Educator Effectiveness Procedures

Educator Effectiveness 

Definitions:

1. Career educator - a licensed employee entitled to a reasonable expectation of continued employment under the policies of the District.
2. Provisional educator - An employee entering a licensed teaching assignment or position, returning to a licensed teaching assignment or position with the District, or an educator who accepts another position substantially different from the position in which career  status was achieved (e.g., classroom teacher to curriculum specialist).  
3. Probationary educator - any licensed educator employed by the District who has been placed on probation and has a plan of assistance due to the results of a summative evaluation.  
4. Conference - In-person meeting to discuss an educator's self-evaluation, professional growth plan, observations, and formative or summative evaluation.
5. Formative evaluation - an annual informal evaluation designed and used to promote a person’s performance growth.
6. Summative evaluation - a formal evaluation designed to make ratings of an educator’s performance. Decisions on salary and employment may be made based on summative evaluations. Educator Effectiveness is the District's summative evaluation process.  
7. Summative score - the Educator Effectiveness score assigned to the educator (i.e., not effective, emerging/minimally effective, effective).
8. Satisfactory performance - an Educator Effectiveness summative overall Emerging/Minimally Effective or Effective rating.
9. Unsatisfactory performance - an Educator Effectiveness summative overall rating that is Not Effective.

General Procedures 

Each licensed educator shall be evaluated annually by his/her administrator(s), as determined by  the District. Administrators shall review the purposes and procedures of the evaluation process  with all licensed educators annually.

Evaluation records are classified as "Private Records". 

Evaluation Frequency

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Evaluations will be based on a four-year improvement cycle. Formative evaluations will occur  annually. Summative evaluations will occur every four years and include a summative score. An  administrator may choose to evaluate an educator summatively as deemed necessary. 

Components of the Educator Effectiveness System

1. Self-assessment: Completed by educators to self-assess their progress in meeting the Utah Effective Teaching Standards and to facilitate ongoing goal setting, reflection, and professional growth. Counselors utilize a self-assessment based on the Standards for Utah  School Counselor Education Programs. Administrators utilize a self-assessment based on  the Utah State Standards for Educational Leadership.  
2. Professional Growth Plan (PGP): Educators develop a Professional Growth Plan using their self-assessment in collaboration with their administrator. The PGP supports ongoing goal-setting and reflective practice. Educators use their PGP to collaborate with coaches,  administrators, or mentors. The PGP supports the annual formative evaluation process  and summative evaluation. Counselors utilize the Cache Counselor Professional Growth  Plan. Administrators utilize the Utah Administrator Professional Growth Plan. 
3. Stakeholder feedback: Stakeholder surveys are administered to students and parents at least every four years and are required for the summative evaluation. It is recommended that these surveys are also administered during the formative years. Sample surveys are  provided by the district. Other stakeholder feedback collected by the educator, school, or  district is also appropriate. In addition to students and parents, administrators must also  survey school staff. The CCSD School Climate Survey, conducted annually, fulfills this  requirement. 
4. Classroom observations: Classroom observations should be conducted as frequently as needed but at least annually. Administrators should use the CCSD Observation Tool, which focuses on the Elements of Effective Teaching and is aligned with the UETS  standards. Classroom observations are followed by a feedback conversation with the  educator utilizing the CCSD Growth-Oriented Observation Feedback Protocol.  Observation feedback will be made available to the educator within 48 hours of the  observation, preferably sooner.  
5. Student growth data: Educators should collect and submit student growth data for formative and summative assessments. This may be facilitated through professional learning community data protocols, student learning objectives (SLOs), classroom-based  data, or other progress monitoring tools such as benchmark testing or curriculum-based  measures. Administrators are not permitted to use state-required end-of-level assessment  scores or data of a student who is chronically absent as part of the formative or  summative evaluation.  
6. Formative evaluation: The administrator meets with the educator to review an educator's self-evaluation, professional growth plan, classroom observations, stakeholder feedback (if collected), and student academic growth data. A formative evaluation aims to provide  feedback to the educator to promote growth. 

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7. Summative evaluation: The administrator meets with the educator to review all components of the four-year cycle. A summative evaluation must use multiple lines of evidence, including:  
   1. self-evaluation (from each of the four years);
   2. stakeholder feedback (from at least the current year, highly recommended each year);
   3. a reasonable number of supervisor observations (at least four, one from each year) to ensure adequate reliability;
   4. evidence of professional growth and other indicators of instructional improvement; and 
   5. student academic growth data.

8. Summative score - An educator receives a summative score based on the following levels and suggested definitions:

a. One (not effective)- The educator did not meet performance expectations.

b. Two (emerging/minimally effective)- The educator partially met performance expectations by demonstrating evidence of professional growth or student  academic growth.  

c.Three (effective)- The educator met performance expectations by demonstrating evidence of professional growth and student academic growth.

Annual Timelines

1. By September 15 - Orientation of educators about the Educator Effectiveness System 
2. By the End of September - the Self-Assessment and Professional Growth Plan shall be submitted to the administrator(s)  
3. By October 20 - Conference completed with the administrator on Self-Assessment and Professional Growth Plan either in-person or online
4. Between October 1 - March 20 - Classroom observations
5. By the end of January - Mid Year review & reflection
6. By March 20 - End-of-year conference, in-person, with the administrator for provisional, probationary educators
7. By April 20 - End-of-year conference, in-person, with the administrator for career educators
8. By June 15 - All documentation of an educator’s evaluation must be completed and submitted in ObserverTab

Acknowledgment and Appeal 

The summative evaluation shall be acknowledged by the educator and the current principal, the  principal’s designee, or the immediate supervisor. The educator's acknowledgment indicates  receipt of the Educator Effectiveness evaluation but does not necessarily signify agreement with  its contents or the summative score. 

If the educator does not agree with any portion of the evaluation, the educator has the right to  submit a written response expressing his/her views. This written response must be submitted to 

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his/her supervisor and the Director of Human Resources within fifteen (15) days of the end-of year conference. 

A copy of the summative evaluation shall be provided to the educator, and a copy shall be  retained in the educator's personnel file electronically.

If a review is requested, the Superintendent’s designee shall appoint an independent reviewer to  review and make recommendations regarding the employee’s evaluation. The review shall be in  accordance with State Board of Education rules. The independent reviewer shall not be an  employee of the District. 

Plan of Assistance

Career Educators whose overall Educator Effectiveness rating is “Not Effective” shall be notified  that their employment status may be questioned and placed on probationary status with a Plan of  Assistance (POA).

A Plan of Assistance (POA) shall be provided that includes:  

1. Identified specific, measurable, and actionable deficiencies.
2. Recommended course of action and resources intended to improve the educator’s performance. This POA may not exceed 120 school days.
3. At the conclusion of the POA, a conference will be held to gather evidence and review the degree of progress made.
4. The immediate supervisor confers with the Director of Human Resources to determine the action to be taken. The following options are available.
   1. Remediation Completed – If the career educator has demonstrated satisfactory progress, including completing all goals, he/she is removed from the POA and reinstated as a career educator. 
   2. Termination - Career educators whose summative overall rating remains as "Not Effective” shall be subject to the provisions of the policy “Employment Certificated - Termination of Employment.”  

5. If a licensed educator receives an overall rating of “Not Effective,” he/she shall not advance on the District’s wage or salary schedule or receive TSSP funds. 6. Career educators placed on a POA for unsatisfactory performance who receive another  unsatisfactory rating within three years are subject to non-renewal or employment  termination pursuant to Utah Law. 

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