The Contract in Context

Baltimore CityBaltimore City Public SchoolsPublic Schools

Continuing the Partnership: Continuing the Partnership: Implementing the Landmark Contract Negotiated by Implementing the Landmark Contract Negotiated by

the Baltimore Teachers Union and City Schoolsthe Baltimore Teachers Union and City Schools

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The Contract in ContextThe Contract in Context

With foundations for reforming the district in place, City Schools’ focus is on ensuring excellent teaching and learning in all classrooms so that all students can achieve at their potential.

As City Schools began building the instructional framework and professional development systems to support excellent teaching and learning, a new teacher contract was negotiated and ratified.

The three-year contract, now at its mid-way point, directly reflects a shared commitment—across the district—to excellence in every classroom.

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Continuing the Partnership: OutlineContinuing the Partnership: Outline

The partnership: RecapThe vision Key contract principles

Governance Compensation School-based options Evaluation

Implementation challenges

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Key Elements of the ContractKey Elements of the Contract

Baltimore City’s teacher contract: Recognizes the essential role of teachers in

school reform Stresses the role of the teacher in student

achievement and school improvement Provides rewards and incentives to attract and

retain the best teachers Creates a culture of collaboration and shared

leadership

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Negotiating and Ratifying the Negotiating and Ratifying the Contract Contract

• Contract negotiations were marked by collaboration and teacher input Teacher surveys were key part of initial research Teaching and Learning Office was a content lead; principals and teachers were on

negotiating team Expectations and ground rules were set jointly by BTU and district

• Communication with and listening to teachers were critical Town hall meetings, focus groups, flyers, brochures, press conferences Survey teachers to reveal misconceptions Promote contract advantages Train leaders to speak on contract

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Ongoing Commitment to Success of Ongoing Commitment to Success of ContractContract

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The partnership: RecapThe vision Key contract

components Governance Compensation School-based options Evaluation


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A Vision for Baltimore City Teachers A Vision for Baltimore City Teachers 8Ensuring that all students can achieve at their

potential requires attracting, retaining and developing the best teachers by…

Attracting

Retaining Developing


The Right TimeThe Right Time9

Correlation between teacher compensation and school or student outcomes

Race to the Top

At the time of contract negotiation, Baltimore City teacher salaries lowest in the State of Maryland

No teacher salary increases in 2 years






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Governance and Shared LeadershipGovernance and Shared Leadership11

5 members of City Schools’ administration

and 5 BTU/AFT executives

8 high-performing teachers

•4 appointed by BTU•4 appointed by City Schools

1 City Schools staff member


The partnership: RecapThe vision Key contract components

Governance Compensation School-based options Evaluation


Continuing the Partnership: OutlineContinuing the Partnership: Outline12


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• “Years of service” increases are replaced with “earn as you grow” model

• Increases and career advancement based on graduate degrees are replaced with advancement based on demonstrated effectiveness

As a result of contract, City Schools moves from the bottom quartile to the top quartile for teacher compensation in Maryland

Old Model

21 years to reach $76K

New Model

Potential to reach $92K in 5 years

Leveraging Contract to Retain Great Leveraging Contract to Retain Great TeachersTeachers


These pathways… Reward and recognize teachers excelling in their field

based on student outcomes and practice Engage rigorous, standards-based peer-review process to

drive career advancement Allow for optional, self-initiated participation Elevate successful candidates

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Lead Pathway($92,916 - $99,316)

Serve as lead academic teacher

at a school; collaborate with

principal to improve academic

performance

Model Pathway($85,337 - $105,079)*

Serve as model of excellence; play

a leadership role;create professional

development opportunities

Professional Pathway($58,434 - $95,222)*

Focus on classroom success; active in

school-based roles

Standard Pathway($46,773 - $60,563)*

Focus on instruction; professional

development

Pathways to Professional, Financial Pathways to Professional, Financial AdvancementAdvancement

* Based on 2011-12 Salary schedule. Range includes 12-month positions.


