A-PATH
Accomplished teaching pathway
January 2009
A-PATH
Accomplished Teaching Pathway, or A-PATH, seeks At minimum, these systems must assess:
to achieve enhanced student outcomes through an 1. Student growth in those competencies identified by
innovative and systemic change in the way Wisconsin the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (See
pays its teachers. resources.)
2. Graduation rates.
Initially manifested in state-funded pilot programs, A- 3. Student and parent satisfaction.
PATH represents a dramatic departure from the 4. Rates of teacher attraction.
traditional salary schedule, replacing the single salary 5. Rates of teacher retention.
schedule with career path alternatives that strive to 6. Participation rates in action research.
achieve four main objectives, all structured to improve 7. Participation rates in teacher leadership.
student performance: 8. Participation rates in professional development.
1. To attract highly talented people into the profession 9. School climate and culture.
of teaching. 10. Administrator participation in training.
2. To retain that talent.
3. To improve the teaching skills and knowledge of the Organizational Standards
state’s teachers. Each successful grant application will have satisfied all
4. To add to the collective body of knowledge about four organizational standards:
effective teaching practices. 1. Applications must be jointly submitted by the local
school district and its education association.
Funded by state grant awards, A-PATH pilot programs 2. Each A-PATH plan must be locally bargained with
will be locally designed under parameters established by active participation of the local’s teacher union and
law. These programs will be administered by the high-level District Administration.
Department of Public Instruction through Oversight and 3. Building administrator training and support systems
Accountability Committees assigned to each district. must be designed with clearly delineated
implementation plans.
Oversight and Accountability Committees 4. In the event that A-PATH funding ultimately
The DPI shall assign an Oversight and Accountability evaporates, an exit strategy and plan must be
Committee to each A-PATH participating district. Each established, ensuring an orderly transition back to
committee shall be comprised of parents, community pre-A-PATH implementation.
leaders, expert K-12 practitioners, and representatives
from the University of Wisconsin system, DPI, CESA,
WTCS, WASDA, WEAC, and WASB. Structural Standards
Each successful grant application will have satisfied all
These committees will be charged with: seven structural standards:
1. Monitoring the progress of the participating district. 1. Provides pay advancement based on specific
2. Overseeing the ongoing assessment of the system’s professional growth and learning tied to classroom
impact. objectives and school mission.
3. Communicating progress and findings to the DPI and 2. Establishes a teacher residency program.
Governor. 3. Establishes a significantly elevated entry level
4. Assigning a DPI staff contact person to the salary. In most Wisconsin districts, this entry level
participating district. This staff person shall serve as salary will be at least $40,000 for those teachers
the district’s primary resource for assistance and who have successfully completed residency.
support. 4. Establishes a career ladder with rungs for Initial,
Professional, and Master Educators, consistent with
The Department of Public Instruction will seek to fund PI 34 parameters.
successful pilot A-PATH programs in small, medium, and 5. Establishes specific market incentives that
large school districts representing rural, suburban, and encourage veteran educators to teach in hard-to-
urban parts of the state. serve and hard-to-fill positions.
6. Creates systems designed to enhance the collective
Successful A-PATH Applications body of knowledge about effective teaching
Successful grant applications to the Department of practices.
Public Instruction must satisfy specific accountability, 7. Identifies and rewards specific teacher leadership
organizational, and structural standards. positions. (See resources.)
Accountability Standards While each locally negotiated system will be consistent
Each successful grant application will identify specific with the state established standards, each will be unique
assessment systems designed to determine the impact in design. The following is an example of a successful A-
of the A-PATH plan. These assessment systems shall PATH plan. The example was created for a District with
generate impact data to help participating districts a pre-A-PATH starting salary of about $30,000 and a
modify and improve the A-PATH plan and longitudinal maximum salary of about $60,000.
data to help the DPI and legislature determine the
effectiveness of each A-PATH plan.
