Lincoln Public Schools

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DEFINITIONS

Appraisee	Certificated employee being evaluated
Appraiser	Person, who holds a Nebraska administrative and supervisory certificate, assigned the responsibility of supervising staff
Goals	Goals, established annually by the Board of Education, are statements which give direction to the work to be accomplished by the district, building, department or team or employee.
Job Targets	Specific tasks which assist the appraisee in meeting the goals and expectations of the district. Job targets are required at the beginning of the first year of the formative phase. Job targets during the summative phase are at the discretion of the appraiser and appraisee.
Self Assessment	The initial step in collecting information (data) from various sources to establish job targets.
Pre-Observation Conference	Consultation between the appraisee and appraiser to determine the purpose of the observation, lesson expectations, and role of the appraiser.
Post-Observation Conference	Scheduled feedback by the appraiser to the appraisee.
Formal Observation	A pre-arranged observation of an instructional period including a pre and post conference.
Informal Observation	An unannounced observation or visitation for an undetermined length of time which may or may not be followed by a conference.

 

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APPRAISAL PROCEDURES

1. Probationary employees will have a summative appraisal during the first and third year and formative appraisal the second year.

2. Permanent employees will have a summative appraisal once every three years.

3. Part-time employees, less than half time, will have a summative appraisal every third year.

4. Persons who transfer or return from a leave of absence will be in the formative phase unless an NPC form has been filed by the principal or supervisor.

5. Upon mutual agreement between the supervisor and the employee, a portfolio may be used in lieu of the standard appraisal form and process in the summative and formative phase of the appraisal for tenured employees and during the second year formative phase for non-tenured employees.

6. On or about October 1, the supervisor will review the appraisal manual with all certificated employees in the summative phase of appraisal.

7. The immediate supervisor shall be the principal. In the case of itinerant or cluster assignments, the immediate supervisor shall be designated by the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources.

8. The written appraisal will be confidential and will be reviewed in private by the appraiser and the certificated employee. The employee has a right to have a representative attend the meeting with them.

9. Written appraisals shall be based on information gathered openly during formal or informal observations and other data collected concerning criteria identified in the summative review instrument.

10. Formal classroom observations will be conducted with full knowledge of the certificated employee with at least one day's advance notice.

11. Informal classroom visitations and conferences can and will occur without advance notice. Data gathered during informal observations which may adversely effect the summative appraisal should be shared with the appraisee in a timely manner.

12. The certificated employee may submit a written statement and/or rebuttal to his/her summative appraisal which must be attached to all file copies of the appraisal.

13. The certificated employee and appraiser shall sign and date the appraisal form. The signature of the certificated employee does not indicate approval of the appraisal but only that the certificated employee has reviewed and received a copy of the document.

14. Appraisal reports for staff will be due in the Human Resources Office as follows:

Probationary Staff	Year 1 and 3	By the end of third quarter
Probationary Staff	Year 2	By the end of the school year
Permanent (Tenured) Staff	Year 3	By the end of the school year

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Must I sign the summative report at the time of the final conference?

Yes.

2. What if I don't agree with the appraisal report, may I attach a rebuttal?

Yes. It is also permissible for appraisees to attach other documentation as well.

Any person who believes that his/her appraisal report is not accurate or has not been fairly done should use the LPS/LEA grievance procedure to resolve the problem. The grievance procedure requires the certificated employee to begin with an informal meeting with the supervisor at which the employee may be represented by a faculty representative.

3. Should appraisal only take place during the regularly scheduled "formal appraisal" period?

No. The process is continuous. During the formative stages, the employee will be required to identify job targets at least one year. The employee may choose to develop a complete plan both years with assistance from the immediate supervisor. At any time a deficiency is observed, the principal may, with a proper show of cause, require a formal summative appraisal.

4. Is the principal the only person who can appraise my performance?

The final summative report is the responsibility of the building principal or designee and/or immediate supervisor. Anyone conducting an appraisal must hold an administrative certificate from the State of Nebraska.

