GCOEVALUATION OF PROFESSIONAL
STAFF MEMBERS
GCOEvaluation of Teachers
The performance of teachers in the classroom is of paramount importance in the education of students. For this reason, the Governing Board requires that the evaluation process place particular emphasis upon the competence of teachers in their classroom performance.
The Governing Board directs the Superintendent to develop and propose for approval by the Governing Board a system-wide program for evaluating the instructional program as one means of ensuring quality and control of instruction. In developing and proposing this program, the Superintendent shall seek and consider the advice of certificated staff members.
The process of evaluation for certificated professional staff members shall lead to improvement of the quality of instruction and the strengthening of the abilities of the professional staff.
The following elements shall be emphasized in the District's evaluation process:
A. Student learning shall be the primary focus of the teacher's professional time.
B. The evaluation process should reinforce sound instructional practices, identify areas for improvement, stimulate professional growth, encourage teacher self-reflection, and provide for collaboration between the teacher and the evaluator. Open communication shall be considered essential to the process.
C. The purpose of evaluation shall be to work toward common goals for the improvement of education. The teacher evaluation system should target those areas most critical to both learning and success of students and certificated staff within the learning environment.
D. Effective evaluation depends on accurate information; therefore, input from all appropriate sources shall be used. Quantitative measures of student academic progress used to evaluate teacher performance must be valid and reliable.
E. The Arizona Professional Teaching Standards and research on best practices.
F. The content taught shall align with the Arizona Common Core Standards and other curriculum requirements (e.g., International Baccalaureate®, Advanced Placement®, or Cambridge Academy®), as applicable, but no single method of learning or teaching should be prescribed.
G. Evaluation shall be continuous, flexible and sensitive to the need for ongoing review.
H. The evaluation system should identify and address instructional and professional practices that do not meet District standards. The improvement of instruction shall occur, in part, through specific recommendations mutually reviewed by the evaluator and the teacher, which bring practices into compliance with District standards.
I. The evaluation system, including its instruments, should be understandable and efficient.
Evaluation of Classroom Teachers and
Other Certificated (Non-Administrative)
Staff Members
The District evaluation system and its instruments shall comply with the required elements of the model framework for teacher and principal evaluation adopted by the State Board of Education, to include use of quantitative student academic progress data for fifty percent (50%) of the evaluation outcomes.
Valid and reliable student academic progress data is not available in all content areas. As a result, and in accordance with the evaluation framework established by the Arizona State Board of Education, the District's evaluation system shall distinguish between two (2) groups of teachers in the determination of student academic progress data used for purposes of performance evaluation:
A. "Group A" Teachers: Teachers who have three (3) years of valid and reliable student progress data for their student population and content area.
B. "Group B" Teachers: Teachers who do not yet have three (3) years of valid and reliable student progress data for their student population and content area.
For Group A teachers, fifty percent (50%) of the evaluation shall be based upon indicators of classroom and professional performance, thirty-three percent (33%) of the evaluation will be based upon student progress data for students who were assigned to the teacher over a three (3)-year time period, and seventeen percent (17%) of the evaluation will be based upon measures of school-wide student progress data.
For Group B teachers, fifty percent (50%) of the evaluation will be based upon indicators of classroom and professional performance and fifty percent (50%) will be based on measures of school-wide student progress data.
The evaluation system shall include four (4) performance classifications, designated as highly effective, effective, developing, and ineffective. These classifications shall be defined as follows:
Highly Effective:
A. Group "A" Teachers' final evaluation score will be greater than or equal to one hundred thirteen (113).
B. Group "B" Teachers' final evaluation score will be greater than or equal to one hundred ten (110).
Effective:
A. Group "A" Teachers' final evaluation score will be between ninety-nine (99) and one hundred twelve (112).
B. Group "B" Teachers' final evaluation score will be between ninety-four (94) and one hundred nine (109).
Developing:
A. Group "A" Teachers' final evaluation score will be between eighty (80) and ninety-eight (98).
B. Group "B" Teachers' final evaluation score will be between seventy-six (76) and ninety-three (93).
Ineffective:
A. Group "A" Teachers' final evaluation score will be below eighty (80).
B. Group "B" Teachers' final evaluation score will be below seventy-six (76).
These performance classifications shall be utilized and applied through the evaluation system in a manner designed to improve principal and teacher performance.
In accordance with state law, the District shall involve its certificated teachers in the development and periodic review and evaluation of the teacher performance evaluation system.
The following elements will be assured in the evaluation system and procedures:
A. A copy of the evaluation system shall be given to and reviewed with each teacher in the District at the start of each school year and prior to any classroom observation.
B. The Board shall receive from the Superintendent recommendations for qualified evaluators prior to naming evaluators. The Board will designate qualified evaluators by name or position.
C. The best practices for professional development and evaluator training adopted by the State Board of Education.
D. At least annually, the School District Governing Board shall discuss at a public meeting, its aggregate performance classifications of principals and teachers.
Definition of Inadequacy of
Classroom Performance
A teacher’s failure to overcome deficiency(ies) in classroom performance which are addressed in an Improvement Plan.
Evaluation of Administrators
and Psychologists
The District shall establish a system for the evaluation of the performance of principals, other school administrators, and psychologists. The District will seek advice from District administrators and psychologists in the development of this performance evaluation system.
The Board shall make available the evaluation and performance classification pursuant to A.R.S. 15-203 of each principal in the School District to school districts and charter schools that are inquiring about the performance of the principal for hiring purposes.
Adopted: July 11, 2017
LEGAL REF.:
A.R.S.
15-153
15-203
15-502
15-503
15-512
15-536
15-537
15-537.01
15-538
15-538.01
15-539 et seq.
15-544
15-549
15-918.02
15-977
A.A.C.
R7-2-605
CROSS REF.:
GBEB - Staff Conduct
GCB - Professional Staff Contracts and Compensation
GCF - Professional Staff Hiring
GCJ - Professional Staff Noncontinuing and Continuing Status
GCK - Professional Staff Assignments and Transfers
GCMF - Professional Staff Duties and Responsibilities
GCQF - Discipline, Suspension, and Dismissal of Professional Staff Members
GDO - Evaluation of Support Staff Members