D-22 Authorize the Superintendent to Implement the Principal Differentiated Compensation Model (PDCM)
The Miami-Dade County Public Schools School Board Members unanimously supported The Principal Differentiated Compensation Model (PDCM) in order to be in compliance with Florida Sate Statute F.S. 1012.22, which states each district school board shall adopt a salary schedule with differentiated pay for school-based administrators and also to be able to attract and retain high performing principals in the hardest to staff schools. The PDCM must vary based on the several factors that include but are not limited to, membership, economically disadvantaged status, reading levels, school configuration, exceptional student education, and persistently low achieving schools. A committee of principals and district personnel convened to review the differentiated compensation criteria and to develop a compensation model for principals that would meet the PDCM requirements and be cost neutral to M-DCPS. The PDCM is not a salary increase to principals but rather a supplement. The committee met over the course of a year and a half to come up with the M-DCPS PDCM that met the Florida State Statute requirements.
The compensation model will allow for:
1. All principals to receive a standard PDCM base salary
2. Supplements to he assigned to each school site based on the following factors, as applicable:
a) Full Time Equivalent (FTE)
b) Percent of Economically Disadvantaged Students Receiving Free and Reduced Lunch
c) Percent of Students Reading at Levels 1 and 2
d) School configuration
e) Percent of Students Participating in Exceptional Students Education Programs
f) Persistently low achieving schools as identified by the District and/or State
3. Supplement amounts designated for each school will be recalculated every two years with the exception of the persistently low achieving schools supplement, which will be adjusted annually.
4. Schools with FTE of 200 or less are ineligible for a supplemental adjustment.
The model will be reviewed annually.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho spoke on this item and stated he supported it and felt it was a move in the right direction. Superintendent Carvalho made it clear this is not a tool to evaluate administrators and also stated the PDCM is in line with teacher incentive pay and would provide 1 million dollars in incentives to current principals. Superintendent Carvalho stated he was not opposed to adding assistant principals and non-school site administrators into the PDCM in the future.
I am not clear if the PDCM is a tool to reward principals who work in the lowest performing schools for their due diligence or if the principals who work in low performing schools will be less likely to receive supplements from PDCM. That is a point in need of clarification. I found it interesting Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and several other school board members made it clear this is not used as a tool to evaluate administrators but more so as a reward. Nevertheless, as is the case with teacher incentive pay when you do not receive money it is the assumption that you were not successful and therefore have been evaluated negatively and is in itself a form of evaluation. A concern I have with administrators' supplements being tied to student performance and FTE is the effect it may have on the dynamics in the school in regards to more testing pressures and IPEGS evaluations based on principals success or failure in regards to PDCM. PDCM is new and seems equitable that administrators receive incentives for the role they play as stakeholders in students education, however, I hope there is not a backlash on teachers from this new incentive dangling in front of administrators.
A-1 Release of High School Grades
Superintendent Alberto spoke on what he considered to be one of the hallmarks of our success this year, the release of the high school grades. Back in July of 2012, the points were given for all schools, but the final high school grades were not seen until six months later, the end of December. Superintendent Carvalho called it an example of student performance, teacher effectiveness and inspired leadership in our school district. The outcomes were unprecedented and results. Superintendent Carvalho listed the highlights:
1. One-hundred percent of all high schools were a "C", "B" or an "A"
2. Eighty-eight percent (49 high schools) of high schools were rated either "A" or "B" (outperforming the state).
Superintendent Carvalho turned it over to Gisela Feild, Administrative Director of Assessment, Research & Data Analysis who stated that this was the result of M-DCPS necessary compliance with Senate Bill1908 requiring that schools look past the FCAT and at other indicators including college readiness scores, advanced placement and International Baccalaureate (IB) enrollment as well as graduation rate that have impacted school grades for the last three years. In addition, the standards were raised with new cut scores and more rigorous FCAT and high school college readiness component focusing only on M-DCPS on time graduates and Federal Graduation Rate which only looks at students who receive a standard diploma, despite all those changes having one hundred percent of M-DCPS high schools being "C", "B" or "A" schools and sixty-three percent of the high schools being "A" schools. In addition, the at risk schools, which are the Educational Transformation Schools, showed great improvement in that three of the schools, Miami Norland, Miami Jackson and Miami Southridge are "A" schools.
