Logan-Rogersville R-VIII

CAREER LADDER GRANT PROGRAM & WILDCAT TLC
Tutoring - Leadership - Continuous Improvement

(Approved September 16, 2010, Revised 2018-2019, 2021-2022, 2022-2023)
 

The Board of Education of the Logan-Rogersville R-VIII School District recognizes the relationship between high-quality instruction, teacher leadership, continuous improvement and student achievement, and therefore, supports the Wildcat TLC program. The program is established to encourage teacher involvement in Tutoring, Leadership, and Continuous Improvement. The program is aligned with the current Strategic Plan (CSIP), School Improvement Plans (SIPs), Curriculum Development Plan, Professional Development Plan, Missouri School Improvement Program, and is based on available student achievement data and the results of needs assessments at the school and district level.

For the fiscal year 2023, a voluntary performance pay matching program established by state statute was put in place by the General Assembly as an annual appropriation to provide the state’s share of the Career Ladder Program. Up to 60 percent shall come from state Career Ladder Grant funds, and the remaining amount, not less than 40 percent and any related benefit costs, comes from local revenue. This grant is subject to appropriation on an annual basis.

Definitions

Tutoring: Supplemental instruction provided by a certified teacher to a student or group of students, outside of the regular school day, that enhances the regular instructional program(s) received in the classroom. Instruction MUST be targeted based on recommendation of the building RtI team. All tutoring must be through the district’s Tutoring Academy as approved by the building principal.

Leadership: Responsibilities assigned to certified staff outside of the regular school day focused on enhancing student learning at the school or district level. Assignment to leadership teams must show a direct connection to enhancing student achievement as set forth through the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) and Building Improvement Plan (BIP).

Continuous Improvement: Focus teams established for the purpose of enhancing student learning at the school or district level. Work in the area of Continuous Improvement is driven by the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) and Building Improvement Plan (BIP) as the district/school seeks to problem-solve areas of needed focus/growth.

Stages of Wildcat TLC / Career Ladder

Stage 0:
All Eligible LR Personnel
Current TLC Program = $35/hr.

Stage 1:
Must be in year 3+
50 Hours required
$1,500 = $30/hr. (LR will adjust compensation through local funds to $35/hr. for a total of $1,750)

Stage 2:
Must be in year 4+
75 Hours required
$3,000 = $40/hr.

Stage 3:
Must be in year 6+
100 Hours required
$5,000 = $50/hr. 

• If the required hours for a stage are not met, compensation will revert to the prior stage amount.
• In accordance with State Statute, Career Ladder compensation for stages 1-3 can not exceed amounts listed. 
• Tutoring can continue beyond 50, 75, or 100 hours at stages 1-3 under the TLC program (stage 0) due to ESSER III Funds (learning loss) = $35/hr. for the 2022-2023 school year.

Eligibility – *2 Year ESSER Fund Change

Career Ladder stages 1-3 have specific requirements per statute; Eligible experience must be in a Missouri Public School. Teachers must have completed the required beginning teacher assistance program, and participated in two (2) years of mentoring. Eligibility for participation in Wildcat TLC / Career Ladder is reserved for full-time certified and other professionally licensed employees who work directly with students. Any eligible Career Ladder participant hired from another school district will be eligible at Logan-Rogersville. Examples include; Library/Media, Counselor/Guidance, Teacher, other pupil services personnel: school psychological examiners, parents as teachers educators, school psychologists, special education diagnosticians, and ancillary personnel: speech pathologist. All eligible personnel must be appropriately certified and paid on the district salary schedule. Paraprofessionals with a substitute teaching certificate are eligible for Wildcat TLC (stage 0).

It is important to note that certified staff may or may not accumulate hours in each of the three areas set forth in the Wildcat TLC / Career Ladder program. For the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years there will be no cap on the numbers of hours for Tutoring. The program provides the opportunity to accumulate up to 50 total hours in the areas of Leadership and Continuous Improvement. Participants opting not to tutor are limited to a maximum of 50 hours distributed between Leadership and Continuous Improvement. Certified staff who are not classroom teachers may only accumulate hours in the area of Leadership and Continuous Improvement unless prior approval for participation in the school level tutoring program is granted by the principal. 

TLC Program dates begin with summer break (immediately following the last day of the academic calendar) and run through May 15 of the next school year. No activity can be counted toward the Wildcat TLC program in which a participant is already receiving compensation. All hours logged must occur outside of the contract day and reported to each school’s principal. Administrators are not eligible to participate in the Wildcat TLC program. 

Career Ladder Stages 1-3 Program dates begin July 1 and run through May 31. No activity can be counted in which a participant is already receiving compensation. All hours logged must occur outside of the contract day and reported to each school’s principal. Administrators are not eligible to participate. 

