Read more about Master Educator Premium

For most up-to-date information, visit osbe.idaho.gov (Idaho State Board of Eduation) and search "Master Educator Premium".

Email from the State Board of Education 12/4/2018:  Platform on which to place your portfolio for the Master Educator Premium (MEP):  You will need to use OneNote, a free software application from Microsoft.  If you are NOT going to use the OneNote template for your protfolio, you will not need a Microsoft email account.  If you have been collecting evidence but have not formatted it yet, this OneNote template is fairly simple to use and accepts a wide variety of attachments.  As soon as you create your own MEP file (instructions attached below), you wil be able to get in and out of the program easily, with all work saved automatically.  If, however, you have already begun a Google Drive template, or have created something of your own that you are saving onto a a thumb drive, we will be accepting submissions in a variety of ways starting in April 2019.  Regardless of how you plan to submit the portfolio, please link to the MEP GOOGLE DRIVE.  For any questions, contact Chrystal Allen at 208 332-1573 or chrystal.allen@osbe.idaho.gov. 

Instructions for access to MEP Template (12/4/2018)

MEP Timeline (12/4/2018)

State Board Frequently Asked Questions:  (updated 2017)

For the most up-to-date information visit the State Board of Education website at K-12 Education>Educator Effectiveness>Master Teacher Premium Plan.  The State Board has provided templates and scoring rubrics to help guide you through this process.

Master Educator Premium ePortfolio:  (updated 2017)

Rubric for Pupil Personnel Staff:  (updated 2017)

Rubric for Instructional Staff:  (updated 2017)

BELOW ARE EXAMPLES/IDEAS OF TEMPLATES AND FORMS DEVELOPED BY IN-DISTRICT STAFF OR OTHER STATES:  

Ideas - possible Artifacts for Danielson Domains One and Four (2014) 

Artifact Checklist (updated checklist revised 2017)

Reflection Sheets for the five standards:

    1.  Leadership Standard (revised 2017)

    2.  Professional Collaboration and Partnership Standard (revised 2017)

    3.  Students and Learning Environment Standard (revised 2017)

    4.  Professional Growth Standard (revised 2017)

    5.  Content, Instructional and Assessment (revised 2017)

This Q&A page is in draft form at this time.  As we get more questions and answers, this page will be updated.  Most answers are from the State Board of Education. 

Last updated 12/4/2017

QUESTION:  Does the required 8 years of educational experience have to be in Idaho?

ANSWER FROM THE STATE BOARD:   As long as the teacher has 3 continuous years in Idaho and verification of previous experience in another state, they can apply:  "(a) An instructional staff or pupil service employee must have eight (8) or more years of teaching experience provided that the three (3) years immediately preceding the award must be continuous and in Idaho.  The remainder of the teaching experience making up the eight (8) years must have been earned in Idaho or in a compact-member state pursuant to Section 33-4101 Idaho Code".   

NASDTEC Interstate Agreement signees 2015-2020:  Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, DODEA, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, N Carolina, N Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, S Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, W Virginia, and Wyoming.

QUESTION:  If I am a teacher who submits my materials on 7/1/2019 and my portfolio is approved, I get the $4,000 for 19/20 school year + $4,000 in the 20/21 school year and another $4,000 in the 21/22 school year.  It says that after the three years, the teacher must submit a portfolio annually.  So my question is:  when does this teacher produce and submit the first annual portfolio?  In other words, does this teacher get two years off (19/20 and 20/21) and then work on the annual plan in 21/22 and submit 7/1/22?  Please outline the timeline:

ANSWER FROM THE STATE BOARD:  Once a teacher has a portfolio accepted, the idea is that they would continue gathering evidence over the next three years.  When the end of the third year approaches, the teacher would need only to replace evidence that was more than five years old with current evidence and resubmit.  The goal is not to do a dog and pony show every three years that will take an exorbitant amount of time. Instead, the hope is that the teacher is maintaining that quality practice, capturing evidence of best practice in real time, and having a collection built over time to draw from as evidence from the initial portfolio “times out”.

QUESTION:   I see an assurance form that requires a signature by a District Administrator.  I didn't think that the Administration was involved in this portfolio except for the annual IPLP, student growth, and ratings as provided on their evaluations.  Yet the form looks like District Administration is supposed to check off that everything is included like artifacts.  What exactly will the District Administration be expected to sign off for a teacher to submit their portfolio? 