The data regarding high school FCAT scores are tremendous and does show the work and dedication of all parties who are involved. Ms. Feilds mentions new requirements have been very taxing on schools especially at the high school level. However, it seems the new requirements, such as college readiness scores, advanced placement and International Baccalaureate (IB) enrollment as well as graduation rate have been very beneficial to high schools in regards to their school grades. It seems all of the new requirements have given schools new opportunities for success in regards to the "other fifty percent” of the FCAT grade.
Tony Bennett was appointed Commissioner of Education and this brings changes within the Florida Department of Education. In his new capacity, Bennett has done away with the "One Grade Only Drop Limit" and this means a schools grade can drop from an "A" to an "F". Also, beginning in the 2012-2013 school year, a score of 3.5 or higher will be required on FCAT Writing Assessment to be considered proficient. At the high school level alone 86 percent of 10th grade students scored a 3.0 on the 2012 FCAT Writing assessment. In addition the adequate progress requirement for the lowest 25% is back in effect this school year. This policy can possibly lower a school’s grade by one letter. It appears our high schools are doing a good job of meeting the requirements for the "other indicators" nevertheless it appears the state of Florida is raising the standards on student performance on the FCAT. However, as Superintendent Carvalho stated our district has done some "unprecedented and historic" feats in 2012 and hopefully 2012 is a good indicator of what our FCAT successes will be in 2013.
A-1 RACE TO THE TOP FUNDS FOR IPREP MATH FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Superintendent Carvalho spoke on M-DCPS winning Race to the Top Funds. The use of the funds will focus on IPREP Math using hybrid blended Learning Environments in which every middle school will be impacted. M-DCPS had the highest number of points, which means it had the best proposal in the country.
Superintendent Carvalho turned the more detail explanation of IPREP Math over to Ms. Milagros Fornell, Office of Innovation & Accountability. She mentioned focus of the grant was an innovative instructional program personalized student-learning environments. The district award is approximately thirty-two million dollars, with thirty million dollars going to the project and two million for supplements. The grant will last for four years and will begin next year and is based after the high school level IPREP program. This is a choice program for teachers and students and will serve as an introduction into common core. Each middle school will receive an IPREP Math Lab; the lab will have three teachers and the teachers will receive additional planning during the day.
School Bard Member Raquel A. Regalado asked about "the student choice" portion because it was mentioned that IPREP Math is modeled after IPREP which is selective program for children who have above a 2.0. Therefore, Regalado asked "is this program for students that are already excelling in mathematics or is this open to all interested students?" Fornell responded this is open to all students regardless of GPA or math skills because the purpose is to bring all middle school students up to 8th grade Algebra I level.
It appears, as a district, we consistently win the "Race to the Top", however, my concern is what do we do when we get there? IPREP Math for middle schools is another opportunity to reach students in a crucial area. Too often students say math is their least favorite subject and hopefully this program will reinvigorate students passion for mathematics and that passion will carry on to high school and college. A great deal of money (approximately 32 million dollars) is being spent to ignite the spark in students regarding math using IPREP Math labs as the venue. IPREP Math labs will have three teachers, nice cozy couches, MAC computers and multiple interests building center that are supposed to draw out the inner math wiz in any student. However, what happens when the students go to high school and their math classes are not as warm and cozy, but instead math class is just four walls, a teacher, a book and a possibly a Smart Board? Do we loose our math wizzes in 9th grade? I hope there is some longevity to this program spanning past four years. As I mentioned previously, as a district we are great sprinters and we can win the "race to the top", but what happens when we get to the end of this four year grant? Where is the sustainability of this program? Maybe we should be less concerned with the race and more concerned with the journey.
