Q-Comp Coordinator Position to be Posted in October

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The next step in the Q-Comp process will be to hire the Q-Comp Coordinator. This Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) will work with the Q-Comp Administrator to manage the day-to-day operations of the program.  The position will be posted in October, interviews will be conducted in later in the month, and the position will start at the beginning of second trimester. We are hoping to get a good field of candidates for this important role. The job description from the plan follows:

Education and Experience

o   Minimum 7 years experience in education

o   Masters degree required

o   Continuing contract status required

Qualifications

o   Effective written oral and communication skills

o   Ability to problem solve and make decisions independently and collaboratively

o   Ability to design, implement, and manage a budget preferred

o   Ability to work in and lead team situations and meetings

o   Background in instructional pedagogy, behavior strategies, and professional development preferred

o   Experience in site, district level, professional organization leadership positions

o   Demonstrated leadership experience with adults

o   Possesses quality presentation skills

o   Demonstrates effective conflict resolution skills

o   Passionate about quality teaching and learning

Responsibilities

o   Support and assist in implementation of the district’s Q-Comp plan

o   Schedule, plan, and facilitate peer evaluator meetings on a regular basis

o   Provide instructional leadership and monitor progress of peer evaluators

o   Participate in the selection and hiring of the peer evaluators

o   Provide support to peer evaluators and educators

o   Maintain open line of communication between educators and administrator about Q-
Comp issues and concerns

o   Assess Q-Comp program effectiveness

o   Gather relevant data for the measurement of Q-Comp goals

o   Participate in local, state, and national trainings as appropriate

o   Provide support to the Q-Comp Steering Committee

o   Work with Q-Comp administrator to file appropriate paperwork with the MDE

o   Support participants annual review of the Q-Comp program

o   Other duties as assigned

Congratulations to our new Q-Comp Plan Administrator

In early August of this year a team of AHEM leadership and Anoka Hennepin administrative personnel hired our first Q-Comp Plan Administrator. The individual who was selected is Kim Pavlovich.

Ms. Pavlovich is a current Anoka Hennepin employee, serving most recently as the Johnsville Elementary principal. Prior to that assignment she served the students and staff as Principal of Jefferson Elementary School for seven years.

Kim was born and raised in upper Michigan and is proud to be called a “Upper”. Both of her parents, all three of her brothers, as well as her daughter are practitioners in the education field, serving in either public schools or higher education settings. As Kim stated, “Education seems to be a trait in my family gene-pool”. Kim enjoys downhill ski racing, running, and exercise in general. She is an avowed life-long learner who likes new challenges, is competitive and enjoys helping others excel.

Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree from Bethel University, a Masters degree and Principals license earned at the University of Minnesota. She has worked in North St. Paul school district as a classroom and gifted/ talented teacher and in St. Francis school district as a teacher and principal.  In addition, she is the outgoing chair of the Metro Principals Academy Advisory Board.

Ms. Pavlovichs’ goals for our Q-Comp plan include: open and transparent communication, development of web resources for participants, and strengthening our district’s Pre K -12 continuity and student outcomes. It is her intent to serve as a knowledgeable and approachable “Go To” person for the implementation of our new plan. She is looking forward to working with the AHEM Q-Comp Plan coordinator who will be selected in October of this year. Kim will be housed at the new ESC and can be reached at 763-506-1377 or through district e-mail. 

By AHEM Vice President LeMoyne Corgard

Q-Comp Passes!

The unofficial results of this week’s Anoka-Hennepin Q-Comp vote is 89% yes, 11% no. Over 2000 of our members voted. That is above our 75% of those voting threshold for passage, so we have accepted Q-Comp for the 2013-2014 school year.

Thank you to all who helped create our proposal and had the one-on-one discussions that lead to its passage.

Now our opportunity is to make this plan not only work to fulfill requirements of the new teacher evaluation law, but to ensure it truly enhances our practice to the benefit of our students.

Quick Links

Click the links below for the most requested information about our Q-Comp proposal:

Overview Flyer

Overview Video

Flowchart and Basic Description

Why Consider Q-Comp Now? 

Peer Evaluators Information

Q-Comp and What We Already Do

Financial Facts

Assessing Observations

Full Proposal

Is It Time to Reconsider Q-Comp?

Why discuss Q-Comp now?

Things have changed.  When we first considered Q-Comp, our choice was between a new project and the status quo.  That is no longer the situation.  Since our vote last March, the Minnesota legislature has passed a law requiring annual teacher evaluations by the 2014-2015 school year.  About a third of those evaluations need to be based on some measure of student achievement, most commonly some kind of test score.  No new funding was dedicated to cover the cost of that law.

Our choice now is implementing the items we came up with in our Q-Comp proposal with funding or implementing them without.  That’s a very different choice. 

What will be new by the 2014-2015 school year? 

Without Q-Comp

·         Annual evaluations for all educators

·         Part of evaluation based on test scores

·         Staff hired to complete evaluations

·         If our teachers and the district can’t agree on a plan, we use one now being written by a state committee

·         Funding for additional staff taken from district’s general fund, which could result in higher class sizes

With Q-Comp

·         Annual evaluations for all educators

·         Part of evaluation based on test scores

·         Staff hired to complete evaluations

·         Use a collaboratively-designed plan that has already been approved by the State of Minnesota

·         Funding for additional staff taken from state Q-Comp funds, which will not impact class sizes

·         Incentive pay of up to $2100 for educators

What are our options?

 If we choose to reconsider Q-Comp, we could vote again on our proposal at the end of the year.  If it were to pass, we would use the next school year to build the infrastructure to support the program.  We would begin the observations, goal setting, and incentives in the 2013-2014 school year - the year before the new teacher evaluation law goes into effect.  Just like before, it would take 75% of our members to agree before proceeding with any alternative pay plan.  If w the vote fails, we could lose access to state funding because it would be allocated to other districts who choose to implement Q-Comp plans.

Next Steps:

At Monday's Representative Assembly meeting, members agreed to hold a vote of our membership the last week in May.  They further moved to recommend a "yes" vote to the membership.  More information will be coming in the coming weeks and members will have the chance to weigh in on this new decision.