveness? How do we know?

NCCTQ et al - research on strategies to increase effective teaching

• Improve the working environment– Strong leadership & administrator support– Safe learning environment

• Build school capacity to support improved instruction: collegial learning communities, horizontal & vertical planning, looking at student work, …

• Develop teacher career ladders and leadership opportunities

• Provide strong induction/mentoring support for new and/or struggling teachers

More strategies: http://www.tqsource.org/strategies/http://www.ncctq.org/publications/March2007Update.pdf

Equitable Distribution

States and LEAs must have plans and strategies to ensure that:

“minority students and students from low income families are not disproportionately taught by inexperienced or unqualified

teachers”

NYS Equity Gap2004-05

• In 2004-05, a large difference between the top and bottom quartiles (high poverty/high minority and low poverty/low minority) in classes taught by HQ teachers

• Nationally, New York second from the bottom in the size of the gap at the elementary level

(16% difference – 82% vs. 98%)

• Nationally, New York sixth from the bottom in the size of the secondary gap

(17% difference – 80% vs. 97%)

2005-06: Total increase in NYS HQT to 94.5%, and narrowed the gap between high and low poverty schools (quartiles)

Percent of Core Academic Classes Taught by Highly Qualified Teachers

2004-05 2005-06 Improvement

Elementary High Poverty 81.7% 91.9% +10.2%

Low Poverty 98.1% 99.1% +1.0%

Gap 16.4% 7.2% -9.2%

Middle/High School

High Poverty 80.3% 82.6% +2.3%

Low Poverty 97.2% 97.8% +0.6%

Gap 16.9% 15.2% -1.7%

New York State’s Plan to Enhance Teacher Quality - Sept. 2006

• What NYS will do to reduce gap:– Advocate additional fiscal resources for

high need schools - Contract for Excellence (between-district differences)

– Focus TA resources on high-need, low performing schools

– Collect and widely disseminate HQT data

New York State’s Plan to Enhance Teacher Quality – Sept. 2006

• What NYS will do to reduce gap (con’t):– Engage teacher education institutions in

preparing candidates for shortage fields– Require (and monitor) LEA teacher quality

plans

Full NYS plan on-line at:http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherqual/hqtplans/index.html#ny

• District policies and decisions are critical in eliminating the equity gap– District level – high poverty/minority buildings

• in State plan: begin reporting on within-district gaps in 2008

– Building level - classroom assignments – are the best (most experienced, most successful) teachers more or less likely to be assigned lower-performing students?

Emerging Research: inequity results from district fiscal policies

• When budgeting and reporting building-level expenditures, does your district rely on AVERAGE teacher salaries?

Next 7 slides adapted from Marguerite Roza’s work

Budget Report (teacher salaries)

$3,731,000$3,926,000

$0

$500,000

$1,000,000

$1,500,000

$2,000,000

$2,500,000

$3,000,000

$3,500,000

$4,000,000

$4,500,000

$5,000,000

Waterview MLKing

Actual spending (teacher salaries)

$4,015,000

$2,928,000

$0

$500,000

$1,000,000

$1,500,000

$2,000,000

$2,500,000

$3,000,000

$3,500,000

$4,000,000

$4,500,000

$5,000,000

Waterview MLKing

LEA Response: Higher salaried teachers don’t

mean better teachers

• Data: Schools with lower salaries have higher teacher turnover and– Higher poverty– More minority students– More bilingual education students– Lower performance– Fewer applicants

• Staff surveys indicate less satisfaction with staff collegiality

LEA Response: Schools with lower salaries get extra money for bilingual education, poverty, etc.

Data: additional funds do NOT offset the discrepancy in teacher salaries -

High poverty, high minority, low performing schools still have less total funding allocated.

Challenges• Most funds are tied up in systems hard

wired to the benefit of students (and adults?) in less needy schools

• Local forces push for equal distributions of any new funds, and/or

• Local forces work to ensure that everyone gets a share of any new funds

• No data on access to applicants

What’s being done

• Improved data reporting• “Layer on/work around” strategies

– Targeted incentives to attract and retain teachers in high needs schools

– Efforts to change working conditions and provide intensive, focused, job-embedded professional development

• Structural changes– Aligning budgets with real salaries– Changes in teacher compensation systems– Contract negotiations

Dr. Roza’s Recommendations

• Get data and acknowledge the problem

• Develop plans to experiment with new solutions to the teacher distribution problem

• If incentives are used, monitor fiscally to gauge distribution among schools

• Keep an eye on the prize: gauge progress as equity in student performance, teacher quality, or access to talent

NYS HQT DataSmall group work Session 1

• What does the data tell you?

