NCPI researchers released the District Awards for Teacher Excellence (D.A.T.E) Year One Program Evaluation Report this past April. D.A.T.E. is a state-funded program in Texas that provides grants to districts for the implementation of locally-designed performance pay plans. All districts in the state are eligible to receive grants, but participation is voluntary. D.A.T.E. concluded its second year of operation in 2009-10, during which time the state dedicated $197 million to the nearly 200 participating districts.

NCPI’s interim evaluation reports on the first-year experience of districts participating in D.A.T.E. during the 2008-09 school year. During that time, 203 districts chose to participate in the program, representing approximately 16 percent of all public school districts in Texas. These districts included nearly 2,000 schools in their performance pay plans, representing approximately 22 percent of all public schools in Texas.

The report draws upon results from district-level surveys to learn about program participation decisions and implementation challenges, and also describes design features developed by districts as evidenced in their proposals to the Texas Education Agency. Most D.A.T.E. districts used their state grant to implement district-wide performance pay plans rather than limiting participation to select schools within districts. Districts rarely planned to use school-wide student performance for determination of teachers’ incentive award eligibility. Rather, they designed plans in which the receipt of an award would be based on the performance of individual teachers or teams of teachers.

Overall, districts in Texas decided whether or not to participate in D.A.T.E. based on their beliefs as to how the program would influence teaching and learning in schools. Participating districts also maintained concerns throughout the 2008-09 school year about their ability to evaluate and reward teachers fairly.

A forthcoming D.A.T.E. evaluation report will examine the program’s impact on teaching and learning within schools. More specifically, evaluators will study how D.A.T.E. influences the attitudes and behavior of school personnel, along with the program’s impact on teacher turnover and student achievement gains. This final evaluation report will be released in late 2010.

To learn more about the D.A.T.E. program, or to read this report, please click here.