Philly TAP Frequently Asked Questions
Why is TAP being implemented in Philadelphia Schools?
TAP is being implemented because it is a widely recognized model
for supporting teachers who are striving to increase their
effectiveness in the classroom through teacher leadership with the
goal of continuous student achievement gains.
TAP's hallmarks are: focus, alignment, embedded staff
development, mentoring, coaching, consistency and professional
planning time. TAP brings in additional resources to schools and
provides weekly applied professional development through targeted
small group ("cluster") meetings and coaching sessions for all
teachers, offering frequent opportunities to collaborate and share
"best practices" with colleagues.
Are all Philadelphia schools participating in Philly TAP?
Since 2007, thirteen charter schools have participated in the
grant initiative.
*Participated in Philly TAP 2007-2010
**Participated in Philly TAP 2008-2010
***Participated in Philly TAP 2007-2008
Why were only 13 charter schools chosen to participate?
Schools interested in participating in the TIF grant underwent a
rigorous application process consisting of multiple in-depth
interviews and a vote by the school's entire staff that showed 66
percent agreed with and supported the commitment to the Philly TAP
system. Since 2007, thirteen charter schools successfully completed
this process.
How are schools selected to participate in TAP?
Charter schools interested in participating in TAP submitted
applications for consideration followed by a general meeting with
the school and one-on-one meetings with leadership team members and
the Charter school's board. Upon successful completion of the
in-depth interviews, each school held a vote by the entire staff
which required approval by 66 percent to implement the program.
How does PHILLY TAP improve student achievement?
Research demonstrates that the quality of a student's classroom
teacher ranks as the most important school-related factor in
student achievement. Philly TAP helps educators focus on better
teaching techniques, building upon the foundation of the school's
instructional program, state academic standards, curriculum and
testing.
How does this program motivate teachers?
All educators pursue classroom teaching with the intent and
motivation to help all students learn, but they often are not
provided with the tools and support system to meet those goals.
Philly TAP provides ongoing applied professional development
sessions for all teachers, offering frequent opportunities to
collaborate and share "best practices" with colleagues.
Under the Philly TAP system, outstanding teachers also can earn
performance awards and advance professionally, just as in other
careers. And they do it without leaving the classroom, where they
are needed most. Philly TAP provides the opportunities for teachers
to pursue increased responsibilities and leadership positions as
master and mentor teachers. Master and mentor teachers become
TAP-certified and are trained to coach teachers and monitor
progress of the TAP school plan.
Many factors outside the classroom affect student learning. How
does TAP provide teachers with equal opportunity to earn
bonuses?
Philly TAP is based on the premise that all children can learn,
despite external factors and socioeconomic conditions. That is why
classroom gains are measured through student academic growth,
rather than reaching a specific attainment level. This means that
regardless of where their students start the year academically,
teachers are evaluated and rewarded based upon how much their
students improve, not by the percentage of students that "meet" or
"exceed" certain scores on standardized tests.
How is Philly TAP funded?
In January 2006, the Philadelphia School District was awarded a
$20.7 million grant through the U.S. Department of Education's
Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant.
When will that funding expire?
The TIF grant funding is available until September 30, 2011.
Schools that participate in Philly TAP commit to matching funds for
performance awards for each year of the grant. Furthermore, if the
model is successful in improving student academic performance,
participating schools are expected to sustain the program at the
conclusion of the federal grant. One of the primary goals of
Philly TAP over the course of the grant is to find long-term
sustainable funding for the program.
What is the basic structure of Philly TAP in schools?
Philly TAP provides training and professional development for
school leadership teams on conducting classroom instruction
analyses, facilitating common planning time, supporting staff
professional development, utilizing student academic growth data
and implementing the performance-based compensation program.
There is ongoing, site-based support from the TAP Director and
the TAP Specialists on the implementation of the program. The TAP
Director and the TAP Specialists also provide structured
professional development for career teachers.
School-based support includes:
- Leadership Team: master teachers, mentor teachers and
administrators
- Maximum ratio is 1 master teacher for every 18 teachers
- Maximum ratio is 1 mentor teacher for every 8 teachers
- Master teachers coach teachers, field test strategies, plan and
implement clusters, model and teach strategies in clusters, and
coordinate, facilitate and participate in the observation
process.
- Master teachers are released from classroom duties to perform
these important coaching tasks.
- Master teachers and mentor teachers model, co-teach and coach
in teachers' classrooms on a regular basis and support the
classroom implementation of cluster strategies.
- Mentor teachers are released at least 5 hours per week for TAP
duties
- Master teachers field test strategies, model and teach
strategies in clusters.
- Every teacher in every TAP school receives one-to-one coaching
every week!
How are teachers selected for leadership roles?
