INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION AND EVALUATION
DEFINITIONS
SUPERVISION
Supervision is a formative process that focuses upon professional development and the improvement of instruction. It is characterized by a collegial, helping relationship between administrators and the teachers in a climate of trust and mutual understanding. Supervision encourages professional growth and development of staff and high quality classroom performance that promotes improved student learning. In a quality supervision program, the following conditions are present:
1. It is assumed that supervision is a participatory process with an ongoing dialogue between administrators and teachers to find improved methods for the delivery of instruction. Administrators strive to share the principles and practices of quality teaching while promoting input and decision making on the part of the teachers.
2. Supervision encourages a wide variety of instructional techniques and diversity in teaching methods which take into account the unique talents and capabilities of each teacher.
3. Administrators support the improvement of instruction by observing teaching as well as by giving suggestions, coaching, or demonstrating a teaching skill or an alternative teaching method. They also provide resources such as videotapes of a particular skill, staff development activities to individuals or small groups of teachers, and appropriate instructional materials that enhance the delivery of instruction.
These resources will be available through all administrators.
4. Academic freedom is promoted by the recognition that teachers have the professional training and expertise to make curricular and procedural decisions affecting the daily management and organization of their classrooms.
5. Supervision supports the professional growth process by allowing for teacher initiative, trial and error, and experimentation with new or alternative methods of instruction. Collaboration between administrator and teacher to encourage diversity, variety, and personal initiative in instructional delivery is a desirable end to the supervisory process.
6. Supervision is an interpersonal process in which good faith on the part of both parties forms the basis for a trusting relationship.
7. Supervision is a positive process in which the major focus is upon enhanced student learning resulting from a long-term investment in the growth and development of the professional teaching staff.
8. The supervisory process is not intended to impact negatively on the final evaluation for teachers except for those clearly identified as being in need of substantial improvement. Supervision is not related to the issue of continuing employment except for those very few cases where a teacher's performance has been rated as unsatisfactory.
Where such rating is based upon classroom performance, it is required that the observed deficiencies be reported to the teacher on the Professional Observation form and that a plan for improvement be established with the teacher with a reasonable period of time available prior to the rating being issued.
EVALUATION
Evaluation, or rating, is a summative judgment of teacher performance issued on the Professional Evaluation Form. It is based upon direct classroom observations and the principal's assessment of performance of the teacher on each of the 24 performance criteria during an evaluation period. It requires an assessment of satisfactory, needs improvement, or unsatisfactory on each of the performance criteria. An overall rating of satisfactory or unsatisfactory is also required. Evaluation is characterized in the following ways:
1. It is the formal opportunity for the responsible administrator to provide a fair, constructive evaluation for each professional and to draw a distinction between individuals who demonstrate satisfactory or greater than satisfactory performance and those who do not.
2. Items rated as unsatisfactory and/or needs improvement are the result of observed behavior. Identified deficits are clearly communicated to the employee in writing at the time of the evaluation conference when the Professional Evaluation Form is issued.
3. Evaluation indicates a difference between standard and substandard practice, and it identifies and documents all instances of substandard practice; it proposes a plan for assisting the substandard performer to improve. All recommendations for improvement will be individualized to the identified deficits and will be fully explained to the substandard performer. Administrators will provide constructive suggestions for improvement, and they will communicate to the employee a written plan and time line for improvement.
4. The employee whose overall performance is unsatisfactory or needs improvement is expected to make a strong effort to improve to a satisfactory level prior to the next rating being issued. In cases rated as unsatisfactory where no improvement occurs, a second rating of unsatisfactory will be given with a recommendation for dismissal to the Superintendent.
OBSERVATIONS
Observations provide a process for collecting data in two ways: the clinical process with the required pre- observation data sheet completed or the drop-in observation, with little or no prior notice. Both formal observation models are completed with the reporting of the observer's findings on the district's observation form accompanied by a post-conference.
