PAYSON CUSD #1

Teacher Evaluation Plan

I.Philosophy

The school board members and staff of Payson CUSD #1, are committed to the continuous development of the District's strong educational program.

An effective teacher evaluation system that focuses on the continuing improvement of instruction is an important component of this evaluation plan.

While the primary focus of evaluation is to improve instruction, this evaluation instrument will require teachers to meet established performance expectations. The evaluation process must be continuous and constructive, and will take place in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. The process is a cooperative effort on the part of the evaluator and the teacher. It is designed to encourage productive dialogue between staff and supervisors and to promote professional growth and development.

II.Purposes

Evaluation serves five basic purposes:

A.To recognize and support effective teaching,

B.To provide for the improvement of instruction,

C.To measure adherence to standards,

D.To provide a basis for employment decisions, and

E.To provide opportunities for positive feedback and continuing

dialogue.

III.Goal

The goal of Payson CUSD #1 is to ensure that quality teaching is present in every classroom on a daily basis. The administration has the responsibility to work with the staff and supervise the implementation of performance goals. The effective supervision of these goals requires that administrators systematically carry out the following supervisory tasks:

A.Engage in observation conferences

B.Engage in classroom observations

C.Observe and record relevant data

D.Interpret data

E.Provide honest feedback from observations

F.Specify job improvement targets that may be needed

G.Monitor steps taken to successfully achieve job improvement targets

PROCESS

1.All tenured faculty shall be evaluated at least once every two years. All non-tenured faculty shall be evaluated at least 2 times with at least 1 in the 1st quarter. Each series of observations shall culminate in a final summative evaluation with a rating assigned.

2.The preliminary explanation and discussion of the evaluation process will take place within the first week of the school year. At this time, each teacher will receive a copy of the Teacher Evaluation Plan. In extenuating circumstances, such as a teacher's absence at that meeting, the administration shall assure that an orientation is provided to staff who were not at the faculty meeting in which the orientation occurred. In no case will a formal observation occur prior to an evaluation orientation.

3.The administrator who has the primary responsibility for the teacher will serve as the primary evaluator. An evaluation list will be given at the Evaluation Orientation Meeting.

4.The following steps will be taken to help the administrator and the employee to have an effective experience in this process

A.Pre Observation Meeting

1.At the initial pre-conference the administrator and teacher will discuss the appropriate method of observation to be utilized for the formal observation, which shall be an announced observation.

2.The areas of effective teaching noted as Performance Standards will serve as the focus for teacher evaluation. In addition, those matters related to the instructional program as delineated within the job description shall be a basis for evaluation.

3.A pre-conference shall take place no less than five (5) teaching days prior to the announced observation. The evaluator may conduct subsequent classroom observations with or without a pre-conference and these may be announced or unannounced.

4.The classroom activities, the specific classroom instructional objectives, and any instructional strategies will collectively impact the methods used to obtain data. Consequently, no one best observational data collection tool nor series of tools are required to be used. The evaluator shall at the initial pre-conference inform the staff member which data collection process (or processes) and instrument (s) will be used for the formal observation. Follow-up observational data collection is at the discretion of the evaluator.

B.Formal Evaluations

1.The classroom observation(s) must total a minimum of 45 minutes in length. One announced observation may be video-taped, with mutual consent, for use by the teacher and administrator and may be included in the 45 minutes observation time.

2.Evaluations will be completed as delineated by current teacher contract.

3.The observations, which may include videotape, by mutual consent, will be discussed in the post-observation conference with the purpose of identifying good educational practices and practices which need improvement.

4.Unannounced classroom observations, contacts, and discussions between the evaluator and teacher shall take place prior to the final evaluation conference. If requested, a copy of any recorded information gained for evaluation from informal observations will be given to the teacher at least 24 hours prior to any post-conference.

C.Post Evaluation Conference

1.A final post-observation summative evaluation conference will be held with each teacher being evaluated. The timeline for completing the evaluation cycle shall follow guidelines set forth in Article VI of the teacher contract. At the final conference, a final rating will be given to the teacher, and the evaluator will ensure that the teacher has copies of all observations used in deriving the final rating.

2.At the final evaluation conference, evaluators are to review the marked areas on the Teacher Evaluation rubric as noted on the Summative Teacher Evaluation Forms and discuss the final rating of Unsatisfactory, Satisfactory, or Excellent.

3.Non-tenured faculty rated Unsatisfactory in their first evaluation will be provided an instructional growth plan at the post-conference noting the areas needing improvement with suggestions for improvement. However, in all future observations and resultant summative evaluations, the non-tenured teacher shall be held to the standards as listed on the Teacher Evaluation Rubric.

5.The final evaluation report will be filed in the Board of Education Office, with a copy being given to and signed by the teacher. The teacher’s signature indicates that a copy has been received, but does not necessarily indicate teacher approval or disapproval of the evaluation.

6.The evaluations of teachers are confidential material. These evaluations may be seen only by the teacher, superintendent, principal, the board of education or school attorney. This does not preclude the reports being typed or filed by appropriate secretaries in the principal’s or board's office.

  1. This teacher evaluation process does not preclude additional classroom observation and evaluation by the superintendent or other professionally qualified persons designated by the superintendent or the Board of Education. However, if any of these persons file a written evaluation, a copy of this evaluation must be sent to the teacher and the primary evaluator.

The ratings are defined as follows:

EXCELLENT:

Behaviors exhibited exceeded expectations for effective instruction. Behaviors in regard to most criteria were effective, but the teacher and the evaluator for growth may mutually agree upon specific areas.

Criteria (all 3 criteria must be met):

  1. Overall score between 97-110.
  2. No more than two (2) standards on the Teacher Evaluation Rubric ranked a 3.
  3. No ratings on the Teacher Evaluation Rubric below 3.

SATISFACTORY:

Behaviors exhibited met minimum standards, but indicate that areas for growth exist. Alternative or improved behaviors should be considered in regard to specific areas.

Criteria (all 3 criteria must be met):

  1. Overall score between 66-96.
  2. No more than four (4) standards on the Teacher Evaluation Rubric ranked a 2.
  3. No more than 2 ratings on the Teacher Evaluation Rubric below 2.

UNSATISFACTORY:

More than two behaviors exhibited by the teacher were unacceptable. The teacher needs to correct, change, or eliminate the unsatisfactory behavior(s).

Criteria:

  1. Failure to meet minimum standards for “Satisfactory” or overall score equals 65 or below.
  2. AT THE CONCLUSION OF A TENURED TEACHER ASSISTANCE PLAN (TAP), A RATING OF ONE (1) IN TWO (2) OR MORE AREAS OF THE EVALUATION PROCESS WILL CAUSE A REMEDIATION PLAN TO BE IMPLEMENTED FOR THE TENURED TEACHER.

8.A joint committee of the administration and the teacher organization shall meet annually to assess and suggest modifications, if necessary, to the teacher evaluation process or documents (subject to board approval). Each team may consist of up to five members. The committee shall be reconvened at the request of either the teacher organization or administration by provided a written notice ten (10) school days in advance stating the reasons for the need to meet.

Adopted 9/9/04 Page 1 of 5