Residency
Entrance Criterion
Initial Educator License
Salary
$35,000
Professional Duties
50% Teaching Load
50% Reflection, Modeling, Observing
Duration
1 Year
Initial Educator
Entrance Criterion
Initial Educator License
Salary
$50,000
Professional Duties
Classroom Teacher, Full-Time or Part-Time
Duration
2-4 Years
Professional Educator
Entrance Criteria
Professional Educator License
Minimum of Three Years Teaching Experience
Salary
Entry/ Satisfies District Professional Development
Does Not Satisfy District Professional Development Requirements
Requirements
$60,000 $65,000
Professional Duties Options
Classroom Teacher, Full-Time or Part-Time
Classroom Teacher Part-Time, Teacher Leader Part-Time
Evidence of Accomplished Teaching
$3,000 Annually - Professional Development Certificate
$3,000 Annually - Masters Degree in Content Area or Cognitive Science
$2,000 Annually – Take One (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards)
$2,000 Bonus – Action Research
Market Incentives
5,000 Annually – Hard-to-Serve and Hard-to-Fill Positions
Master Educator
Entrance Criteria
Master Educator License, or
National Board Certification
Minimum of Five Years Teaching Experience
Salary
Entry/ Satisfies District Professional Development
Does Not Satisfy District Professional Development Requirements
Requirements
$75,000 $80,000
Professional Duties
Classroom Teacher, Full-Time or Part-Time
Classroom Teacher Part-Time, Teacher Leader Part Time
Five Days of Additional Contract Time
Evidence of Accomplished Teaching
$3,000 Annually - Professional Development Certificate
$3,000 Annually - Masters Degree in Content Area or Cognitive Science
$2,000 Annually – Take One (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards)
$2,000 Bonus – Action Research
Extended Contract Options
$7,500 Annually – Teacher Leader, Eleven Month Contract
$15,000 Annually – Teacher Leader, Twelve Month Contract
Market Incentives
$5,000 Annually – Hard-to-Serve and Hard-to-Fill Positions
RESOURCES
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
www.21stcenturyskills.org
Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes Learning and Innovation Skills
Core Subjects Include: Creativity and Innovation Skills
English, reading, or language arts Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
World languages Communication and Collaboration Skills
Arts
Mathematics Information, Media, and Technology Skills
Economics Information Literacy
Science Media Literacy
Geography ICT Literacy
History
Government and Civics Life and Career Skills
21st Century Interdisciplinary Themes Weaved into Flexibility and Adaptability
Core Subjects: Initiative and Self-Direction
Global awareness Social and Cross-Cultural Skills
Financial, economic, business, and Productivity and Accountability
entrepreneurial literacy Leadership and Responsibility
Civic literacy
Health literacy
A-PATH Example
Teacher Leadership Positions
While the teacher leadership positions for each district will likely be different and dependent upon district size, mission,
need, and other related factors, the roles, responsibilities, and program implementation plan must be locally determined
through school district and teacher union agreement. Examples include:
Mentors and Peer Coaches Curriculum Developers
Content Specialists Research Coordinators
A-PATH Example
Evidence of Accomplished Teaching
The Professional Development Certificate, or PDC, is a portfolio-driven professional development program based on
the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. It is currently offered through the Institute for Learning
Partnership and based on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.
Take One is an evidence-centered approach to accomplished teaching offered by the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards.
Action Research rewards can be earned by individual teachers or groups of teachers working together upon:
Completion of research. Broad distribution of research outcomes.
Analysis of findings.
A-PATH Example
Professional Development Requirements
Like the Teacher Leadership positions described above, Professional Development Requirements must be locally
determined through school district and teacher union agreement. In the A-PATH example above, ten professional
development units must be earned every five years for a teacher to achieve, and then maintain, the highest salary within
the Professional and Master Educator categories. Opportunities to earn Professional Development Units might include:
Renewal of certification through PI-34. District sponsored professional development.
School District Academy Credits. Action research.
(If a teacher had earlier achieved the higher salary but then neglected to satisfy the requirements in a subsequent five
year cycle, the teacher would be returned to the lower salary within the category.)
A-PATH Example
Market Incentives
The school district and local teacher union will jointly determine which positions shall receive Market Incentive awards.
In the above-provided example, the following teachers would qualify for the awards:
Educators working in hard-to-serve schools based on a percentage of free and reduced lunch.
Educators serving in hard-to-fill positions including science, math, technology education, and special education.