York School Eligible to Compete for Performance Pay Incentive

By Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, April 20, 2011

York River Academy was included on a list of schools in 57 divisions invited to participate in Gov. Bob McDonnell’s new performance pay incentive.

McDonnell’s new initiative, which was approved by the 2011 General Assembly, aims to attract, retain and reward teachers working at hard-to-staff schools. It is part of his “Opportunity to Learn” education-reform agenda, and provides $3 million in state funding to reward teachers in hard-to-staff schools that earn exemplary ratings during the 2011-2012 school year.

“Teachers who make a commitment to students in hard-to-staff urban and rural schools, despite circumstances that often prompt colleagues to seek assignments elsewhere, deserve our admiration and when they succeed in raising the achievement of students in these schools, their performance should be rewarded,” McDonnell said in a press release Tuesday.

To receive the competitive grant funding, schools must implement a comprehensive teacher-evaluation system aligned with performance standards and model evaluation systems approved by the Board of Education. At least 40 percent of teacher evaluations must be based on student academic growth, including, when available and appropriate, student-growth data provided by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

The Board of Education will make a final approval on the evaluation guidelines and performance standards on April 28, according to Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright. Administrators in the participating divisions will receive training to implement the criteria.

When applying for the funding, school divisions can choose to designate all teachers as eligible for performance pay or limit eligibility to specific groups of teachers. The maximum amount a teacher may receive is $5,000.

In addition, $59.8 million in federal support is available through the School Improvement Grant the state received in April 2010 to fund reforms in low-achieving schools. Schools receiving the federal grant money must implement teacher-evaluation systems that include student growth as a significant factor and have the option of applying for funding to support performance pay.

“All told, the funding available for performance pay represents an opportunity to provide meaningful incentives and rewards for exemplary teachers in a significant number of Virginia schools, and, in the long term, the results of these pilot programs will tell us a lot about the potential for performance pay to improve teacher quality and raise student achievement,” McDonnell said.

To participate in the initiative, schools must meet at least four of eight criteria. The criteria are related to these factors: accreditation, average attendance, percentage of students in special education, percentage of limited-English proficient students, percentage of teachers with provisional licensure, percentage of special education teachers with provisional licensure, percentage of first-year teachers and the number of first-year teachers in a critical-shortage area.

A request for proposals from divisions with eligible schools was posted on the VDOE website last week. Completed applications are due on June 15 and award amounts will be announced during the summer.

York River Academy was the only school in the Historic Triangle that met the criteria to apply for the initiative funding. The 9th-12th grade charter school gives students a chance to earn professional technical certifications, such as Computer Repair Certification or Certified Internet Webmaster. To enter the school, students must have an interest in a career in the computer and technology industry, and have a history of absenteeism and performing below grade level. To learn more about the school, click here.