Your Starting LIFT Stage
Teachers Returning to DCPS
All teachers will be placed in a LIFT stage at the beginning of the 2012–2013 school year. If you taught in DCPS during the 2011–2012 school year, your starting LIFT stage is determined by your prior IMPACT ratings.
The following graphic describes the criteria for determining returning teachers’ starting LIFT stage.
* In determining their starting LIFT stage for the 2012–2013 school year, returning teachers will receive credit for any prior Effective ratings (scores between 250 and 349) received during the 2009–2010, 2010–2011, and 2011–2012 school years. As outlined on the previous page, beginning in the 2012–2013 school year, only scores falling into the new Effective category (300–349) will contribute toward movement up the ladder.
† Teachers will be placed into the Distinguished Teacher stage if they received either:
- Highly Effective ratings in both of the past two years (SY 2010–2011 and SY 2011–2012)
- Highly Effective ratings in any two of the past three years, and a score at or above 300 in a third year
Example 1
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Example 2
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| Consider a teacher who received the following scores on his final IMPACT assessments for the past three years: |
Consider a teacher who received the following scores on her final IMPACT assessments for the past three years: |
| ■ 2009–2010 school year: 290 |
■ 2009–2010 school year: 339 |
| ■ 2010–2011 school year: 315 |
■ 2010–2011 school year: 355 |
| ■ 2011–2012 school year: 320 |
■ 2011–2012 school year: 361 |
| Because he earned two scores above 250, but not three years of scores above 300, this teacher would be placed in the Established Teacher stage at the start of the 2012–2013 school year. |
Because she received Highly Effective ratings in both 2010–2011 and 2011–2012, this teacher would be placed in the Distinguished Teacher stage at the start of the 2012–2013 school year. |
Teachers who have taught in DCPS for fewer than three years will be placed according to the IMPACT ratings that they have already earned. For example, a teacher who is beginning her second year in DCPS in 2012–2013 and who received an Effective rating during 2011–2012 (her first year) will be placed at the Teacher stage for 2012–2013.
Note: Teachers who joined DCPS in the 2011–2012 school year with two or more years of prior teaching experience and received scores of 300 or above on their annual IMPACT assessments will be placed at the Established Teacher stage.
Teachers New to DCPS
Teachers who are new to DCPS will be placed according to their years of teaching experience:
■ 0–1 years of experience: Teacher stage
■ 2+ years of experience: Established Teacher stage
Example
Let’s look at another example. Consider a teacher with four years of teaching experience in a neighboring school district who joins DCPS at the start of the 2012–2013 school year. Because he has two or more years
of experience teaching outside of DCPS, he will be placed at the Established Teacher stage at the start of the 2012–2013 school year.
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Why do experienced teachers enter DCPS at the Established Teacher stage?
Experienced teachers who are joining DCPS from other districts will be placed in the Established Teacher stage. This placement both recognizes these teachers’ prior experience and provides them with an opportunity to demonstrate their effectiveness in DCPS through a full set of IMPACT observations. However, like all Established Teachers, after one year of Highly Effective performance (or two consecutive years of Effective performance), these experienced teachers will progress to the Advanced Teacher stage, where they will be eligible for reduced IMPACT observations and other benefits.
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