Published Online: October 24, 2011
Idaho Schools Tie Merit Pay to Parent Involvement
Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.
Twin Falls, Idaho
Teacher bonuses will hinge on how well they engage parents in some south-central Idaho schools.
Districts in the rural farming communities of Wendell, Jerome and Gooding have adopted merit pay plans for some employees that tie bonuses to the level of participation in parent-teacher conferences, the Times-News reports.
Idaho public schools were required to develop teacher pay-for-performance plans that could be based on a variety of factors, including test scores and attendance rates, under education changes that were signed into law earlier this year.
The education laws spearheaded by public schools chief Tom Luna and backed by the governor will also phase in laptops for high school teachers and students, and make online courses a requirement to graduate, among other changes.
Under the pay-for-performance piece of Luna's "Students Come First" plan, districts developed plans to boost the educator salaries based on a number of criteria.
The Wendell district decided to base merit pay bonuses on parental involvement at high school conferences because participation has been a problem in the past, Superintendent Greg Lowe said. Now, up to 70 percent of the potential bonus available to employees is based on how many parents show up for the conferences.
"They have really struggled to get parent involvement at parent-teacher conferences," Lowe said.
The district sent an automated phone message to parents as a reminder to attend conferences earlier this month. More than 40 percent of parents have to attend the meetings in order for teachers to earn the maximum merit pay bonus, a goal that was exceeded this fall, Lowe said.
But at least one school in the region has put the focus on student involvement.In nearby Jerome, the district's middle school has also tied pay-for-performance to parent participation. The Gooding School District has a similar plan for seventh through 12th grades, with 25 percent of the teacher bonus based on parent attendance at three conferences throughout the academic year.
At the middle school in Wendell, 50 percent of the teacher merit pay plan hinges on the percent of pupils who complete portfolios for student leadership conferences. At least 90 percent of the students have to complete a portfolio for teachers to earn the maximum bonus.
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