Press Release

HORACE MANN MIDDLE SCHOOL JOINS PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE PILOT

Teachers at Horace Mann Middle School have voted to join the district's ongoing pilot of the pay-for-performance concept, the district's Design Team announced today.

This year, staffs at 12 elementary schools have been testing the concept, which rewards teachers for meeting performance objectives. No secondary schools - either middle or high schools - had yet signed on. Horace Mann, beginning with the 2000-2001 school year, becomes the first.

"We're excited for the new challenges that middle schools bring to us," said Becky Wissink, a teacher and member of the Design Team. "We hope to add at least two more secondary schools soon."

Teachers in all involved schools are required to approve being included in the pilot.

In September, 1999, the Denver Public Schools and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) embarked on a landmark investigation on one of the most challenging public education issues today - can teachers be paid based on the academic achievement of the students they teach?

The Design Team, comprised of two teachers and two administrators, is charged with planning, piloting, revising, implementing, and evaluating the pilot phase of this investigation.

Teachers in 12 elementary schools this year collaborated with their principals to write two objectives based on the academic achievement of their students. Successful teachers will be awarded a bonus.

The Design Team is comparing three different approaches to the objective-setting process. One is based on norm referenced tests, one based on criterion referenced tests, and one based on teacher acquisition of knowledge and skills.

The Board of Education agreed earlier this year to extend the pilot through the 2003 school year. Ultimately, members of the DCTA will vote whether to implement the concept on a district-wide basis.