ROCORI board hears how QComp funding supports teacher leadership, PLCS and mentorship

District teachers and administrators told the ROCORI board that the district’s QComp (quality compensation) program funds teacher leadership, ongoing professional development and multiple mentorship tracks designed to improve instruction and boost student learning.

Joyce Baumann, a third-grade teacher who helped write ROCORI’s QComp plan, said the program provides roughly $620,000 to the district and funds teacher leadership positions, PLC (professional learning community) time, teacher evaluation supports and performance pay. Amy Notch, director of teaching and learning, Darcy Erie, an instructional coach, and other staff described components of the plan, including PLCs focused on targeted student learning goals and a mentorship structure called the Spartan Network.

Presenters emphasized that QComp in ROCORI centers on professional development rather than punitive evaluation. Notch said state statute requires teacher evaluations every three years by an administrator with off-cycle observations by licensed staff; QComp supports coaches and peer mentors who help teachers practice the district’s instructional expectations between formal evaluations.

Baumann and Erie described a shift to the PLC at Work model, which asks grade-level and department teams to set measurable student learning goals (SLGs), compare formative and summative assessment data and plan interventions or extensions. The district schedules PLC time — 90 minutes twice a month — for collaborative data analysis, curriculum alignment and instructional improvement. Presenters said early results include better-aligned interventions and some decreases in absenteeism where teams focused on engagement and missing work.

Mentorship was a substantial portion of the presentation. The district is in the second year of the Spartan Network, which pairs new teachers with proximity mentors (logistics and building navigation), teaching mentors (weekly instructional coaching for probationary teachers) and other specialized mentors (due-process mentors for special education, tiered placement mentors for out-of-field teachers). The presenters said ROCORI currently employs two instructional coaches and planned to add a literacy lead, naming Cody Lewis as an instructional coach/literacy lead.

Under QComp, all certified staff are eligible for performance pay tied to completing a professional growth plan (PGP), an SLG and PLC participation; presenters said the performance-pay pool includes an amount of $1,575 available per teacher who meets those criteria plus additional stipends for committee or department leadership. Presenters also described district committees funded through QComp (curriculum and instruction, technology, MTSS and staff development) and said 46 teachers serve in leadership roles across committees.

Board members asked about measuring student achievement and the presenters replied that PLCs and data cycles are the primary mechanism; they said the district is aligning SLGs and PLC work with statewide literacy initiatives (LETRS/Read Act) and planned curriculum rollouts. Presenters asked the board to support the district’s ongoing implementation; there was no board action requested at the presentation.