Amazon Web Services



Improving Mathematics Teacher Quality at Rural Elementary SchoolsPilot ProjectContract HandbookIntroductionThis purpose of this handbook is to introduce important information related to the “Improving Math Teacher Quality at Rural Elementary Schools Pilot Project” and to enhance your understanding of the?project’s performance pay contract. The pilot project is being implemented with the support of the Education Bureau, Northwest University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Lanzhou University. If you have any question about the performance pay contract, our team will do our best to provide an answer. We wish you health and best wishes!Chinese Academy of SciencesNorthwest UniversityLanzhou University“Improving Math Teacher Quality at Rural Elementary Schools” Pilot Project Team“Hello, I am Ms. Liu! Join us and learn about our project!”1. What is the “Improving Math Teacher Quality at Rural Elementary Schools” Pilot Project? To put it simply, this program is designed to provide teachers an opportunity for “pay-for-performance” and improve the math performance of rural students through incentivizing teachers. 2. Why am I participating in the “Improving Math Teacher Quality at Rural Elementary Schools” Pilot Project Training Conference?The purpose of the “Improving Mathematics Teacher Quality at Rural Elementary Schools” Pilot Project Training Conference is to provide you a better understanding of different current perspectives regarding China’s rural teacher education. In order to maintain impartiality, the?project team has randomly selected a few teachers to participate in this project. 3. Besides training, what else do I need to do today? In addition to training, we will also sign a performance pay contract with you today. The contract stipulates that your participation in the “pay-for-performance” opportunity is based on the performance of your students and is meant to further improve the math performance of rural students. 4. Besides me, who else will receive a performance pay contract? Hundreds of teachers at schools in your area are receiving performance pay contracts. However, due to the limited funds of the project, only a few teachers at each school can receive performance pay contracts. 5. What does the performance pay contract have to do with the performance-based pay I receive from my school and local government? There is no connection between the performance pay contract you are receiving today and the performance-based pay you receive from your school and local government. The project will provide you a bonus based on the performance of your students. That is to say, the bonus will in no way replace the performance-based pay you receive from your school or local government. “Bonus”6. As for my performance pay contract, what are the fundamental provisions?The fundamental provisions include: What amount of bonus you will receive from our project is dependent upon your teacher quality. Your teacher quality is dependent upon the math performance of your students. (1) “Your students” is specifically defined as every student in the math classes you teach during the 2013-2014 academic year. When the project says “your classes,” we mean the classes that are randomly selected to be part of teacher rewards. (2) “Student math performance” is defined as a student’s score on the standardized math test administered by the project team. The project team will randomly select one of the classes you teach to take the standardized math test at the end of the spring semester. This standardized math test is based on your current syllabi, and the students of all those teachers participating in the project will take the exact same math test. The project team is responsible for carrying out the standardized math test and overseeing survey work. (3) Notice: Your “teacher quality” is dependent upon the percentile increase in the math scores of your students. To find clarification of what percentile increase in student’s math scores means, please refer to the next page. 7. What is percentile increase? How are percentile increases in student math scores calculated? Percentile Increase in Student Math ScoresTo understand percentile increase in student math scores, we will first introduce the general concepts of increase and percentile. Definition of IncreaseThe project team will provide your students an initial chance to take the standardized math test. We will call this “the first test.” We will administer the standardized math test to your students once again at the end of the spring semester. We will call this “the second test.” We will subtract the scores of every student on the first test from their scores on the second test, giving us the “increase in math performance.” Here is an example: Ming’s score on the first test is 57. Ming’s score on the second test is 65. Ming’s increase in math score is 65-57= 8 points. Definition of Percentile Percentile is a relative concept. It indicates the percentage improvement in each individual score. Percentile scores range between 0 and 99. Percentiles