5. Can professional growth activities be used as job targets?

Professional growth activities are designed to meet the needs of teachers who are working to sharpen skills or learn new material. Attendance at professional growth activities is a valid way of documenting achievement of a job target.

6. Who appraises the itinerant staff?

The immediate supervisor must be identified on or about October 1st of an evaluation year. It may be a building administrator or subject area supervisor.

There are times when the building principal may disagree with the subject area supervisor. In these cases the District identifies one final authority so that employees will always know which directives to follow.

7. What is the role of the curriculum specialist?

A curriculum specialist is not a "line supervisor" for most teaching staff and has no final appraisal authority over classroom teachers. Rather, curriculum specialists are District resources for both teachers and administrators. A curriculum specialist may be called in to assist the principal with the instructional leadership parts of his/her job, and may therefore observe teachers or assist the principal with identifying strengths and weaknesses.

The curriculum specialist may also be called upon by the teacher. He or she is an appropriate source of information, materials, ideas and feedback.

8. May I have a representative attend appraisal conferences?

The employee has the right to ask for assistance at any step of the appraisal process.

9. What if there is a dispute over my appraisal process?

If there is a dispute over the appraisal process, the certificated employee should contact the Association or Human Resources for advice. The district grievance procedure may be used to resolve the concern.

10. How confidential must my appraisal be?

Each employee has a right to discuss his or her work with the supervisor, knowing that the discussion is private. On the other hand, the school district has a right to work with its employees using all appropriate resources. Others who might "need to know" about an employee's performance might include curriculum specialists, assistant principals, Human Resources staff and the secretary who types the appraisal. It would be inappropriate to discuss an employee's appraisal with other teachers, parents, support staff or others who have no legitimate interest in the professional supervision of the employee. Efforts to broadcast either the strengths or weaknesses of an employee are generally seen as counterproductive.

11. Should I expect a conference with my supervisor after each formal observation?

Yes.

12. Should I expect feedback every time my principal visits my classroom? Even if the visit lasts a whole period?

No. If your principal sees something serious which requires an Notice of Performance Concerns, there must be a conference. Nothing, however, precludes as many unannounced lengthy observations as the supervisor can accomplish. If the visits are "informal" there is no need for a conference. Formal and informal conferences merely provide different types of data for the final report.

13. Does the principal keep a personnel file in his/her office on each professional employee assigned to the building?

Yes. The teacher may request a review.

14. Who has final authority in the appraisal process?

The immediate supervisor.

15. Must a specific number of descriptors be marked for a composite rating of needs improvement (2), or does not meet district expectations (1)?

No. This is an administrative judgment based upon individual circumstances. However, some descriptors should be expected to be marked.

16. What is the equity requirement?

According to the Board of Education policy, all probationary certificated employees must meet an educational equity/multicultural requirement prior to becoming a permanent employee. The details are provided in a statement supplied to all new probationary employees. All staff members are to support the tenets of educational equity in the work of the district.

17. What administrative qualifications must be met to conduct summative appraisals?

In addition to meeting the course requirements for the administration and supervisor certificate issued by the Nebraska State Department of Education, the supervisor has also participated in district inservice training plus relevant sessions sponsored by state and national organizations.

18. How does the appraisal process affect future leadership opportunities in LPS?

Summative appraisals will be considered when filling leadership positions in the district. A description of those qualities necessary for leadership positions will be available.

19. May student surveys and teacher questionnaires be used as part of my summative appraisal?

Use of such documents and opinions is voluntary and should only take place with consent from the appraisee. Aside from the appraisal process securing feedback from students about their perceptions of the class on a regular basis is strongly recommended.

20. As a permanent staff member may I choose to prepare a portfolio in lieu of the standard summative appraisal process?

Yes, if you and your appraiser agree in advance to use that procedure.

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PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

For the convenience of the staff this information has been duplicated from the Personnel Handbook.