Morris School District
MORRIS SCHOOL DISTRICT
Morristown, New Jersey 07960

Policy
File Code: 4116
Monitored: X
Mandated: X
Other Reasons X
EVALUATION

The Board of Education believes that the effective evaluation of teaching staff is essential to the achievement of the educational goals of this district, including student achievement of the Core Curriculum Content Standards. The purpose of this evaluation shall be to promote professional excellence and improve the skills of teaching staff members; improve pupil learning and growth; and provide a basis for the review of staff performance.

The Board of Education encourages a positive working environment in which the professional growth that results from staff participation in the evaluation process is considered of major importance. Therefore, the administration shall develop evaluation instruments flexible enough to identify the needs, strengths, and improvement objectives of each staff member.

All teaching staff members shall be evaluated against criteria that evolve logically from the instructional priorities and program objectives of each staff member as specified in the job description for his/her position. The Superintendent shall develop, in consultation with teaching staff members, job descriptions for each teaching staff member position and evaluation criteria for said positions based directly upon the job description. The job description shall be concise, stating major responsibilities as briefly as possible. All job descriptions shall be presented to the Board for approval.

Criteria must include but need not be limited to consideration of pupil progress; instructional skills; subject knowledge; professional conduct and growth; human relations skills; classroom management skills and attendance. These criteria shall also apply to requirements for continuing education and shall be incorporated into each teacher ' s professional improvement plan (PIP).

The evaluation procedures shall provide continuous, constructive, cooperative interaction and communication between the teaching staff member and his/her supervisor/evaluator, thus ensuring a valid basis for performance review. All procedures for the evaluation of teaching staff members shall be in compliance with law and regulation.

Tenured teaching staff members shall be observed and evaluated at least once each year by properly certified persons. Nontenured teaching staff members shall be observed and evaluated at least three times each year by properly certified district staff.

Procedures for observation and evaluations of provisional teachers shall follow applicable state regulations.

The Superintendent shall provide each teaching staff member with a copy of this policy statement, his/her job description, and his/her evaluation criteria annually by October 1, and shall distribute any amendments to those documents within 10 working days of their becoming effective.

The Superintendent shall report at least annually on the effectiveness of the evaluation system and shall recommend means to improve it whenever desirable.

The Superintendent shall, in the implementation of this policy, develop procedures in consultation with teaching staff members for:
  1. The collection and reporting of data which are appropriate to the job description and minimally include the observation of classroom instruction;

  2. Observation conferences between the teaching staff member and the supervisor; the preparation of a written evaluation for each of the three observations of nontenured staff members; and an evaluation for each observation of a tenured staff member;

  3. The preparation of individual professional improvement plans that include specific guidance to the teacher on activities that would contribute to his/her obtaining and maintaining the knowledge and skills essential to student achievement of the state's core curriculum standards;

  4. The preparation by the supervisor of an annual written performance report which shall include the annual evaluation of the teacher, an individual professional improvement plan developed by the staff member and the supervisor, and a summary of the results of the formal and informal assessment of his/her pupils along with a statement of how these indicators relate to the effectiveness of the overall program and the performance of the staff member; it shall also include a record of attendance (days present, personal days, sick days and number of days used for professional development-outside the Morris School District).

  5. The conduct of the annual summary conference;

  6. The signing of the annual written performance report by the properly certified supervisor/ evaluator and the staff member.
All such procedures shall conform to law.

This policy and related procedures shall be reviewed at least yearly, and any necessary revisions made before readoption by the Board.

Date: April 14, 1986
March 9, 1998 Revised
June 10, 2002, First Reading
July 29, 2002, Approved

Legal References:
N.J.S.A. 18A:4-15 General rule-making power
N.J.S.A. 18A:4-16 Incidental powers conferred
N.J.S.A. 18A:6-10 through -17 Dismissal and reduction in compensation of persons under tenure in public school system
N.J.S.A. 18A:27-3.1 through -3.3 Non-tenured teaching staff; observation and evaluation; conference; purpose ...
N.J.S.A. 18A:28-5 Tenure of teaching staff members
N.J.S.A. 18A:29-14 Withholding increments; causes; notice of appeals
N.J.A.C. 6:3-1.6 Reporting and staffing of school districts
N.J.A.C. 6:3-4.1 Supervision of instruction: observation and evaluation of nontenured teaching staff members
N.J.A.C. 6:3-4.3 Evaluation of tenured teaching staff members
N.J.A.C. 6:11-13.1 et seq. Required Professional Development for Teachers
N.J.A.C. 6:30-2.1(a)8 Purpose and program descriptions
Manual for the Evaluation of Local School Districts (August 2000)
Lacey Township Bd. of Ed. v. Lacey Township Education Association, 130 N.J. 312 (1992), aff'g 259 N.J. Super. 397 (App. Div. 1991)

Cross References:
2130 Administrative staff
2131 Chief school administrator
4000 Concepts and roles in personnel
4010 Goals and objectives
4112.6 Personnel records
4115 Supervision
4117.41 Nonrenewal
4131/4131.1 Staff development; inservice education/visitations/conferences
4215 Supervision
4216 Evaluation
6143.1 Lesson plans
6200 Adult/community education

Key Words
Evaluation, Teacher Evaluation, Personnel Evaluation
 

Morris School District | 31 Hazel Street | Morristown, New Jersey | Phone: 973-292-2300
Designed and developed by Interactive Media Associates