A Career Ladder Development Plan must be created by the teacher and submitted to the Principal, or designee for approval. Responsibilities shall directly and obviously relate to the improvement of programs and services for students as outlined in District plans listed above.

Forms

INTENT TO PARTICIPATE

Everyone who completes an Intent to Participate form will receive a Tracking Log. Contact Jodi Beck with any questions. 
Email – jbeck@logrogstudents.net
Phone – 753-2891 x3038

Guidelines

Tutoring
Each school principal, in collaboration with the district tutoring coordinator, building lead teacher, and Student Success team will identify areas of need and students to be served through a before/after school tutoring program. Collaboration with teachers and school level teams will assist in providing a focused tutoring program centered on student learning. Regardless of whether or not tutoring occurs with an individual student or a group of students, time spent tutoring may only be counted one time on the tutoring log. Training for tutors will be provided by principals in tutoring expectations, progress monitoring, data analysis, and specific school related topics as needed. (Before/After school clubs are not considered for tutoring)

Leadership
Certified staff will be asked to serve in a leadership capacity on school level or district wide committees and/or teams. To be eligible for the Wildcat TLC program / Career Ladder, hours served in a leadership capacity must be tied directly to student learning and occur outside of regular contract time. Assignment to leadership teams will occur at both the school level and district level as areas of focus are identified. To be considered Leadership tied to enhancing student learning, committee/team work must be tied to the Strategic Plan (CSIP) and School Improvement Plan (SIP) as they relate to student learning, achievement, and instruction.

Continuous Improvement
Collaborative efforts that support improvement in the area(s) of core content area instruction, implementation of research-based instructional practices, and data-driven decision making will be considered as continuous improvement efforts under the Wildcat TLC program. Such work will be driven by the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) and Building Improvement Plan (BIP). The principal will identify areas of continuous improvement. Collaboration with teachers and school level teams will assist in providing areas of continuous improvement at the school level, grade level, or departmental level. Continuous improvement efforts are intended to 1) support the collective learning of teachers, 2) align with district, school, and teacher goals, 3) incorporate active learning and provide teachers the opportunity to practice and apply new knowledge, 4) provide opportunities for collective participation by staff members in the same school community, subject area, grade level or department.

Examples of Acceptable / Unacceptable Activities

Compensation – *2 year ESSER Fund Change

The Logan-Rogersville R-VIII School District shall seek to enhance instruction by meeting the needs of individual students. In meeting these needs, the district shall provide programs beyond those offered during the regular school day. The district will pursue all available state or federal aid for its extended instructional programs and areas of focus contained in the Wildcat TLC / Career Ladder program.

Certified teachers will be compensated at a rate of $35.00 per hour during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years for stages 0, and for hours beyond each stage’s maximum hours. Work performed can be accounted for in ¼ hour, ½ hour increments or on an hourly basis. All work performed in these three areas must be accounted for outside of regular contract responsibilities. Positions for which certified staff already receive a stipend from the district will not be eligible to count toward Wildcat TLC / Career Ladder work.

The legislative annual appropriation is a grant application funded at 60% State : 40% Local. In the event DESE must prorate the state’s portion of the grant, LR is committed to its 40% plus payroll taxes, and retirement contributions.

Example: If DESE prorated to 95%, the hourly rate would be reduced to the following;

Stage 3: $50.00 / hour = $48.50 / hour

Stage 2: $40.00 / hour = $38.50 / hour

Stage 1: $30.00 / hour = $29.20 / hour + $5.00 / hour LR supplement = $34.20 / hour

Documentation of participation in the Wildcat TLC / Career Ladder program will include successful completion of the Intent to Participate form. Any certified teacher who does not complete the Intent to Participate form will not be compensated for work performed. A log of work completed in the areas of Tutoring, Leadership, and Continuous Improvement must be kept up to date for evaluation by the principal or designee. Final documentation, to be completed by May 15 each year, will include a cumulative time spreadsheet of all hours accumulated throughout the year in the areas of Tutoring, Leadership, and Continuous Improvement. Payment shall occur by June 30.

Assessment

The Logan-Rogersville R-VIII School District shall create an assessment committee consisting of educators, administrators and patrons to annually assess the success of the District Career Ladder Program. They will report to the Board of Education each year at the regular May meeting regarding the benefits for school and students, and teacher interest and participation. In addition, the Logan-Rogersville School District will report on the Career Ladder Grant Program to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education upon request.

Appeal Process

Appeals for approval or denial of application and placement on the Career Ladder Program, including the right to substantive and procedural appeals of the local comprehensive, performance-based evaluation process. Procedures will include, but not limited to; 
An opportunity to have the decision reviewed by the Superintendent or designee.
An opportunity for a board appointed committee to review the superintendent or designee’s decision.
All decisions made with respect to a teacher’s application to, and placement on, any stage shall be based on the qualifications for that stage as stated in the district plan.