are calculated as such:100 x (1 – individual absolute ranking / total number of students)For example, a school has 200 students in total. Ranking each student from 1 to 200 constitutes absolute ranking. A student is ranked as 20 therefore has a percentile score of 90. This is the calculation: 100 x (1 – 20 / 200) = 90That is to say, this student’s score is higher than 90% of students. The Percentile Increase Algorithm Five parts: First, using the example of a student Ming in your class, we can calculate the score increase between the two tests by subtracting the student’s score on the first test from the student’s score on the second test. Second, find students that had the exact same score on the first test as Ming did from within the total population of students being taught by teachers participating in the project (we call these students who “Identical Starting Point Students”). Third, based on the score increases of their respective test scores, compare Ming and his Identical Starting Point students and calculate Ming’s percentile ranking within this group of students. Fourth, using the same method, calculate the percentile ranking of the other students in your classes Fifth, calculate the average percentile rankings of all of the students in your classes. We call this the “Percentile Increase in Math Score,” and use this measure within this project as a representation of teacher quality.8. Can you provide an example of how to use the percentile increase calculation to assess my teacher quality? Question: Take the example of Ms. Liu. Her class has 40 students that have all already taken the two tests. How can she calculate the percentile increase for the students in her class?Student NameFirst ScoreSecond ScorePercentile Increase1) Ming5765?2) Wang7380?3) Ma9097?4) Zhang6268?….………40) Wu8187?Total Increase in Math Scores29553278?Total Number of Students404040Average increase in math scores 73.8881.95?“You’ve worked hard teacher!”First: Take the example of a student in your class, Ming. Calculate the score increase for Ming between the two tests by subtracting the score on the first test from the score on the second test. Second: Find students that had the exact same score of 57 on the first test as Ming did from within the total population of students being taught by teachers participating in the project (we call these students “Identical Starting Point Students”).Student NameSchool Number First ScoreSecond ScoreIncrease = Second score – First ScoreYang Xiuping#123578225Yang Yunchao#47578023Liu Rendeng#70577821Wu Yongrong#256577518Wen Zezhong#340577417Wen Yujun#488577114Wen Fachang#99576912Xu Qingun#357669Ming #8857658Zhang Taotao#17657636Yang Yuanwei#1157614Yang Lian#22057603Mo Anqiao#38357592Ren Bin#44057570Third: Based on the respective score increases, compare Ming and his Identical Starting Point students and calculate Ming’s percentile ranking within this group of students.Student NameSchool Number First ScoreSecond ScoreIncrease = Second score – First ScorePercentile Ranking Yang Xiuping#12357822597.5Yang Yunchao#4757802392.5Wen Zezhong#34057741777.5Wen Yujun#48857711472.5Wen Fachang#9957691267.5Xu Qingun#35766962.5Xiao Ming #885765857.5Zhang Taotao#1765763652.5Mo Anqiao#3835759237.5Ren Bin#4405757032.5Fourth, using the same method, calculate the percentile ranking of the other students in your classes. Fifth, calculate the average percentile rankings of all of the students in your classes. We call this the “Percentile Increase in Math Score.” Student NameFirst ScoreSecond ScorePercentile Increase1) Ming576557.52) Wang738060.53) Ma909772.54) Zhang626867.5….………40) Wu818777.5Total Increase in Math Scores295532782700Total Number of Students404040Average increase in math scores 73.8881.9567.5 (Ms. Liu’s Teacher Quality)9. How is teacher quality used to calculate my bonus? In general, your bonus is dependent upon the percentile ranking of your teacher quality. Teachers scoring in the highest percentile can receive a RMB 7,000 bonus from the project. For every lower percentile, the bonus will be cut by RMB 70. On average, a teacher can generally expect to receive a RMB 3500 bonus from the project.Definition of Percentile Ranking Percentile ranking is a relative concept. It indicates the percentage improvement in each individual score. Percentile scores rang between 0 and 99. Percentile rankings are calculated as such:100 x (1 – individual absolute ranking / total number of students)For example, the project has 500 total participants. Ranking each person from 1 to 200 by teacher quality constitutes absolute ranking.A teacher is ranked as 60 therefore has a percentile score of 88. This is the calculation: 100 x (1 – 60 / 500) = 88That is to say, this teacher’s teacher quality is higher than 88% of participants in the project. Bonuses are calculated as such: 7000 – (99 – teacher percentile ranking) x 70That is to say, if you are ranked in the 99th percentile of all teachers for teacher quality (you are the most effective teacher), then you could receive RMB 7000 from the project:7000 – (99 – 99) x 70 =7000.If