My colleagues,
This May 15, as has happened over the past few years, evaluations came due, and in the past 48 hours I've heard of many cases in many buildings where evaluations were simply not done according to the contract. I encourage all members to look at their evaluation and ask themselves these questions:
- Was I observed ten times? If you were observed less than that, the evaluation process was not followed correctly.
- Was each piece of evidence used only once in my year-end evaluation? If the same piece of evidence, opinion, observation, etc., was applied to different indicators, the evaluation process was not followed correctly.
- Was hearsay used? What a child, colleague, or parent reported to an evaluator is not admissible for evidence. If such rumor or innuendo is used, the evaluation process was not followed correctly.
- Was the rubric the only piece used? Evaluators cannot invent criteria for evaluation beyond the rubrics that are available. If they did, the evaluation process was not followed correctly.
- Was my overall rating impacted by whether I followed my goals? We are educators, not goal-setters. Our expertise is in educating children, not guessing what a fair benchmark would be before we even receive our schedules. Relying on goals to make an overall decision means your evaluator did not follow the process correctly.
- Did I receive feedback on my observations? If observations did not result in feedback, the whole intent to use this as a coaching tool is lacking. If your evaluator did not complete that vital step, the evaluation process was not followed correctly.
If you answered yes to any of these questions, please contact me at
This is a complex system, and mistakes will be made -- but getting this system right is critical. An educator's career should not be threatened by another's error. If you have any questions whether the evaluation system was used correctly, contact a WEA officer, or contact me directly. This is too important to let mistakes slide.
