21 LFHS teacher contract

APPENDIX E – EVALUATION PLAN

LAKE FOREST HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT # 115

EVALUATION PLAN FOR TEACHERS

I. General Statement

The major purpose of evaluation in Lake Forest High School District 115 is to promote student learning and the professional growth of staff members and to recognize that the teacher's primary responsibility is in the classroom. It is intended to be a collaborative and constructive process.

This District’s evaluation plan will be consistent with the School Code.

The evaluation plan is the formal, written evaluation process which includes procedures by which the school board evaluates teachers employed in the school district and which meets the requirements of the School Code.

The applicable Ratings utilized shall be as follows:

Excellent Rating

Proficient Rating

Needs Improvement Rating

Unsatisfactory Rating

Note: Non-tenured certified teachers will be evaluated in accordance with the School Code. Non-tenured teachers will be observed at least twice each semester. A preliminary evaluation conference will be completed by December 1 and a final annual evaluation will be completed by March 1.

II. Definitions

Summative Evaluation - Summative evaluations generate the information needed for State-required ratings and personnel decisions such as placing teachers on remediation and termination.

Formative Evaluation - Formative evaluation focuses on the professional growth of staff members. Decisions served by formative evaluation include position orientation and training, monitoring performance, staff and professional development, and individual career planning. Many of the areas of focus in formative evaluation are identified by teachers themselves.

Evaluation Plan - The evaluation plan is the formal, written evaluation process which includes procedures by which the school board evaluates all tenured teachers employed in the school district and which meets the requirements of Article 24A of the School Code.

Teacher - Certified, tenured, non-administrative staff member.

Qualified Evaluator - Those professional employees who are required to hold a supervisory or administrative certificate and are qualified under the School Code. Tenured faculty of the LFEA who become qualified under the School Code will also be considered Qualified Evaluators.

III. District Standards

A. Teacher’s Attendance: Daily attendance is required, within the limits of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and sick leave arrangements, so as not to impede the instructional process. Such leave will not be misused.

B. Instructional Planning: Class presentation will exhibit logical and progressive movement for instruction toward a defined conclusion within a lesson and unit.

C. Instructional Methods: A variety of instructional methods will be used, both mechanical and personal, as needed to facilitate the learning process.

D. Classroom Management: A variety of methods to enhance the learning process for each student will exist. The teacher will be in control of the class.

E. Competency in Subject Matter: Each teacher will exhibit competency in subject areas and conform to all regulations for certification standards in all areas and/or subjects to be presented.

F. Assessment: The teacher understands various formal and informal assessment strategies and uses them to support the continuous development of all students. The teacher returns student work in an educationally appropriate time frame.

G. Professional Conduct: The teacher understands education as a profession, maintains standards of professional conduct, and provides leadership to improve student learning and well being.

When an administrator knows of a deficiency or concern regarding the above standards, he/she shall notify the teacher in a timely fashion and initiate an informal discussion giving the teacher the opportunity to address the concern or deficiency.

IV. Apparatus I - Formative Evaluation (Optional at the teacher's choice)

This is the part of our plan that is unique to Lake Forest High School. The purpose of evaluation or feedback generated by Apparatus I is to provide the teacher with opportunities for self-examination, peer observation and feedback and professional growth. These opportunities are seen as ongoing and long term with one building on another throughout a teacher's career.

Some evaluation technique options open to the teachers are the clinical supervision process, outside observation, and peer evaluation. Teachers are also encouraged to collect and review student feedback using a systematic survey format. Variations on these ideas and other plans of the teacher's invention are encouraged.

Administrators are welcome as members of the formative evaluation scheme. Their participation in this area of evaluation does not preclude their role in summative evaluation.

Apparatus II - Summative Evaluation

This is the part of our plan which is State-mandated.

A. Tenured teachers must be evaluated at least once every two school years. Non tenured teachers are to be evaluated once every year.

B. As required by the School Code, this evaluation must be conducted by a qualified evaluator. The qualified evaluator conducting the evaluation will be the teacher's direct supervisor or other qualified evaluator selected by the teacher and approved by the Superintendent.

If an alternative evaluator selection is requested and the teacher’s selection is not approved by the Superintendent, the Superintendent or his designee will identify a list of three additional alternate evaluators, one of which the teacher may select.

