Fredonia Central School District
Annual Professional Performance Review Plan
Philosophy of Teacher/Principal Evaluation

The primary goal of the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Plan is to foster a culture of continuous professional growth which in turn promotes student achievement. The APPR will be used to foster ongoing professional growth and development, reflection, and refinement of professional practice for all faculty and staff in order to improve teaching and learning.

Principal Effectiveness: Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards

Evaluations of building principals are to be based on multiple measures, aligned with the Educational Leadership Policy Standards (ISLLC 2008). A principal’s performance must be assessed using a principal practice rubric approved by the NYS Education Department.

Any of the Educational Leadership Policy Standards (ISLLC 2008) not addressed in the broad assessment must be assessed at least once a year.

The district is currently in negotiations related to the procedures under which the process for the evaluation of principals will be locally developed. Upon completion of negotiations, this section will be updated. Until such time, the previously Board approved APPR plan will be followed.

Teacher Effectiveness: NYS Teaching Standards

Evaluations of classroom teachers are to be based on multiple measures, aligned with the NYS Teaching Standards (adopted 1/11/11). A teacher’s performance must be assessed using a teacher practice rubric approved by the NYS Education Department.

In the 2011-2012 school year, the new evaluation system must include teachers of English Language Arts or mathematics in grades 4-8 (including common branch teachers who teach ELA or mathematics). Beginning in the 2012-2013 school year, the evaluation system must include all classroom teachers.

Any of the NYS Teaching Standards (adopted 1/11/11) not addressed in the broad assessment must be assessed at least once a year.

The district is currently in negotiations related to the procedures under which the process for the evaluation of teachers will be locally developed. Upon completion of negotiations, this section will be updated. Until such time, the previously Board approved APPR plan will be followed.

Teacher/Principal Effectiveness Composite Score [To be inserted once plan developed]

In accordance with NYS Education Law §3012c regarding Annual Professional Performance Reviews (APPR) for teachers, the district will differentiate teacher and principal effectiveness using four rating categories – Highly Effective, Effective, Developing, and Ineffective. Additionally, Education Law §3012-c(2)(a) requires annual professional performance reviews (APPRs) to result in a single composite teacher or principal effectiveness score, which incorporates multiple measures of effectiveness. The final composite score for teacher and principal effectiveness shall be determined as follows:

*TBD = Guidelines to be Determined by NY State Department of Education

In the event a classroom teacher or principal receives a rating of “Developing” or “Ineffective,” the evaluator will schedule a meeting to discuss the overall performance rating and begin development of either a Teacher Improvement Plan (TIP) for teachers, according to FTA contract, or Principal Improvement Plan (PIP) for principals, according to the FAA contract, and the process outlined in this document. Teachers and principals who receive Highly Effective/Effective ratings will receive constructive feedback through a post-conference.

Locally Selected Measures of Student Achievement

Sections 3012-c(2)(e)(ii) and (f)(ii) require that 20% of an APPR be based on other locally selected measures of student achievement that are determined to be rigorous and comparable across classrooms in accordance with the Commissioner’s regulations.

The district is currently in negotiations related to the procedures for selecting the local measures of student achievement, including the persons or committees charged with selection of the assessment measures. Upon completion of negotiations and subsequent implementation of the process to select the local measures, this section will be updated. Until such time, the previously Board approved APPR plan will be followed.

Other Measures of Teacher Effectiveness

Pursuant to Section 3012-c, evaluations of classroom teachers are to be based on multiple measures, aligned with the New York State Teaching Standards. Teacher performance will be assessed based upon one of the rubrics approved by NYSED on July 19, 2011.

1. Tenured teachers
2. Probationary Teachers

Types of Evaluation and Documentation

The district is currently in negotiations in relation to identifying and selecting appropriate measures of teacher effectiveness using the criteria prescribed by the New York State regulations. Upon completion of negotiations, this section will be updated. Until such time, the previously Board approved APPR plan will be followed.

Evaluators

The primary responsibility for evaluation of each employee rests with the immediate supervisor, who is normally that employee’s building principal or designee. For building principals, the immediate supervisor is the Superintendent or designee. The district will ensure that all evaluators are properly trained and certified to complete the performance reviews of professional employees.

Evaluator training will include the following, consistent with the New York State regulations:

• NYS Teaching Standards and ISSLC Standards
• Evidence-based observation
• Application and use of Student Growth Percentile and Value- Added Growth Model data
• Application and use of the State-approved teacher or principal rubrics
• Application and use of any assessment tools used to evaluate teachers and principals
• Application and use of State-approved locally selected measures of student growth/achievement
• Use of the Statewide Instructional Reporting System
• Scoring methodology used to evaluate teachers and principals
• Specific considerations in evaluating teachers and principals of English Language Learners (ELL) and students with disabilities.

The Superintendent will certify that evaluators have received the training required to complete the performance reviews as described in this document. The district will ensure that the evaluators maintain inter-rater reliability over time and that they are re-certified on an annual basis.

Teacher/Principal Improvement Plans (TIP/PIP)

Upon rating a teacher or principal as “developing” or “ineffective” through an annual professional performance review, the district must develop and commence implementation of a teacher (TIP) or principal (PIP) improvement plan for such pursuant to Section 3012-c.

A TIP or PIP must be implemented no later than 10 days after the date on which teachers are required to report prior to the opening of classes for the school year.

The district is currently in negotiations regarding the process related to the development of Teacher Improvement Plans/Principal Improvement Plans. Upon completion of negotiations, this section will be updated. Until such time, the previously Board approved APPR plan will be followed.

Appeal Process

In the event a teacher wishes to challenge a performance review and/or improvement plan under the new evaluation system, the law requires the establishment of an appeals procedure, the specifics of which are to be locally negotiated.

The district is currently in negotiations related to the appeal process. Upon completion of negotiations, this section will be updated. Until such time, the previously Board approved APPR plan will be followed.

Data Management

The district will work with WNYRIC and NYSED to develop a process that aligns its SIS eSchool Data, TEACH (NYSED Portal), and HR WinCap systems to ensure that NYSED receives timely and accurate teacher and student data, course and student “linkage” data, other data required by the regulations, as well as process for teacher and principal verification of the courses and/or student rosters assigned to them.

The district will work with WNYRIC and NYSED to develop a process that aligns its SIS eSchool Data, TEACH (NYSED Portal), and HR WinCap systems for reporting to NYSED the individual subcomponent scores and the total composite effectiveness score for each applicable educator.

The district will store all Regents exams in the district vault prior to test administration. Regents administration will follow all NYSED protocols for test administration and scoring to ensure assessments are not disseminated to students before the administration date and that teachers or principals do not have a vested interest in the outcome of the assessments they score.

The district will store all 3-8 Assessments in the district vault prior to test administration. All administrations of 3-8 assessments will follow NYSED protocols for test administration and scoring to ensure that neither teachers nor principals have a vested interest in the scoring process.

Review of APPR Plan

The processes and procedures contained in this document may be reviewed annually by the district. Items identified as subject to negotiations will be reviewed and amended as soon as possible upon completion of negotiations. Until such time, the previously Board approved APPR plan will be followed.