Starting this academic year, teacher bonuses in Moscow will be linked to student achievements, including results from independent diagnostics, OGE, and EGE exams. In October, Moscow teachers will receive these newly calculated incentive payments. Questions arise: who will administer these funds, and what specific student successes will be considered?
The decision to link teacher bonuses to student performance raised numerous questions among educators. What constitutes successful teaching? Relying solely on exam results was deemed an incomplete approach. Should bonuses only be for students with excellent grades? What if a teacher worked an entire year to help a student improve from a “2” (poor) to a “3” (satisfactory) – would that be considered a significant achievement? It turns out, such progress will now be recognized. The effectiveness of teachers` work with students will be assessed more broadly, according to the city`s education department.
Who will conduct this evaluation? Not the central authorities. Schools retain the right to independently distribute incentive payments. This portion of school funding is intended as bonuses beyond the base salary. The base salary (30% of a teacher`s total take-home pay) remains predictable, while the incentive portion is being restructured. It will be distributed based on objective academic results of students. These objective results will be identified not only by the school administration (director and deputy directors) but also with the help of newly formed in-school subject departments.
Therefore, even if a student begins to make fewer errors in a dictation, this will be considered an achievement, explained Olesya Lukashuk, First Deputy Head of the Moscow Department of Education and Science:
Olesya Lukashuk
First Deputy Head of the Moscow Department of Education and Science
Crucially, the incentive payment is not assigned to each teacher individually; there are two stages. First, payments based on the results of EGE, OGE, and independent diagnostics (conducted from the fourth grade in each parallel class) are allocated to the subject department, not to an individual teacher. The second stage involves the subject department itself distributing these incentive payments based on indicators that account for the positive dynamics of each child`s development and other assessment procedures, which allow evaluating each teacher`s contribution to these results, as this reflects the objective outcome of the department`s work.
The department representative assured that no teacher`s monthly payments would decrease, and no one would be unfairly treated. To support this, teachers` salaries in Moscow were previously raised by 24% at the beginning of the year.
Regarding the subject departments, it`s important to clarify that they are currently being formed in Moscow schools, though the concept has been discussed with schools for three years. The idea is that each department will have its own head, a subject teacher chosen by the school staff and approved by the director. Each department will develop its own approach to evaluating colleagues` work. The final decision on payments, as before, rests with the school administration.
Although it may seem complex, this approach is more objective than the current one, believes Yefim Rachevsky, director of “Tsaritsyno” Education Center № 548 and People`s Teacher of Russia:
Yefim Rachevsky
Director of “Tsaritsyno” Education Center № 548, People`s Teacher of Russia
This does not mean that more straight-A students will automatically translate into more money for the teacher; that`s not the case. Each school develops its own regulations for stimulating teacher work. For instance, a teacher whose student made 28 errors in a dictation (resulting in a `2` or `D`) and now makes 23 errors (still a `D`) can be rewarded. The school administration is aware of this child`s positive progress, so it`s at the discretion of the school staff and administration. It`s not strictly necessary for bonuses to go only to those whose students achieve 100 points on the EGE. This initiative allows for a differentiated approach to how and who is working. In my experience, there were situations where a teacher, laden with various accolades, even the title of `Honored Teacher,` worked so ineptly that I struggled for a year until they were dismissed. Conversely, a clearly talented beginner teacher, without any titles or honors, would show excellent positive dynamics in their students.
The new system is currently being explained to the teaching staff in each Moscow school. While some teachers still have doubts, educators hope that the subject departments and school administration will distribute payments fairly, based on objective considerations.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth