Building A Rewarding Career For New Mexicos Teachers

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Building A Rewarding Career For New Mexicos
Teachers

• Peter Winograd, OEA
• James Ball, PED
• Rosalita Mitchell, UNM
• Charles Bowyer, NEA
• Robert Moulton, NMSU

Presented at the NCTAF Western Regional
Meeting November 14 15, 2004 Seattle,
Washington
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Presentation Overview

• New Mexico Context
• Three Tiered Licensure System
• Signs of Success
• Challenges
• Lessons Learned
• Discussion

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PUBLIC EDUCATION IN NEW MEXICO

• 89 Public School Districts
• 322,000 public school students
• 53 Hispanic
• 33 Anglo
• 11 Native American
• 2 Black
• 1 Asian
• 21, 700 teachers (FTEs)

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Percent of 4th Graders At or Above Proficiency in
Reading NAEP Cross State Comparisons
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New Mexicos Achievement Gap 8th Graders At Or
Above Proficient In Mathematics - NAEP
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Number of Teachers In Selected States(Title II
State Reports 2004)
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Percent of Teachers Not Fully Certified In
Selected States(Title II State Reports 2004)
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TEACHER SALARIES IN NEW MEXICO

• Average teacher salary 02-03
• 43th out of 51
• Average beginning teacher salary 02-03
• 31st out of 51
• Percent improvement in salaries 92-02
• 10th out of 51

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Beginning Teacher Salary in 2002-2003 (AFT,
Estimated 2004)
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EDUCATION SPENDING

• Expenditures per student 01-02
• New Mexico 6,705 (36th in Nation)
• National 7,548
• State Equalization Guarantee (SEG)
• New Mexico is 1st out of the 50 states in having
  reduced reliance on local property taxes to fund
  public education (Ed Trust)

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Teacher Quality Reform Efforts

• 1998 - Legislature considers a merit pay system
  for teachers, which did not pass
• 1999-2003 - Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant
  from USDE
• 2000-2002 - Two attempts in the Legislature to
  adopt a teacher salary system tied to licensure
  level, which did not pass
• HB 212 in 2003 establishes a 3-tiered teacher
  licensure system linked to salary

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PAVING THE WAY FOR REFORM

• 2003 SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE
• HB 212 authorizes three-tiered teacher licensure
  with the tiers linked to minimum salary
  guarantees in all public schools.
• Level I 30,000
• Level II 40,000
• Level III 50,000
• HB 212 requires implementation of a high
  objective uniform statewide standard of
  evaluation (HOUSSE) for teachers
• NM has two HOUSSEs (State Federal)

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PAVING THE WAY FOR REFORM

• In September, 2003, New Mexico voters approve
• A public education governance change, eliminating
  the State Board of Education and establishing a
  Secretary of Education appointed by the Governor.
• Taking increased proceeds annually from the State
  Permanent Fund to pay for the new teacher
  licensure system and other education reforms.

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An Overview of Key Elements of NMs 3-Tiered
Licensure System
30K in 03-04
45K in 06-07 50K in 07-08
35K in 04-05 40K in 05-06
Level III Master Teacher
Level I Provisional Teacher
Level II Professional Teacher
v Successful Annual Evaluations at Level II
Indicators v Verification Teacher is
Highly Qualified if assigned to a core
content area v Options for Additional
Endorsements (if desired) v Licensure Renewal
v Successful Annual Evaluations at Level I
Indicators v Mentoring v Verification Teacher
is Highly Qualified if assigned to a
core content area v Options for Additional
Endorsements (if desired)
v Successful Annual Evaluations at Level III
Indicators v Verification Teacher is
Highly Qualified if assigned to a core
content area v Verification of Leadership
Role v Options for Additional Endorsements
(if desired) v Licensure Renewal

• Advance to Level III by
• submitting Professional
• Development Dossier (PDD)
• Minimum 3 Years Level II
• Teaching Experience
• MA or NBPTS

• Advance to Level II by
• submitting Professional
• Development Dossier (PDD)
• 3 Years Level I Teaching
• Experience

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CREATING THE STATE HOUSSE

• FOUNDATION Laid by the Legislature and the
  Governor in 2003
• FRAMING Proposed by attendees at a statewide
  conference in April, 2003
• WINDOWS/ROOFING Adoption of Public Education
  Department rules in August, 2003
• PAINTING/CABINETS/WINDOWS Three-Tiered
  Implementation Council in 03-04
• MOVING IN July 1, 2004
• SETTLING IN 04-05 to 07-08

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HIGH OBJECTIVE UNIFORM STATEWIDE STANDARD OF
EVALUATION (HOUSSE)
EVIDENCE BASED SYSTEM
ANNUAL EVALUATION PROCESS (LOCAL)
LICENSURE ADVANCEMENT PROCESS (LOCAL STATE)
Based on New Mexicos Nine Teacher Competencies
with Differentiated Indicators for Each Licensure
Level
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ANNUAL EVALUATION 4 Processes

• SUMMATIVE EVALUATION
• Statewide form to document a teachers
  performance on the PDP.
• Completed annually for Level I teachers
• Completed every 3 years for Level II and Level
  III-A teachers.

• PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (PDP)
• Establish annually by 40th day of school on
  district form
• Based on 9 state teaching competencies at
  indicators for licensure level
• Includes evaluation issues from previous year (if
  applicable)
• Assure teacher is highly qualified under NCLB
  (if applicable)

• REFLECTION ON PDP
• End of year activity for every teacher on a
  statewide form
• Teacher reflects on his/her progress in
  implementing the PDP

• PROGRESSIVE DOCUMENTATION OF TEACHER PERFORMANCE
• Statewide form to document a teachers continuous
  professional growth over a 3-year period.
• Completed annually for Level II and III-A teacher
  only.

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DIFFERENCES SIMILARITIES

• WHAT HAS CHANGED IN NM?
• Uniform format throughout state HOUSSE
  (PDP Reflection, Progressive
  Documentation, Summative Evaluation)
• Increased expectations for professional growth
  Differentiated competencies for each licensure
  level
• Observation Evidence determine how teacher
  meets competencies for his/her licensure level
• Annual evaluations follow teachers to new
  districts
• Annual evaluations become component of licensure
  advancement
• Progressive evaluation for levels II and III-A
• PDP refers back to previous years PDP and
  evaluation
• Role of Student Achievement
• Timeline (PDP done by 40th day of school year)
• Training requirements (principals must complete
  training on evaluation every 2 years)

• WHAT HAS NOT CHANGED IN NM?
• Annual assessment of competencies
• Classroom observations
• Professional Development Plans
• Local options to add criteria for evaluation
• Local determination of whether a teacher does not
  meet or meets competencies
• Growth plan for deficiencies

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THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DOSSIER FOR
LICENSURE ADVANCEMENT
Level I teachers MUST submit Professional
Development Dossier in order to advance to Level
II, after successfully completing 3 years at
Level I. (Advancement is required.)
If a Level II teacher wishes to advance to Level
III-A the teacher must submit a Dossier after
successfully completing a minimum of 3 years at
Level II. (Advancement is optional.)
Dossier includes 5 strands 3 strands (A,B, C)
are evaluated by independent reviewers (state
level) 2 strands (DE) are
evaluated at district level.
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Evidence of Competence
Teachers Professional Development Dossier
(PDD) Must include evidence from all five strands
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DOSSIER (PDD)
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DOSSIER (PDD)

• Strand B
• Student X Examples of Work and Explanation
• Complete Student X's cover sheet.
• Prepare examples of Student X's work.
• Explain student selection work.

• Student Y Examples of Work and Explanation
• Complete Student Y's cover sheet.
• Prepare examples of Student Y's work.
• Explain student selection
• work.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DOSSIER (PDD)
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INDEPENDENT REVIEWERS

• Professional Development Dossiers will be
  assessed by trained reviewers
• Teachers
• Administrators
• University Staff
• Retired Educators
• Any qualified educator with a background in
  elementary and secondary education.
• All PDDs will be submitted through an on-line
  system developed by Vision Link of Denver, CO

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Earn
Masters Degree or NBPTS to
advance to Level III-A
GO TO Advancement HOUSE to advance to Level
IIIA
Annually establish Highly Qualified If
teaching assignment is in core academic area
Professional Teacher Level II 40,000 minimum
Pay Phased in by 2005-06
Complete
minimum of 3 years at
Level II to advance to
Level III-A
Master Teacher Level III-A 50,000 minimum
Pay Phased in by 2007-08
Renew Level II License Every 9 Years
Annually establish Highly Qualified If
teaching assignment is in core academic area
New Mexicos 3-Tiered Teacher Licensure System
GO TO Advancement HOUSE to advance to Level II

• LICENSURE ADVANCEMENT HOUSE
• (high, objective, uniform standard of evaluation)
• EVIDENCE
• Work product collected over most
• recent three-year period of teaching
• Demonstrate how teacher meets nine
• teaching competencies at indicators for
• Level II or Level III-A
• Successful annual evaluations for at
• least last two school years
• FORMAT
• Professional Development Dossier
• Instructional Strand
• Student Learning Strand
• Professional Learning Strand
• Verification Strand

