Some aspects of TIF implementation improved between years one and two while others, including bonus awareness, remained challenging¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2015 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2018: local conditions change quickly

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Between the first and second years, substantially higher percentages of educators understood bonus eligibility, but 38% of teachers in evaluation districts were still unaware they could earn a bonus and teachers continued to underestimate bonus size. → 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?

Two-year implementation comparison in the TIF evaluation snapshot: year-two awareness of bonus eligibility rose substantially, yet the report states "many teachers in the evaluation districts (38%) were still not aware that they could earn a bonus". Descriptive percentages only; no effect size printed.

"In the second year, substantially higher percentages of educators understood that they were eligible for a bonus, but many teachers in the evaluation districts (38%) were still not aware that they could earn a bonus."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• 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 — 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
• 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 — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Many teachers misunderstood whether they were eligible for performance bonuses or the amount they could earn — a broader claim this one bears on
• The average TIF bonus was about 4% of average teacher salary, below the 5% recommended by TIF grant guidance for substantial bonuses — related
• The TIF evaluation is designed to estimate impacts of performance pay on student achievement and on educators' attitudes, awareness, mobility, and recruitment — related
• Implementation of the pay-for-performance policy differed from the envisioned approach, with about 40 percent of teachers unaware they were eligible for a performance bonus — 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
• Many teachers had only a limited understanding of the TIF bonus program: about 40 percent of eligible teachers knew they could receive a bonus, and teachers typically estimated the maximum bonus at about 40 percent of the actual maximum — related
• Districts implemented most components of the performance-based compensation system throughout all four years, but fewer than half planned to keep offering performance bonuses once the grant ended — 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
• In the 10 evaluation districts, educators did not always understand the performance measures and pay-for-performance bonuses used for TIF — related
• Fewer than half of districts implemented all four required components of TIF, making full implementation challenging — related
• More than half of teachers in the evaluation districts did not know they were eligible for pay-for-performance bonuses — related
• Teachers in the evaluation districts underestimated the size of pay-for-performance bonuses they could earn through TIF — related
• Many educators misunderstood the performance measures and the pay-for-performance bonuses under TIF — related