Movement within PathwaysMovement within Pathways

Teachers move within a pathway as they accrue Achievement Units (AUs)

Teachers earn AUs as they demonstrate improvement in their practice and leadership in their profession through: Strong evaluations Completion of Professional Development activities that

result in student achievement Other professional activities that lead to student

achievement

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Professional Development for Effective Professional Development for Effective TeachingTeaching

City Schools invests in the growth of its teachers by offering high-quality opportunities for professional development

Standards-based PD opportunities are offered and systematically tracked through a Professional Growth System Within the Professional Growth System (as of May 2012):

There are 47 AU-approved courses available for registration There are 74 Non-AU trainings available for registration

As of April 2012, 509 Professional Development AUs have been awarded

Currently, 1,500 AUs are pending course completion and award

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Current Distribution across PathwaysCurrent Distribution across Pathways17

*By virtue of the position, the BTU president holds the Lead teacher designation while in office. The process for lead teacher selection will be announced in 2012-13.

In May 2012, 100 teachers successfully completed the peer review process to move from the Professional to the Model pathway.






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Positioning Schools to Meet Unique Positioning Schools to Meet Unique NeedsNeeds

Schools can vote to modify “Teacher Hours Working Conditions” (Article VII within the contract), including School year School week School day Available prep timeExample: A school may submit a waiver to use a district-identified PD day as an

instructional day, and schedule 7 hours of PD at another time (e.g., after school, before the school year, on a Saturday)

35 schools have submitted proposals for 2012-13

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Positioning Schools to Meet Unique Positioning Schools to Meet Unique NeedsNeeds

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State Requirements for Teacher State Requirements for Teacher EvaluationsEvaluations

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Possible Measures at City Schools

• Formal observations using the instructional framework•Professional responsibilities• Student perception surveys


Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness: A Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness: A District PilotDistrict Pilot

In 2011-12, City Schools launched a pilot with select schools to explore possible components of a new teacher evaluation 8 schools participated, representing elementary, elementary/middle,

middle and high schools; traditional and charter schools; and schools with significant ELL student populations

All teachers at each pilot school—a total of 309—participated (approximately 54 percent teach in non-tested content areas)

All schools were invited to participate

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Instructional Framework: The Starting Instructional Framework: The Starting PointPoint

City Schools recognizes that all teacher evaluation and support must be rooted in a model of what effective teaching looks like. At the heart of its work to ensure excellent teaching and learning in every classroom is its Instructional Framework.

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Components of the Evaluation Pilot Components of the Evaluation Pilot

The components included as part of this year’s teacher evaluation pilot are:

Instructional Framework This defines high-quality teaching and provides teachers with guidance

on how to improve Value-added model

This looks at individual student achievement over time and measures the effect a teacher has on a student, based on that student’s growth from year to year

Student surveys Research shows that student perceptions are a reliable measure of

teacher effectiveness Professional responsibilities

These assess teachers on non-instructional functions, distinguished from those in the Instructional Framework

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Value-Added ModelValue-Added Model26

Value-added = the teacher’s contribution to his/her student’s growth.

The model calculates a predicted test score based primarily on the previous two standardized test scores.

The student’s predicted test score is compared to the student’s actual test score (i.e. this year’s score).

The difference between the predicted score and the actual test score is the teacher’s value-added.

Model controls for factors (or variables) impacting student performance (e.g., mobility, free or reduced-price lunch, special education, attendance).

Variables were identified with input from many teacher focus groups and the JGP.


Evaluation Next StepsEvaluation Next Steps27






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Implementation Challenges Implementation Challenges

Implementation of the contract has come with challenges:Developing and communicating reasonable timelines

without benchmarks Ensuring the right standards—rigorous but fairGaining consensus on policies among 10 people (JOC)Revisiting and revising policies once data are available Ongoing communication of complexities, successes and

challenges with all stakeholder groupsUndoing misconceptions about the contract motives

and subsequent policies

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Lessons Learned & Looking AheadLessons Learned & Looking Ahead

Lessons learned in the first half of implementation:Need to ensure a deliberate and ongoing communications strategy for the life of the contract Need to adjust timelines early, communicate changes oftenNeed to be willing collectively to revisit policy decisions and compromise to ensure interests are represented fairlyLooking ahead to the remainder of implementation:Communicate successes—awarding of AUs, Model teachersCommunicate timelines for remaining deliverables Prepare for the next contract

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Contact InformationContact Information31

Neil DukeChair, Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners

[email protected]

Andrés A. Alonso, Ed.D.CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools

[email protected]

Marietta EnglishPresident, Baltimore Teachers Union

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



Documents

The Contract in Context