In the 2010 TIF pay-for-performance programs, over 60% of teachers received a bonus, with average bonuses of about $1,800 and top performers earning more than 3 times the average¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2015 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Most teachers (over 60%) received a bonus, suggesting bonuses were not challenging to earn, and the highest performing teachers received bonuses more than 3 times the average bonus of about $1,800. → Chiang 2015

Evidence¶

Chiang 2015¶

Chiang, H., Wellington, A., Hallgren, K., Speroni, C., Herrmann, M., Glazerman, S., & Constantine, J. (2015). Implementation and Impacts of Pay-for-Performance: The 2010 Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) Grantees After Two Years (Snapshot). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/

q2 · i? · causal · r?

Implementation findings from the 2010 TIF evaluation snapshot after two years in 10 districts: the report states "Most teachers (over 60%) received a bonus" and the average bonus was about $1,800, with top performers earning more than 3 times that amount. No effect size is printed for this descriptive finding.

"Most teachers (over 60%) received a bonus, suggesting that bonuses were not challenging to earn. Although the average bonus was about $1,800, the highest performing teachers received much larger bonuses, more than 3 times the average bonus."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The average TIF bonus was about 4% of average teacher salary, below the 5% recommended by TIF grant guidance for substantial bonuses — related
• Many teachers misunderstood whether they were eligible for performance bonuses or the amount they could earn — related
• Some aspects of TIF implementation improved between years one and two while others, including bonus awareness, remained challenging — related
• Educators' understanding of the TIF program improved in year two, but more than one-third of teachers still did not know they were eligible for a bonus and underestimated bonus size — related
• Offering pay-for-performance bonuses in 10 TIF districts increased student reading achievement by 1 percentile point after two years, with a similar-magnitude but statistically non-significant math effect — related
• Providing educators with performance feedback and offering pay-for-performance bonuses can improve student achievement, with positive cumulative impacts on math or reading in some years — related
• The TIF evaluation provides an in-depth analysis of implementation and pay-for-performance impacts for ten districts after three years, and program-wide implementation descriptions for all 2010 grantees — related
• TIF districts expected most educators would receive a bonus, inconsistent with guidance for challenging pay-for-performance — related