ANSWER FROM THE STATE BOARD:  At this point, the only responsibility of the district would be to verify the teacher has no components rated as unsatisfactory within three of the last five years, a majority of students have met achievement goals within three of the last five years, and uses an IPLP as a means of tracking personal professional growth. The reference to “evidence” that the district is attesting to is simply the evidence collected through the evaluation process, not evidence submitted in the portfolio.    All that said, we are looking for a way to harvest this evaluation data that you are already submitting to the SDE to figure out a way to create a report that will take district personnel out of the process.  Until that is developed, however, we will need district help.

QUESTION:  If I am a teacher who did not start my portfolio with the first group that will submit on or after 7/1/2019.  Can I start this year, submit in 7/1/2020 and get my 3 years of $4,000 equaling $12,000, etc.  What if a teacher doesn't start until the 18/19 school year, then can that teacher submit their 3-year portfolio on 7/1/2021 and get the $12,000 over 3 years, etc.  In other words, is there always a 3-year portfolio with the first submission no matter when a teacher decides to get on board?

ANSWER FROM THE STATE BOARD:  Yes.  A committee will convene annually to review portfolios.  A teacher can jump in at any time.

QUESTION:  Are the Pupil Personnel staff eligible for the Master Teacher Premium?

ANSWER:  per Blake Youde from the State Board of Education:  Yes as of this past legislation.  The Master Teacher Premium is now referred to the Master Educator Premium. Templates will be provided by the State Board of Education in August of 2017.

QUESTION:  At the end of the first 3 years (ex.  7/1/2019) what should the portfolio include?

ANSWER:  per Blake Youde from the State Board of Education:  Basically one portfolio providing evidence that all characteristics have been met in the 3 years.  

QUESTION:  What staff members are included in the Master Teacher Premium?

ANSWER: 

All Certificated Instructional Staff (Instructional coaches, all classroom teachers to include Title 1, Special Education, ALP, etc.) whose position requires an education credential. 

This legislative session: there will be a proposal to include those certificated staff whose position requires a Pupil Personnel Services Credential (School Psychologist, SLP, School Nurses, Hearing/Vision Specialists, Counselors, etc.) 

QUESTION:  How do I know if I am eligible to apply for the Master Teacher Premium?

ANSWER:

• If you will have 8 years of contracted instructional experience at the end of the 2018/2019 school year and provided that the three (3) years immediately preceding the award must be continuous;
• If you will have an overall rating of "proficient" for the previous three (3) years with no "unsatisfactory" ratings. (16/17, 17/18, 18/19)
• The instructional staff employee must demonstrate mastery of instructional technique for not less than three (3) of the previous five (5) years of instruction through:
• Artifacts demonstrating evidence of effective teaching
• Successful completion of an annual individualized professional learning plan
• 51% of your students met their achievement targets for the previous 3 years (16/17, 17/18, 18/19)

QUESTION:  What if I don't get started on my Master Teacher Premium portfolio until next year or the year after?  Am I still eligible for the 3 years' worth of premium?

ANSWER:  As long as the statute remains in place, you would get three years' worth of the premium from that date.  As an example, if you turn in your portfolio on 7/1/2019, you would get the premium in 19/20, 20/21, and 21/22.  If you turn in your portfolio on 7/1/2020, you'd get the premium in 20/21, 21/22, and 22/23.  If you turn in your portfolio on 7/1/2021, then you'd get the premium in 21/22, 22/23, and 23/24, and so on...   Then following the initial 3-years, it would be an annual application.

QUESTION:  What can we use for the students achievement targets?

ANSWER:

• Idaho Code 33-1001 allows you to show proof of student achievement via these sources:
• Pre-post tests;
• Idaho Standards Achievement Test;
• Student Learning Objectives;
• Formative assessments;
• Teacher-constructed assessment of growth performance-based
• ed assessments;
• IRI; Access 2.0 for ELLs;
• College Entrance exame such as PSAT, SAT, ACT;
• District adopted assessment;
• End of Course exams;
• Advanced Placement exams;
• Professional-Technical exams

QUESTION:  Who decides what measurement to use?

ANSWER:

This is up to each District.  CdA School District will leave this is up to you and your supervisor.  This measurement needs to be identified on your evaluation summary (page 2), due June 1st of each year.  This information is to be uploaded into the State Database (required by the State) so you won't have to show any further evidence in this particular requirement. in the portfolio.  However, you can certainly include your evaluation in your portfolio if you want. 