you are ranked in the 98th percentile for teacher quality (you are more effective than 98% of the teachers), then you can receive RMB 6930 from the project:7000 – (99-98) x 70 = 6930. Teacher Quality Percentile Ranking Project Bonus (Unit: RMB/Teacher)997000986930976860966790956720……503570493500483430473360463290……54204350328022101140070“Bonus”10. Based on the examples used earlier, can you use an example to show how my bonus is calculated? Bonus Example First Step: Based on percentile ranking, Ms. Liu has a teacher quality of 67.5. Calculate Ms. Liu’s teacher quality ranking. Teacher NumberTeacher QualityTeacher Quality Ranking #235188.51#006286.22#087784.33#146483.74#110181.45………Ms. Liu67.560………#055110.5500Second Step: Using Ms. Liu’s teacher quality ranking, calculate Ms. Liu’s teacher quality percentile. Calculate the percentile as such: 100 x (1 – 60 / 500) = 88Third Step: Calculate Ms. Liu’s bonus amount.7000 – (99 – 88) x 70 = RMB 623011. Based on the performance pay contract, what do I have to do before I can receive the highest possible bonus amount? Whether the score on the first test is high or low, you should work hard to ensure that every student has the same opportunity to increase his or her percentile ranking. Therefore, based on the performance pay contract, the best way to receive the highest possible bonus amount is to focus equally on every student. 12. When my bonus is calculated, who is my teacher quality compared with? Your teacher quality is compared with that of teachers at other schools, but not against the teacher quality of other teachers at your own school. What this means is that comparison is conducted across schools, but not within schools. 13. Based on the performance pay contract, will I be fined if the test scores of my students are less than ideal?There will be no fines whatsoever. Based on the performance pay contract, not only will you not be fined as a result of less than ideal student test scores, but to the contrary, the smallest bonus amount you can receive from the project is RMB 70. In conclusion, the performance pay contract only stipulates that you will be provided an opportunity for “pay-for-performance.” 14. Will the bonus amount results be posted publically or told to other people? Absolutely not. The bonus amount results will not be posted publically or told to any person besides you and the program team.“The program team will completely respect the privacy of the teachers”15. Will the student test scores on the standardized math tests be posted publically or told to other people? Absolutely not. In terms of the standardized math tests that are administered to your students, the scores of the students in your class will neither be posted publically nor told to any person besides you and the program team. 16. What are the risks of my signing this performance pay contract? There are absolutely no risks. We will not disclose any of your personal information – including your name, telephone number, and math score ranking of the students in your class – to anyone outside of yourself and the project team. 17. What is the effective term of the performance pay contract? The effective term of the performance pay contract is the entirety of the 2013-2014 academic year.18. When can I receive my bonus? At the end of the 2013-2014 academic year, we will calculate the bonus amount you should receive based on the teacher quality measurement, and transfer the bonus amount into your bank account before August 1, 2014. 19. Besides the aforementioned information, the performance pay contract includes what other clauses that I need to be aware of? The contract has two other clauses you should be aware of: (1) Full Class Student Participation Clause: Every student in your classes should participate in the standardized math tests administered by the project team. If a student is unable to take the test at the end of the 2014 spring semester due to sickness or is a “special case approved by the project team,” that student will be treated as an incomplete test. For those students that are treated as incomplete tests, the project team will use scores from May 2013 as the second test score. This way, this student’s ranking will not be influenced. (2) Trust clause: In the course of inspecting incomplete test cases, if it is discovered that an incomplete test exists because a teacher did not let a student participate in the test, the research team will cancel that teacher’s ability to participate, and the teacher will not receive any bonus. 20. What do I do if I have further questions about the performance pay contract after today?If you have any question regarding the performance pay contract, you are welcome to call the project team hotline below: 157-0167-5932 (Ms. Wang)1) “Special case approved by the project team” includes family emergencies, sickness, death, etc. and requires issuance of a certificate by the relevant department. Improving Mathematics Teacher Quality at Rural Elementary SchoolsPilot ProjectContract Handbook ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download