• What does the data NOT tell you?– What additional questions does the data raise?

– What additional data might you need to answer those questions?

Continuing State-level challenges• Accurate and timely data

• Full dissemination of data & implications

• Limited resources – fiscal and human

• Limited role re contractual arrangements

Some district-level challenges

• Access to timely data• Proliferating State & federal

requirements• Limited resources – fiscal and human• Inequitable distribution of resources (?)

– fiscal and human• Renegotiating contracts

And - 2007-08 Consolidated Application (Update)

• District-wide teacher quality plan required as part of Consolidated Application for all LEAs identified as below 95% HQT in 2005-06

• Equitable distribution plan - HQ and experienced teachers - required of all LEAs in 2007-08 Consolidated Application

BOCES and District Challenges:

2005-06 teacher quality data

• 18 of 38 BOCES did NOT meet 95% teacher quality AMO

• 71 of 695 districts did NOT meet 95% teacher quality AMO

• 203 of 695 districts at 99.5% or above in 2005-06

• Five BOCES did not meet HQT AMO of 90% in 2004-05, and three have not yet submitted HQT plans

• Latest HQT data: Jan 2007 press release on NYS HQT status, district HQT listshttp://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/press-release/20070108/home.htm

SCDN presentation Nov. 2006

Focus questions for small group work

1. What roles related to teaching quality, experience effectiveness and equitable distribution might your region address?

2. What roles related to the equitable distribution of highly effective teaching might your network address?

3. What kinds of support might you need from SED?

1. What roles related to teaching quality, experience effectiveness and equitable distribution might your region address?

• Develop/expand partnerships with regional teacher education institutions

• Provide high quality professional development • Data support – help collect & analyze data re teacher

assignments• Develop and share rubrics/criteria reflecting high

standards for teacher effectiveness• Develop/expand/share walk-through strategies• Assist DSs to find out what districts need, form regional

consortium to address

2. What roles related to the equitable distribution of highly effective teaching might your network address?

• Create the discussion & conversation for awareness, activate our voices

• Initiate districts looking at data related to equitable distribution of HQ – Further discussion: how can SCDN help districts make teacher

placement decisions that result in equitable distribution?• Hold regional sessions to share best practices (3X)• Lead discussions around expanding mentoring programs to full

induction programs• Advocate for financial bonus for Natl Bd cert teachers to teach in

schools on accountability lists (2x)

• These are district-level decisions – to change seniority placement requires changes/incentives in contractual agreements (3x)

3. What kinds of support might you need from

SED? Policy/Advocacy/Funding More funding for highest need districts (Contract for

Excellence)• Portable benefits (fringe, sick time, extra retirement

years) & tenure as incentive to move exceptional teachers to needy districts (4x)

• Leverage funding (5x):– Financial support for programs in colleges– Funding for mentor programs statewide Funding for teacher centers– More monetary support for Natl Bd. certification (2x)

Office of Higher Education

Reexamine the bureaucracy: Consider streamlined certification regulations and expedited paths to additional certifications/extensions (3x)

Decrease length of time to get certification documents (3x)

Strengthen higher ed programs, increase higher ed accountability, ensure that higher ed programs for teachers and administrators know and implement APPR standards (3X)

SED Staff Supports Needed

Continue to bring this to the forefrontProvide guidance/Q&A Provide accessible teacher quality data (3x)Collect & share best practice: what are district

successes/proactive solutions to address this issue? (2x)

Teacher certification people at SED need to talk to the BEDS people

Need list of 18 BOCES• Need codes for BEDS (aka “crosswalk”)

Small group work Session 2

Review November SCDN Feedback (Questions 1 and 2)

– “I-time”– Discuss - any progress?

Action Plan

– In the next week, I will:– In the next three months, I will:

Help us by:• Send us samples from your district/region that you

consider best practice - for use in next session (?) - e.g.: – rubrics/criteria reflecting high standards for teacher

effectiveness– walk-through strategies– data collection/analysis protocols

• Send us requests for any additional data or support

you might need: Alysan Slighter

518-473-7155

aslighte@mail.nysed.gov