QUESTION:  So if I believe I will be eligible, what is my next step?

ANSWER:  Beginning with the 16/17 school year, you need to start your annual individualized learning plan to demonstrate Mastery of Instructional Techniques and Professional Practice (portfolio with evidence) based on all of the following five (5) standards and all characteristics identified in the document attached at the top of this page "Read more about Master Teacher Premium".

QUESTION:  What if I serve on a building committee in the next 3 years but when my portfolio is submitted, the review committee decides that this is not an accceptable committtee?

ANSWER:  Just make sure it is a "real" committee.  The State Board of Education won't decide "what" committees are okay.  An example of a committee that wouldn't count would be "I am on my own single person committee and I decided to ....".   These committees can be buildling, district, or community based that impact education.

QUESTION:  Do I need three (3) portfolios (one (1) for each year)?

ANSWER:  Yes.  This answer has been revised.  The last answer received from the State Board is an educator only needs one (1) portfolio with all characteristics met over the 3 year period.

QUESTION:  Can I use the same artifact to meet more than one characteristic.

ANSWER:  Yes

QUESTION:  Is there a rubric for grading the portfolios? And will the rubric follow the Charlotte Danielson model?

ANSWER:  Not yet.  The State Board is having educators work on a rubric.  It hasn't been decided what model the rubric will follow.

QUESTION:  When will this payment come and will it be a lump sum?

ANSWER:  The State Board of Education is still working on this answer.  Portfolios are due 7/1/2019 so the first $4,000 payment will be made after that during the 19/20 school year.  It may be best to be paid over mutliple paychecks versus one lump sum for tax purposes.  Yet to be decided.

QUESTION:  Will this count towards PERSI earnings?

ANSWER:  Yes because this will be considered salary.

QUESTION:  What if I worked .1 FTE or .5 FTE in one of the last five (5) years, does that count towards the eight (8) years as a fraction or whole?

ANSWER:  Eight years will be determined if you were a certificated contracted staff member for eight (8) years.  The FTE won't change that.  However, if you earn the Master Teacher Premium, you will get a prorated payment based on your current FTE at the time of the payment.

QUESTION:  Is there a line item in the State Budget for this Master Teacher Premium payout?  And what if more educators are eligible for the Master Teacher Premium than budgeted?

ANSWER:  No line item in the budgtet until July 1, 2019.  If the payouts exceed the budget, there is no limit and the State will use the Stabilization Fund.

QUESTION:  I am a certificated staff member whose position requires a Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) credential, should I start my plan now?

ANSWER:  Yes.  It is predicted to pass through the House/Senate this legislative session and PPS staff will be included in this Master Teacher Premium in 7/1/2019.

QUESTION:  Why didn't the State Board use the National Teacher Board Certification (NTBC) as the measurement for Master Teacher?

ANSWER:  The NTBC is very expensive and not available to everyone.  However the materials an educator puts together for the NTBC could be used with these Standards and Characteristics.

QUESTION:  Who is scoring these applications, how many people will be scoring and what if someone doesn't pass, is there an appeal process?

ANSWER:  The state will be hiring paid volunteers and provide them training.  The number of volunteers will depend on the number of portfolios submitted. Yes, there will be an appeal process. 

QUESTION:  If an educator is planning to the retiree at the end of the 18/19 school year, will that educator be eligible for the Master Teacher Premium?

ANSWER:  No, this is salary so you must be working to receive the money.  For example, if you retire at the end of the 19/20 school year and your portfolio was submitted and approved in 7/1/2019, you would get $2,000 in the 19/20 school year but no further premium will be paid to you.

QUESTION:  All of this information is very vague, what if an educator works hard under these guidelines and the State Board makes changes next year or two years out?

ANSWER:  There will be no change in the standards or charactertistics

QUESTION:  If a teacher (over the age of 65) has returned to the District working as an at-will employee per Idaho Code, is that teacher eligible for the Master Teacher Premium?

ANSWER:  If an employee of the school district, yes.

QUESTION:  Is it okay to have pictures/videos of students doing activities/projects in the the portfolio without violating any law(s)?

ANSWER:  In most cases, it is, however, the State Board is working on guidelines that will be provided regarding pictures or videos of students.  In most cases this may require parents signing a consent form or methods for blurring the images, in some cases, the school district may already have a parental consent regarding the use of student images, etc.