In addition, the teacher may select up to two other certified staff members to observe his/her performance. The principal may also choose to become a member of the team or appoint another qualified administrator to be added to the team.

C. Prior to October 1 of the school year in which a teacher is to be evaluated, a teacher requesting a team evaluation must obtain agreement of teacher-designated members to participate in the evaluation team, and must notify the direct supervisor of the teacher-designated members. If the teacher does not complete this notification process before October 1, the evaluation will be completed by the direct supervisor or his/her designee, either of whom shall be a qualified evaluator.

D. Prior to October 15 of the evaluation year, the teacher and the qualified evaluator conducting the evaluation will jointly schedule and hold the initial meeting to discuss the evaluation goals and timetable. The teacher is responsible for arranging the attendance of any teacher-designated team members and the qualified evaluator for arranging the attendance of any additional qualified evaluator. Evaluation will be completed by May 1.

V. The Evaluation Process

Unless otherwise agreed to by both the teacher and the evaluation team, the following evaluation procedure will be used.

A. At least one day's advance notification of all formal summative observations will be given. A pre-observation conference will be held if the teacher requests one. Before another observation is made, and within three working days of the original observation, a conference will be held with the observer and the teacher.

B. This conference will include specification of the teacher's strengths and/or constructive criticism, with supporting reasons for the comments made.

C. In addition to the formal observations, the evaluator may make informal observations as he/she deems necessary. These informal observations shall not be the basis for remediation.

D. The qualified evaluator conducting the evaluation will write a summative evaluation based on the district's standards using the rubric approved by the Joint Committee. The summative evaluation will incorporate the team members' reports and the teacher's responses. All team members' written reports shall be provided to the teacher. Teachers will be rated excellent, proficient, needs improvement or unsatisfactory as required by the School Code. The report will be the official summative evaluation document. The Principal will review and sign the official summative evaluation document signifying that the procedures were followed. The document will also include the signatures of all team members. Signatures of team members will not necessarily mean agreement with the evaluation.

E. The teacher will sign and be given a copy of the evaluation report. In no case will the teacher's signature be construed to mean that he/she necessarily agrees with its contents. The teacher may submit additional comments to the written evaluation if he/she so desires. The summative evaluation, all final observation reports, and the teacher's comments are to be placed in the teacher's personnel file.

F. Within fifteen (15) working days of receiving the Evaluation Report, the teacher may submit a written response. This response shall be attached to the evaluation and placed in the teacher's personnel file.

G. Any teacher may bring a grievance as per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but only in regard to the evaluation process, not the findings.

VI. Needs Improvement Evaluations - Professional Development Plan

Within 30 school days after completion of an evaluation of a tenured teacher resulting in a rating of Needs Improvement, the evaluator shall create a professional development plan directed to the areas that need improvement.

1. The plan will include any supports that the District provide to address the areas that need improvement.

2. The plan will be created in consultation with the teacher, taking into account the teacher's on-going professional responsibilities, including his or her regular teaching assignments.

3. The teacher will be evaluated at least once in the school year following the receipt of a rating of Needs Improvement.

4. Any teacher who receives a rating of Proficient or Excellent in the year following receipt of a rating of Needs Improvement will then be reinstated into the normal schedule of biennial summative evaluations.

VII. Unsatisfactory Evaluations – Remediation

In this area, the School Code will be followed as presented below, with an important addition. The consulting teacher will receive release time and/or financial payment during the period needed for remediation.

a. Within 30 calendar days of completion of an evaluation of a tenured teacher resulting in a rating of unsatisfactory, the district will develop and commence a remediation plan designed to correct the deficiencies identified as unsatisfactory, provided the deficiencies are deemed remediable. The remediation plan shall be developed by a qualified evaluator or evaluators designated by the Superintendent. The consulting teacher shall participate in developing the remediation plan, but the final decision as to the evaluation shall be made solely by the qualified evaluator as per the School Code.

b. The remediation plan shall provide for ninety (90) school days of remediation within the classroom. During the remediation period the teacher must receive two evaluations as per the School Code.

c. The evaluations and ratings shall be conducted by a qualified evaluator. The evaluator may but is not required to use the forms provided for an annual evaluation of teachers in the district’s evaluation plan.

