"At Arsenal 6-8, being a STAR school begins with a commitment from our teachers and support staff to meet every child where they are and push them higher. It doesn't matter if you are several years below grade level, we will start there and make sure you finish higher. Through fantastic outside partnerships and various opportunities in after school programs and mentoring, we look to connect with every single child in some significant way. Our goal is to support the whole child through solid academics, caring adults, relevant opportunities, and focus on growth. We believe all children can succeed if you can unlock their potential and show them how great they can be!"

 

 

 

 

For too long, teacher success has gone unrecognized. That's why teachers, principals, and District and Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT) staff have worked together to design rewards and recognition opportunities that celebrate schools, teams, and teachers who achieve remarkable results with their students. 

• Entire schools are being celebrated for making extraordinary gains in student achievement through the Students and Teachers Achieving Results (STAR) program. PPS schools earn STAR status by being within the top 15% (or in some cases 25%) of Pennsylvania schools for student growth. 
• Teams of teachers are being recognized for achieving better than expected results with their students through the Promise-Readiness Corps (PRC) Cohort Award. The PRC is a team of effective teachers and staff who focus on ensuring that their cohort of students enters the 11th grade ready to take advantage of The Pittsburgh Promise® scholarship opportunity. Learn more about the PRC here.
  
• Individual teachers are rewarded for improving student learning through the Career Ladder Salary Schedule (CLSS). On the CLSS, teachers have greater earning potential, are rewarded for effectiveness, and receive significant salary increases upon earning tenure.

These opportunities have been funded in part by a federal grant called the Teachers Incentive Fund (TIF). 

• June 15, 2010 – Pittsburgh board, teachers OK pact
• June 13, 2010 – Merit pay for city’s teachers a large change
• April 25, 2011 – Programs seek teacher pay system that works
• November 20, 2012 – Pittsburgh Public Schools rewarded for student academic growth
• February 4, 2014 – Three Pittsburgh schools named STARs for high scores
• April 18, 2014 – Student achievement rewarding for Pittsburgh teaching teams
• January 26, 2015 – Pittsburgh teachers’ pay schedule examined as contract talk begins
• March 25, 2015 – Pittsburgh Lincoln PreK-5 among city schools receiving STAR honor
• February 29, 2016 – Pittsburgh Arsenal middle school honored for student growth