School adopts Pay for Performance plan

The Idaho Pay for Performance plan for Joint School District #171 was approved last week by the school board. The pay has been submitted to the State Dept. of Education for approval.

Legislation passed this spring details the mechanism for granting shares to districts based on how schools in the district rank on students’ proficiency or student growth on Springs ISATs.

School boards determine what criteria will be used to earn shares at the local level. A teacher must earn shares (or portions of shares) through both the state and local measures in order to receive any Pay for Performance money.

Local measures for Joint School District #171 include the following 18 measures:

  *IRI scores by grade and building.

  *ISAT scores by building.

  *ISAT scores for students with disabilities by district.

  *Contacting at four parents a week.

  *Using parents/community members in classroom presentations.

  *Graduation rates.

  *Attendance rates.

  *AIMS web benchmaking and monitoring.

  *Participation in departments, focus area or grade-level teams.

  *Participation in in-service activities during in-service days.

  *Participation in Friday work days/building in-service days.

  *Participation in District-sponsored curriculum alignment workshops.

  *Teaching multiple grades in an elementary classrooms.

  *Teaching load that includes four or more preparation at the secondary level.

  *Teaching dual-enrollment, college credit or AP courses.

  *Teaching a distance learning class for the District.

  *Sharing action research with colleagues.

  *Using SWIS forms for behavioral documentation.

Math scholarships

The National Council for the Teachers of Mathematics Course Work Scholarships for grades pre-kindergarten through five. Teachers provide financial support for improving teachers’ understanding of math by completing course work. Maximum award is $2,000.

For more information on this subject go to http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id+1332.

Teacher grants

An annual initiative of the Kids in Need Foundation, the Kids in Need Teacher Grants program provides grants to K-12 educations working to provide innovative learning opportunities for their students.

The grants are funded by retail and education credit union sponsors. All certified K-12 teachers in the US are eligible to apply. The foundation does not fund preschool projects. Teacher grant awards range from $100 to $500. To learn more visit http://www.kinf.org/.