The initiative doesn't come out of the blue for the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers: The CFT has worked with administrators on the effort for the past two years.
"We started by answering the question, What is good teaching? It's not magical. It can be defined. If it can be defined, it can be measured," says Kathleen Ware, associate superintendent.
Under the plan, teachers would be rated from 1 to 4 on 16 standards every five years; less extensive assessments would be done annually. Both peers and the principal would do the evaluations. The standards-- derived from national models--include such things as designing appropriate lessons, communicating objectives and assessments effectively and functioning as part of a school's instructional team.
Evaluations would be directly tied to compensation. And they also would help with staff development. For instance, the plan spells out expectations for apprentice, novice, career, advanced and accomplished teaching levels.
While the beginning salary would remain the same, teachers could earn more at the higher levels. No extra funding is required immediately, although Ware says that a budget increase could be needed to cover salaries in eight years.
Rick Beck, who is president of the union, is hopeful that his colleagues will back the pay-for-performance proposal but says it's not a shoo-in. Some members fear the increased level of accountability, while others worry about fair implementation.
