What is ProComp
ProComp is a groundbreaking compensation system that links teacher pay to the school district's instructional mission. Designed in a partnership between the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and Denver Public Schools, ProComp has received national attention because it rewards teachers for their professional accomplishments while linking pay to student achievement.
ProComp promotes improved student achievement by:
- Rewarding teachers with bonuses and salary increases for improved student performance
- Encouraging talented teachers to work in schools and assignments with the greatest needs
ProComp helps attract and retain top quality teachers by:
- Allowing teachers to have more direct control of their career with options that reward them for increased knowledge and skills
- Offering salary incentives for satisfactory professional evaluations
Denver voters will go to the polls on November 1, 2005, to decide on the $25 million mill levy to pay for the new system.
ProComp Groups Developed and Tested Systems
During the first year of the transition to ProComp, scores of Denver teachers, administrators and specialists have dedicated thousands of hours to develop operational details and field test systems in schools around the district. As systems continue to be tested, the input of teachers, specialists and administrators will remain an integral part in the process to develop a smooth-functioning system.
Among the accomplishments in the 2004-2005 school year for ProComp:
- At the urging of teachers and other advisory groups, the Transition Team recommended that the opt-in window be moved from January 2005 to November-December 2005 soteachers will know the outcome of a $25 million mill levy election before deciding to opt-in.
- The Professional Evaluation work group conducted a pilot program in 29 schools to test the new professional evaluation system. New handbooks and training videos were developed to support the new system, and focus groups were conducted in May to determine how well the operation worked. All schools will conduct pilots on some elements of the new system during the next school year.
- More than 4,000 teachers and student service providers (specialists) set two student growth objectives this year, using an online system. Educators were asked in focus groups and an email survey about their experiences and suggestions for improvement. The feedback is being used to update handbooks, including revising guidelines and expanding sample objectives.
- Twenty-eight schools were identified as high priority schools and four positions were determined to be hard to staff by the Market Incentives work group. These schools and positions were approved by the Transition Team in time for the spring staffing process. The district will start to pay bonuses for these incentives in January 2006.
- The Professional Development work group has developed guidelines for completing a Professional Development Unit and sample PDUs for a variety of teaching positions and those of student service providers.The PDUs will be field tested in 2005-06.
- The Distinguished Schools work group developed criteria to identify schools where teachers would receive increases based on accomplishments. The Transition Team has provisionally approved the criteria. The process will be piloted next fall, using data from 2003-04.
- The Exceeds CSAP Expectations work group has developed a formula for determining which teachers will qualify for increases, based on the performance of their students. The formula will be tested during the 2005-06 school year.
- The Opt-In work group is developing a web-based tool for teachers to use when joining ProComp. The development includes design of a more accurate “salary calculator,” which will allow current teachers to determine the best time to opt into ProComp or to remain in the present salary system.
- The Communications work group recruited a cadre of Key Communicators to increase two-way communication with schools and departments. The communicators were teachers, administrators and specialists who visited schools and presented information on ProComp.
- The 3.5 Committee recruited subcommittees of specialists to support all the work groups. They provide valuable assistance in adapting the teacher compensation system to reflect the ways student service providers contribute to student success in school.
Teachers, student service providers and administrators will continue to be asked for their feedback as ProComp moves toward full implementation in the 2006-2007 school year. For more information about each ProComp component, click on the work group link.