Principals and key faculty members from South Carolina's eight schools will travel to Phoenix, Arizona, for TAP training next week. This is a very important step in our making sure that teachers are recognized as professionals and rewarded for the work that they do. Teacher quality is a major issue in South Carolina, and we will continue to look for innovative ways to guarantee that every classroom has a competent, motivated, caring teacher. After the TAP training, school teams will spend the rest of this school year preparing for the pilot. Each school will set a vision, reconfigure staff, reorganize the schedule to allow more time for ongoing professional development, and work with staff and community on the requirements for advancing on the career path.
Paths range from inductee to master teacher.
Teachers are offered the opportunity to advance in the profession without leaving the classroom. Replaces lock-step salary structures and provides flexibility to establish salaries. Pay differentiation is based on demand, demonstrated teacher knowledge and skills, actual teacher performance, increased responsibilities and student performance. Teachers are assessed against high standards that measure their performance in content knowledge, planning, instruction, assessment, and student learning gains. Requires a school-wide commitment and includes all teachers.