The purpose of the post-conference is to share perceptions and reactions to the lesson. It is desirable to create a post-conference climate in which the observer's findings may be freely discussed. One strategy for achieving this condition is to postpone final preparation of the observation form until after the conference is held. Sending the final observation report to the teacher for signatures, allowing the teacher some additional time to review the report, react if appropriate, and sign completes the process.
In any event, if a written recommendation for improvement is being considered as the result of an observation, it will be discussed with the teacher prior to final preparation of the observation report. If an observer other than the principal has made a recommendation for improvement, it will be discussed with the principal prior to final preparation of the observation report.
The Pre-Observation Data Sheet for the clinical model is also included. Use of this data sheet will enable the observer and teacher to focus on important aspects of the instruction to be observed.
Teachers and administrators often view observation of classroom instruction as part of the supervisory process. Although the act of observing may indeed lead to discussions and relationships described earlier under Supervision, it is also a part of the evaluation process as mandated by the state.
INFORMAL OBSERVATION/PARTICIPATION
Informal observations or visitations in a classroom represent supervision and are encouraged. These occasional visits are to be in a positive mode where possible and are intended to allow for growth in the relationship between the observer and the instructor while focusing upon the growth of the learners. A written report of the visits will not be kept. Informal verbal dialogue between observer and teacher, providing honest and open communication and sharing of perceptions, is encouraged. The observer is encouraged to participate.
PROCEDURE FOR STAFF EVALUATION / RATING
Evaluation of professional employees shall be based on formal observations and the evaluator’s judgment of the employee's total performance during the rating period. All tenured teachers shall be evaluated at least once per year, and all non-tenured teachers shall be evaluated at least twice per year, once in each semester. The principal, as the designee of the Superintendent, shall complete the Professional Evaluation Form and post conference within five working days of the last observation.
The twenty-four descriptors on the evaluation form describe the qualities of satisfactory performance. Each descriptor will be checked as Satisfactory, Needs Improvement, Unsatisfactory, or Not Applicable. A "Needs Improvement" is a satisfactory rating, but a short, concise statement, must accompany the written recommendation for improving performance. A descriptor checked as "Unsatisfactory" requires supporting statements, including an anecdotal report which summarizes the steps needed for performance improvement.
When a descriptor being rated as NI or U specifically relates to a deficiency attributable to classroom instruction and observation, the recommendations and/or supporting statements shall be linked to the area of deficit referred to on the comment section of the observation form.
Each of the four major categories on the Professional Evaluation Form (Planning and Preparation, Classroom Environment, Instructional Delivery an Professionalism) will be considered in the overall rating for the period as either "Satisfactory" or "Unsatisfactory." It is possible, that a gross deficiency in a single category might be sufficiently serious to warrant a total rating of "Unsatisfactory."
An overall Unsatisfactory evaluation is applied when a teacher's performance does not meet a satisfactory level on the established criteria. In such cases, the rater will provide documentation outlining the areas of unsatisfactory performance, written strategies for improvement, and the requirements for a return to a Satisfactory rating within a specified time period. The teacher shall have the right to representation during this evaluation conference. Two consecutive unsatisfactory evaluations of a professional employee will result in a recommendation to the Superintendent for dismissal.
If the employee refuses to sign in the space provided, such refusal shall be recorded and dated. The employee will be notified in writing of this notation by the principal within ten calendar days.
The Superintendent shall review and sign all evaluations. Unsatisfactory evaluations shall be signed within five working days of the last observation.
APPEAL PROCEDURE
All employees have the right to appeal their ratings.
If a disagreement occurs, the teacher must submit to the evaluator a written statement of the reasons for disagreement within five working days of receipt of the evaluation. A conference must be held to discuss the differences within five working days of receipt of the statement. This process may terminate the appeal procedure by mutual agreement.
If the employee wishes to appeal further, he/she should submit an Intent to Appeal statement (letter or memo) to the Superintendent within five working days of the conference with the evaluator. A dated statement of reasons for disagreement should be submitted in writing to the Superintendent within twenty-one calendar days. The teacher will have a conference with the Superintendent, if desired. The Superintendent shall render the final decision on all evaluations on the Professional Evaluation Form.