CPS: Teacher Compensation Tied To Scores Delivers Few Results

After failing to win the first round of grants, the State of Illinois applied Wednesday for a second round of federal Race to the Top funds.

The $4 billion in Race to the Top school grants are a signature effort of Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education and the former CEO of the Chicago Public Schools. State applications for the funds are judged on how many school reforms a given state has made or plans to make.

But one reform deemed central to the Department of Education's new push -- tying teacher compensation to student performance -- has been met with mixed results in Chicago, according to a new report.

Three years ago, Chicago Public Schools launched a pilot program at ten schools to do just that, offering teachers bonuses if their students performed well on standardized testing. The Chicago Tribune has some of the results:

One of the schools taking part in the Chicago Teacher Advancement Program has been closed for poor performance. A few others have opted out of it. Perhaps most surprising, schools in the program for two years actually scored lower on assessments than schools in their first year of implementation, the study found.

While some view the study as evidence that such programs are ineffective, advocates say that with just two years of data, it's too early to judge the program, funded with a $27.5 million federal grant, and the larger concept of performance pay.

Still, state officials like Gov. Pat Quinn are pushing reforms to try to secure the coveted Race to the Top cash. And Quinn seems to think the state has a good chance this time around.

Quinn said that Duncan told him that "you had a very good application" last time around.

Phase 2 applications will be evaluated by the Department of Education over the summer.

Comments

[trinity]

02:45 PM on 06/04/2010

All this will do is discourage teachers from teaching in poorer areas where test scores are not as high as the more affluent areas. Plus, no one will want to teach special education or want to include children with special needs or ELL students into their general education classroom, because the average test scores will fall. It will end up hurting the children who need help the most.

[Reticent]

01:18 PM on 06/03/2010

15 years ago it was clear that teachers were being encouraged to "teach to tests", and it only got worse. Cheating can be rampant with such bonuses, and in the end kids learn nothing, but a little rote memorization at best and how to cheat at worst.

[trinity]

02:42 PM on 06/04/2010

Exactly...cheating is already rampant, especially when schools/principals are threatened when their special ed or ELL populations are failing miserably... Children would not be eligible to be in special ed if they could pass the state grade level test...so when most "miraculously" pass, something is fishy.

Teaching to the test has taken the fun out of education, especially for the students. Thematic units that are not "on the test are eliminated from the curriculum, even if they were very popular with the students. Teach the test and **** the rest as they say...

[brady51h]

02:59 AM on 06/03/2010

Scores were not raised because the powers to be will not admit that a childs education is a partnership between teachers and parents. For the most part parents are not pulling their weight.

[AmigaMan]

10:30 AM on 06/03/2010

You got that right.

[corwin]

01:03 PM on 06/03/2010

Right. teachers are good.and hardworking.And could make more in some other job.And the reason so many CPS teachers send their kids to privatre schools is because they're,what ?,poor parents?

[Captain Pants]

02:07 PM on 06/03/2010

I would say like wealthy enough parents who don't want their children dragged down by the children whose parents can't afford private schools.

[Captain Pants]

02:13 PM on 06/03/2010

And yes, teachers are good and hardworking - as hardworking and good as any group in any other professions, and probably more "good" because the purpose of the profession is to help and educate other human beings, which pulls in a population of optimistic, passionate people.

You, know not all schools are in the CPS system. There are specific challenges faced by urban schools not replicated in rural and suburban schools.

In any event, the number one and number two reasons for sending children to private schools are the same as always: religious indoctrination and socioeconomic stratification.

[Kreskytim]

09:47 PM on 06/02/2010

It's not a level paying field. Do the tests take this into account?

[Captain Pants]

10:08 PM on 06/02/2010

No they are a, no longer veiled, method to privatize education and break teachers unions. And, Race to the Top and the new ESEA reauthorization just further encourages this.

[Kreskytim]

09:47 PM on 06/02/2010

A lot of teacher teach in very difficult districts. You can just go with test scores.

[Captain Pants]

10:09 PM on 06/02/2010

It makes it easier to marginalize struggling schools, break them up and privatize with charters.

[Dragula]

09:20 PM on 06/02/2010

Unions and education should not mix.

[Captain Pants]

10:05 PM on 06/02/2010

Please examine how equitable institutions of education were before the advent of unions and other social reforms and advocacy.

Please examine the working conditions of teachers before unions.

I find your statement offensive.

[Dragula]

10:30 PM on 06/02/2010

You mean back when kids learned something in school, not worried about guns and violence. Learned math and science instead of how to have sex and and be a treehugger like now. You and your union are offensive.

[crookedcountyillinois]

09:19 PM on 06/02/2010

"One of the schools taking part in the Chicago Teacher Advancement Program has been closed for poor performance. A few others have opted out of it. Perhaps most surprising, schools in the program for two years actually scored lower on assessments than schools in their first year of implementation, the study found.

While some view the study as evidence that such programs are ineffective, advocates say that with just two years of data, it's too early to judge the program, funded with a $27.5 million federal grant, and the larger concept of performance pay."

Need I say more?