Snipes teachers get bonus for student growth

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Teachers at a New Hanover County school earned a bonus based on student performance.

Certified staff from Snipes Academy of Arts and Design have recently been awarded incentive pay of $1,500 for “exceeding expected growth” on the 2013-14 End-of-Grade tests, according to a news release from New Hanover County Schools. The state awards bonuses to certified personnel in schools that have historically been low-achieving schools under North Carolina’s approved Race to the Top plan,

“I am delighted that my staff has made a commitment to Snipes Academy and we are seeing academic growth in our students. They have worked hard and these bonuses are well deserved,” Principal Cindy Talbert said in a statement.

The school district says there are 56 certified personnel from Snipes Academy that received the School-Level Award and four teachers that received the Teacher-Level Award.

The school-level awards are presented to eligible certified staff when their school receives a value-added school composite in the “Exceeds Expected Growth” range according to the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS).

Teacher-level awards are an additional $500 above the $1,500 payment to teachers who administer an End-of-Grade assessment in fourth and fifth grades.  They receive this value-added teacher composite from the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS).

The retention requirement states that a bonus recipient who returns to the same school in 2014-2015 will receive 100 percent of the bonus payment while a bonus recipient who does not return receives 50 percent of the bonus payment.