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DNA (TSBVI) Performance Appraisal: Evaluation of Teachers

TEACHER APPRAISAL

Each TSBVI teacher must be appraised and must have a written evaluation at least once for each school year. Education Code 21.203; 21.352(c)

INTERIM EVALUATIONS AND GUIDANCE

In addition to conducting a complete appraisal as frequently as required by Education Code 21.352(c), appropriate components of the appraisal process, such as classroom observations and walk-throughs, will be conducted more frequently as necessary to ensure that a teacher receives adequate evaluation and guidance.  Priority will be given to conducting appropriate components more frequently for inexperienced teachers or experienced teachers with identified areas of deficiency.  Education Code 21.352(c-1)

REQUIRED COMPONENTS

The statutorily required components of teacher appraisal are defined as follows and shall be used in each teacher’s appraisal:

  1. The implementation of discipline management procedures is the teacher’s pedagogical practices that produce student engagement and establish the learning environment.
  2. The performance of teachers’ students is how the individual teacher’s students’ progress academically in response to the teacher’s pedagogical practice as measured at the individual teacher level by one or more student growth measures. [See TSBVI Procedure P.2.1.2]

19 TAC 150.1001(f)

NOTICE AND USE OF EVALUATIONS

The School shall use a teacher’s consecutive appraisals from more than one year, if available, in making employment decisions and developing career recommendations for the teacher.  Education Code 21.352(e)

The School shall notify a teacher of the results of any appraisal of the teacher in a timely manner so that the appraisal may be used as a developmental tool by the School and the teacher to improve the overall performance of the teacher.  Education Code 21.352(f)

ROLE OF EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

A teacher who directs extracurricular activities in addition to performing classroom teaching duties shall be appraised only on the basis of classroom teaching performance and not on performance in connection with extracurricular activities. Education Code 21.353

DISCIPLINARY REFERRALS

TSBVI may not assign an area of deficiency to a teacher solely on the basis of disciplinary referrals made by the teacher or documentation regarding student conduct submitted by the teacher under Education Code 37.002 [See Policy FOA]. TSBVI is not prohibited from finding an area of deficiency based on documented evidence of the teacher’s deficiency in classroom management obtained through observation or substantiated reports.  Education Code 21.352(a-1)

ACCESS TO EVALUATIONS

The School shall maintain a record of the evaluation of each teacher’s performance in the teacher’s personnel file or the Centralized Accounting and Payroll/Personnel System (CAPPS) system.

Each teacher is entitled to have access to the evaluation promptly on its completion. The evaluation and any rebuttal may be given to another school district at which the teacher has applied for employment at the request of that district. Education Code 21.352(c)

CONFIDENTIALITY

A document evaluating the performance of a teacher or administrator is confidential and is not subject to disclosure under the Public Information Act, Government Code 552.  Education Code 21.355(a)  [See Policy GBA]

TSBVI may give TEA a document evaluating the performance of a teacher employed by the School for purposes of an investigation conducted by TEA. A document provided to TEA remains confidential unless the document becomes part of the record in a contested case under the Administrative Procedures Act, Government Code, Chapter 2001.  Except as provided by a court order prohibiting disclosure, a document provided to TEA may be used in a disciplinary proceeding against a teacher if the document may be admitted under rules of evidence applicable to a contested case under Government Code 2001.081.  Education Code 21.355

LOCALLY DEVELOPED APPRAISAL METHOD

The School shall develop its own teacher appraisal system supported by procedures and by the processes outlined in the Texas Education Code 21.352.

Development of Appraisal System

The Instructional Planning Council develops:

  1. A local appraisal process; and
  2. Evaluation criteria, including discipline management and performance of the teachers’ students.

APPRAISERS

TSBVI shall have a clearly defined set of procedures for training appraisers. TSBVI shall identify the qualities appraisers must demonstrate and include appropriate proficiency checks to evaluate the performance of all educators performing appraisals under the School’s locally adopted appraisal system. The School shall be responsible for documenting that appraisers have met training criteria established by TSBVI.  19 TAC 244.3

Note:  The standards to be used to inform the training, appraisal, and professional development of teachers are outlined in 19 Administrative Code 149.1001.

Appraisal Process

The School’s appraisal process shall include:

  1. At least one appraisal each year. The locally developed appraisal process includes a “Standard Annual Appraisal” which includes a 45-minute observation period and the evaluation of teacher performance in designated instructional domains; and an “Alternative Annual Appraisal” which includes a minimum of two “walk-through” observations per school year of at least 20 minutes each. Each teacher is appraised using the Standard Annual Appraisal except that a teacher is eligible to be appraised using the Alternative Annual Appraisal if:
    1. the teacher has obtained the teacher of students with visual impairments supplemental certification except that an Orientation and Mobility Specialist is not required to obtain the teacher of students with visual impairments supplemental certification but must be certified by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals [see 19 TAC 89.1131(e)], and
    2. the teacher annually agrees in writing or electronically to an appraisal using the Alternative Annual Appraisal; and
    3. the teacher’s three most recent appraisals, as long as the appraisals were conducted within the past five years, at TSBVI rated the teacher as at least proficient, or the equivalent, and did not identify any area of deficiency.A teacher who is eligible to be appraised using the Alternative Annual Appraisal shall be appraised a minimum of once every three years using the Standard Annual Appraisal. During any school year when a Standard Annual Appraisal is not required for an eligible teacher, the teacher may require that a Standard Annual Appraisal be conducted by providing written notice to the supervisor; the supervisor may require that a Standard Annual Appraisal be conducted if the teacher has a new assignment with significantly different instructional responsibilities or if the supervisor has identified a deficiency in the teacher’s performance.
  2. A conference between the teacher and the appraiser that is diagnostic and prescriptive with regard to remediation needed in overall performance by category; and
  3. Criteria based on observable, job-related behavior, including:
    1. Teachers’ implementation of discipline management procedures, as defined in 19 TAC 105.1001(f)(1); and
    2. Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, the performance of the teacher’s students as defined in 19 TAC 150.1001(f)(2).

Board Acceptance

The Instructional Planning Council submits the appraisal process and criteria to the Superintendent, who submits the appraisal process and criteria to the Board with a recommendation to accept or reject. The Board may accept or reject, with comments, an appraisal process and performance criteria, but may not modify the process or criteria.  Education Code 21.352(a)(2), (b); 19 TAC 150.1007(a)

Adopted:         11/13/81

Amended:       9/9/83, 5/30/86, 9/15/88, 3/22/91, 5/26/94, 11/18/94, 1/26/96, 9/26/97, 3/24/00, 11/21/03, 5/25/05, 11/18/16, 8/9/18, 5/28/20

Reviewed:       3/21/03