Harrison (CO) School District's Pay-for-Performance Plan

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There is no effort in the country further ahead in designing and implementing a workable teacher evaluation system than Harrison (CO) School District's Pay-for-Performance Plan. Harrison is a high-poverty school district of about 10,000 students near Colorado Springs. It has confronted the dual challenges of defining an effective teacher and identifying all the things that demonstrate her effectiveness. Exceptional teachers in Harrison are rewarded for their students’ quantifiable success and their own documented professionalism. Excellent teachers earn substantially more—and earlier in their careers—than their less effective peers. This plan was designed in partnership with the local teachers' union.

Among the topics covered in
Fordham’s newest report, Teacher Compensation Based on Effectiveness: The Harrison (CO) School District’s Pay-for-Performance Plan:
- How does Harrison measure teachers’ success?
- How many pay levels?
- What tests are used?
- When are the tests given?
- What are principals’ roles in the evaluation process?
- How does the district support teachers who aren’t succeeding?

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