SCORE Roadmap to Success | Page 21

2010 Agenda: Budget Recommendations 1. Ensure the current funding in extended contract money is continued on a recurring basis. Encourage this funding be used to expand time on task for students falling behind grade level, especially through before-school, during-school, after-school, weekend, and summer interventions. 2. Ensure the current career ladder and professional development funding is continued on a recurring basis. As career ladder teachers retire, use this money to fund the implementation of district differentiated pay plans. Encourage districts to use significant portions of these plans to fund teacher mentoring programs and the creation of professional learning communities within individual schools. 2011 Agenda: Policy Recommendations 1. Restructure the state salary schedule to include new elements such as multiple career paths (e.g., beginning, professional, and master teachers). Also consider incentivizing select inputs (e.g. credentials in high-needs subject areas, appropriate graduate degrees, placement in high-needs schools, teacher leadership roles) and outputs (e.g., performance on the new teacher effectiveness measure). 2. Directly link tenure decisions to the teacher effectiveness measure, allowing student achievement gains to be included as one component of the teacher effectiveness measure before a final tenure decision must be reached. This may require a rethinking of the current tenure timeframe and structure.