Each school is responsible for hiring teachers for its
leadership roles through a rigorous selection process that ensures
the candidates are not only effective teachers but can also be
effective coaches. Candidates must meet basic qualifications and
demonstrate expertise in learning and instruction, curriculum
development, assessment and leadership. Applicants are also
expected to have a record of proven student achievement.
How are clusters set up?
Clusters are ongoing professional development groups where
teachers study and develop student-centered instructional
strategies. A restructured school day allows for at least 60-to-90
minutes of weekly sessions led by master and mentor teachers.
Cluster configuration is determined by each school's leadership
team.
In what types of professional development are master teachers
and mentor teachers engaged?
Philly TAP's ongoing applied professional growth calls on
teachers to become active agents of their own professional
development. Each teacher maintains a reflective journal to better
understand how their teaching strategies affect the achievement of
their students and to identify ways to increase their instructional
proficiency. As well, each teacher belongs to a professional
learning group called a cluster. Master and mentor teachers within
the school lead these cluster sessions that focus on teacher
collaboration for instructional improvement. Both reflective
journals and cluster-group work help teachers meet student learning
needs by connecting research-based, data-driven best practices to
daily classroom instruction. Both types of sessions are embedded in
the school's daily schedule.
Additional training and professional
development:
- All master teachers, mentor teachers and administrators receive
three 2-day trainings (42 total hours): Preparing for Success in a
TAP School (PSTS), Preparing to Become a Certified TAP Evaluator
(PBCTE), Becoming a Certified TAP Evaluator (BCTE).
- Master and mentor teachers are required to attend a 3-4-day
PHILLY TAP Summer Institute.
- Monthly (and sometimes bi-monthly) professional developments
are conducted by the Philly TAP team.
- Schools are visited weekly by the TAP Director or TAP
Specialists for differentiated professional development.
- National institutes and conferences provide participating
principals and schools with additional support.
How much TAP professional development and training must a
teacher participate in?
Ongoing applied professional growth means that time is set aside
for teacher learning, which is always focused on increasing student
learning and growth. This includes cluster groups, leadership team
meetings and review of reflective journals.
TAP restructures the school schedule to provide 60-90 minutes
during the regular school day for targeted professional development
where teachers can meet, learn, plan, mentor and share with other
teachers, so they can constantly improve the quality of their
instruction resulting in increasing their students' academic
achievement. Clusters are led by expert instructors in the
school-the masters and mentor teachers.
Each teacher is also expected to keep a reflective journal that
includes identified goals and activities within clusters and
classrooms that support new teacher learning as well as
self-evaluation of the teacher's proficiency in new instructional
strategies. This new teacher learning is required to meet an
identified student learning need. Cluster work and reflective
journals follow the TAP STEPS for Effective Learning that provides
a framework for improving instruction to meet student-learning
needs.
The TAP STEPS guide teachers to:
- Set learning goals based on an analysis of student
performance
- Identify research-based, proven, student-centered instructional
strategies to address goals
- Work collaboratively to develop new instructional
practices
- Bring the new learning to the classroom
- Measure how well the new strategy helped students meet the
learning goals set by teachers
In addition, teachers participate in four classroom instruction
analyses each year with structured feedback by multiple trained
certified evaluators using the TAP Teaching Skills, Knowledge and
Responsibility Standards. Master and mentor teachers are also
observed in the classroom and held accountable for their additional
roles and responsibilities.
The goals of the TAP professional development system are to
allow teachers to learn new instructional strategies and have a
greater opportunity to collaborate, both of which will lead them to
become more effective teachers.
Are there performance awards?
TAP is a professional development framework that supports
teachers and rewards them for success. TAP supports
performance-based compensation enabled by the TIF grant. This
compensation is determined by established objective criteria,
including classroom instruction analyses and student achievement
gains. All performance-based compensation is in addition to a
teacher's, principal's or school staff member's salary. The system
rewards teachers for measurable improvements in their teaching
skills and student performance.
Master teachers receive a salary augmentation of $10,000 and
mentor teachers receive a salary augmentation of $5,000 above and
beyond base compensation. These salary augmentations reflect all of
the additional roles and responsibilities of master and mentor
teachers.
Year Two and Beyond 2009-2011
All teachers are eligible for an average performance award of
$2,500.
Administrators are eligible for a maximum performance award of
$10,000 based on school-wide student achievement gains and fidelity
of TAP implementation.
All other instructional staff are eligible for a maximum
performance award of $820 based on school-wide student achievement
gains.
Any additional compensation teachers receive for working with the
program is above and beyond the base salary they are paid.
How does the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers union feel
about Philly TAP?
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has indicated initial
appreciation for the importance of ongoing applied professional
development provided for teachers in the TAP system. The Philly TAP
leaders will continue to keep the unions updated on the progress
and achievements made during the implementation of the system in an
effort to further understanding and support for the initiative.