Retaining Effective Teachers Policy
Massachusetts does not currently support performance pay statewide. However, the state received a Teacher Incentive Fund grant in 2010 to implement a pilot program to "attract, support, evaluate, reward and retain effective teachers in 22 low-performing 'turnaround schools' in Boston and Springfield." Performance-pay compensation is based on teacher evaluations under a new evaluation system that uses three rating categories, with student growth being a significant factor.
Massachusetts was helpful in providing NCTQ with the facts necessary for this analysis. The state added that there is nothing in state law or regulations precluding districts from negotiating performance base pay scales. New evaluation regulations require that educators whose summative performance rating is exemplary and whose impact on student learning is rated moderate or high shall be recognized and rewarded.