d. The qualified evaluator shall issue evaluations within 10 days of the conclusion of the remediation plan. However, the School Board shall not lose jurisdiction to discharge a teacher in the event the evaluation is not issued within 10 days after conclusion of the plan (as per The School Code).

e. The remediation plan shall provide reinstatement to a schedule of biennial summative evaluations for any teacher who successfully completes the 90 day remediation plan by receiving a rating of proficient or excellent.

f. Participants in the remediation plan shall include the teacher deemed unsatisfactory, a qualified evaluator, and a consulting teacher. The remediation plan may include the participation of other personnel to assist in correcting areas identified as unsatisfactory.

i. The participation of the consulting teacher shall be voluntary.

ii. The qualified consulting teacher shall be one who has received a rating of excellent on his or her most recent evaluation, has a minimum of five years experience in teaching, and has knowledge relevant to the assignment of the teacher under remediation.

iii. The consulting teacher shall be chosen from a list developed by the district or, the LFEA may, if it chooses, supply a roster of at least five qualified teachers from which the consulting teacher is to be selected, or the names of all teachers so qualified if that number is less than five. The participating administrator or the Principal of the teacher who was rated unsatisfactory shall select the consulting teacher.

iv. Where no consulting teacher is available in the district, the district shall request the appropriate Regional Office of Education to provide a consulting teacher who meets the statutory requirements.

v. If the consulting teacher becomes unavailable during the course of remediation plan, a new consulting teacher shall be selected in the same manner as the initial consulting teacher. The remediation plan shall be amended as necessary upon consultation with the new consulting teacher for the balance of the 90-day remediation period.

vi. The consulting teacher shall provide advice to the teacher rated as unsatisfactory on how to improve teaching skills and to successfully complete the remediation plan.

vii. The consulting teacher shall not participate in any of the required evaluations, nor evaluate the performance of the teacher under remediation.

viii. The consulting teacher shall be informed of the results of the first evaluation in order to continue to provide assistance to the teacher under a remediation plan.

g. The Plan shall provide that any teacher who fails to complete the 90 day remediation plan with a proficient or excellent rating shall be dismissed in accordance with the School Code.

LAKE FOREST HIGH SCHOOL

SUMMATIVE EVALUATION REPORT

Faculty Member:

Department:

Qualified Evaluator:

Other Evaluation Team Members:

Dates of Formal Observations:

Dates of Informal Observations:

I. DISTRICT STANDARDS

Excellent

Proficient

Needs Improvement

Unsatisfactory

COMMENTS:

B. Instructional Planning: Class presentation will exhibit logical and progressive movement for instruction toward a defined conclusion within a lesson and unit.

Excellent

Proficient

Needs Improvement

Unsatisfactory

COMMENTS:

C. Instructional Methods: A variety of instructional methods will be used, both mechanical and personal, as needed to facilitate the learning process.

Excellent

Proficient

Needs Improvement

Unsatisfactory

COMMENTS:

D. Classroom Management: A variety of methods to enhance the learning process for each student will exist. The teacher will be in control of the class.

Excellent

Proficient

Needs Improvement

Unsatisfactory

COMMENTS:

E. Competency in Subject Matter: Each teacher will exhibit competency in subject areas and conform to all regulations for certification standards in all areas and/or subjects to be presented.

Excellent

Proficient

Needs Improvement

Unsatisfactory

COMMENTS:

Excellent

Proficient

Needs Improvement

Unsatisfactory

COMMENTS:

G. Professional Conduct: The teacher understands education as a profession, maintains standards of professional conduct, and provides leadership to improve student learning and well being.

Excellent

Proficient

Needs Improvement

Unsatisfactory

COMMENTS:

STRENGTHS/CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM:

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II. SUMMATIVE RATING

Excellent

Proficient

Needs Improvement

Unsatisfactory

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III. SIGNATURES

Date of Conference: ________________

Teacher:

_______________________________________

Team Member(s)

_______________________________________

Qualified Evaluator

_______________________________________

Principal:

_______________________________________

C: Teacher

Department Chairperson/Instructional Director

Principal

(The original document is in the teacher's personnel file)