TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement

TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement is a comprehensive school improvement program for K-12 schools that integrates four components: (1) Multiple Career Paths - selected teachers become master or mentor teachers while remaining in the classroom; (2) Ongoing Applied Professional Growth - embedded professional development through weekly cluster group meetings, individual coaching, and classroom support; (3) Instructionally Focused Accountability - comprehensive teacher evaluations 4-6 times per year using research-validated rubrics, conducted by trained master teachers, mentor teachers, and administrators, with pre- and post-conferences; and (4) Performance-Based Compensation - additional compensation based on teacher performance observations (50%), individual classroom achievement growth (30%), and school-wide achievement growth (20%). The program requires restructuring the school schedule to allow at least one hour per week for cluster meetings, and master teachers (1:15 ratio) are released from most classroom duties while mentor teachers (1:8 ratio) retain partial teaching responsibilities. Implementation includes intensive initial training followed by sustained support across all four components.