After three years of Teacher Incentive Fund implementation, pay-for-performance bonuses had small positive impacts on student math and reading achievement in ten evaluation districts¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r? · q3
Currency · newest study 2016 · checked against its sources 2026-10-08 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In 10 evaluation districts with three years of TIF implementation, pay-for-performance had small, positive impacts on students' math and reading achievement. → Alison Wellington 2016

Evidence¶

Alison Wellington 2016¶

Alison Wellington, Hanley Chiang, Kristin Hallgren, Cecilia Speroni, Mariesa Herrmann, Paul Burkander. (2016). Implementation and Impacts of Pay-for-Performance: The 2010 Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) Grantees After Three Years (Study 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/

q3 · i? · causal · r?

The snapshot's key findings report impacts from the third year of a national, multiyear evaluation of 2010 TIF grants, based on in-depth analysis in ten evaluation districts. It states pay-for-performance had "small, positive impacts on students’ math and reading achievement"; no effect sizes are printed in the snapshot.

"In 10 evaluation districts that had implemented Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) programs for three years, pay-for-performance had small, positive impacts on students’ math and reading achievement."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Many teachers misunderstood whether they were eligible for performance bonuses or the amount they could earn — related
• Few districts structured pay-for-performance bonuses to align well with TIF grant guidance — related
• Missouri's Teacher Career Ladder program has at most a very small positive effect on student test scores — related
• A study of a $20,000 selective transfer incentive examined high-performing teachers' behavioral responses in 10 districts — 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
• The TIF evaluation is designed to estimate impacts of performance pay on student achievement and on educators' attitudes, awareness, mobility, and recruitment — 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 — a broader claim this one bears on
• By the second year of implementation, TIF performance bonuses improved reading and math achievement by 1 to 2 percentile points, equivalent to about four weeks of additional learning — 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 — a broader claim this one bears on
• Increases in school funding can improve student outcomes when funds support the specific needs of students — related
• Small career-ladder bonuses can affect teacher behavior without necessarily producing large effects — related
• Paying students for performance on standardized tests or for course grades does not increase achievement test scores in urban public schools — related
• Input-based incentives produce achievement gains at lower cost than major education reforms of recent decades — related