• ESTABLISH YOU ARE HIGHLY QUALIFIED
• BY JUNE 30, 2006, ALL CURRENT TEACHERS, TEACHING
  CORE ACADEMIC SUBJECTS MUST BE HIGHLY
  QUALIFIED, meaning
• If you currently teach Early Childhood
  Elementary
• Pass an Elementary Teacher Competency or
  Elementary
• Content Knowledge Test, OR
• Hold NBPTS Certification in elementary
  education, OR
• Meet requirements of Subject Area Competency
  HOUSE.
• If you currently teach Middle Level with K-8
  License,
• Secondary 7-12, and K-12
• Pass Content Knowledge Test in each core
  subject the
• teacher teaches OR
• Complete an undergraduate major or graduate
  degree in each
• core subject the teacher teaches, OR
• Hold either Level Three NM licensure or NBPTS
  Certification,
• OR
• Meet requirements of Subject Area Competency
  HOUSE

Verify Leadership Role
Complete Mentoring Program
Renew Level III-A License Every 9 Years
Complete 3 years at Level I
SUBJECT AREA COMPETENCY HOUSE (high, objective
uniform standard of evaluation) To demonstrate
you are highly qualified through Subject Area
Competency HOUSE the teacher must (1.) Have
successful annual evaluations for the prior two
school years, and (2.) Have five complete school
years of teaching experience, and (3.) Complete
at least 12 semester hours (upper-division) in
the subject area being evaluated, and (4.)
Demonstrate content area competencies and content
standards and benchmarks to a local panel of two
teachers who teach the same subject area and
grade level.
Key Features Increased
Competencies Increased minimum pay
Options for being highly qualified
Annually establish Highly Qualified If
teaching assignment is in core academic area
Beginning Teacher Level I 30,000 minimum
Pay Phased in by 2003-04
To teach in a core academic area Earn
Bachelors, pass appropriate tests, full state
licensure, no waivers. To teach in a non-core
area Earn Bachelors, pass appropriate tests,
waivers permitted. To teach in vocational
education Earn Bachelors and/or work
experience, test not required. Complete Teaching
Program while teaching on an intern license.
START HERE
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Signs of Success High Priority Challenges

• National Attention
• More Stability For Beginning Teachers
• Reduction in Waivers
• 3-Tiered System Implementation Efforts
• Challenges in Funding
• The Issue of Fairness For Other Educators
• The Need For Accurate Data

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Signs of Success

• Positive national recognition from
• American Federation of Teachers
• Education Week
• Education Trust
• Education Commission of the States
• National Commission on Teaching and Americas
  Future
• US Department of Education

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Signs of Success
A Decline in the Number of Beginning Teachers
Who Leave Their Teaching Position or the
Profession

• 2004 85 of beginning teachers were still
  teaching in NM after 3 school years
• 2004 - 81 of those teachers were teaching in the
  districts in which they started

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Signs of Success
A Decline in the Number of Teachers on Waivers
While The Total Number of Teachers Remains
Constant
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New Mexicos 3 Top Areas of Teacher Shortages
2000-01 to 2003-04
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High Quality Teachers For Every Child?CLASSES IN
NMs 55 CORRECTIVE ACTION SCHOOLS TAUGHT BY
HIGHLY-QUALIFIED TEACHERS (2003-2004)
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Governor Bill Richardson, The New Mexico
Legislature, And Voters Provided Additional Funds
To Support the 3-Tiered System
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Costs To Implement New Salary Levels Over
Five-Year Rollout
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EMERGING ISSUES

• What about me?
• Instructional Support Providers, Administrators,
  Educational Assistants.
• How will school districts be funded for the
  three-tiered licensure system in a way that does
  not destroy the SEG?
• Data gathering on the number of teachers at the
  different levels must improve in order to inform
  the Legislature on needed funding for the system
  annually.

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Average Length of Superintendents Service Over
Last Ten Years In Northern NM Districts
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TOTAL NUMBER PRINCIPAL POSITIONS COMPARED TO
TOTAL NUMBER OF NEW PRINCIPALS IN LAST 10 YEARS
IN NORTHERN NM DISTRICTS
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OF PRINCIPAL CHANGE IN LAST 10 YEARSIN
NORTHERN NM DISTRICTS( OF NEW PRINCIPALS - OF
POSTIONS / OF POSITIONS)
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Lessons Learned

• Have a good transition plan between the old
  system and the new system
• Dont leave other educators out
• Dont let worries about funding hold you back
• Find the balance between the needs for resources
  and the demands for accountability
• When licensure matters, resistance to change
  increases

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Resources www.teachnm.org peter.winograd_at_state.nm
.us jball_at_ped.state.nm.us rosalita_at_unm.edu cbowyer
_at_nea.org moultonr_at_nmsu.edu