2400 2400Administration
Evaluation of Administrators and Administration
In order to advance the instructional program of the school District and to improve student achievement, the Superintendent of Schools will establish and will implement an annual evaluation program for all administrators and teachers. The educator evaluation and support plan or revisions to such plan must be approved annually by the State Department of Education prior to District implementation. Such plan shall be the State model, "SEED," or the District's proposed alternative which fulfills the State guidelines. The Board of Education, not later than September 1, 2013, shall adopt and implement a teacher evaluation and support program. Such teacher evaluation and support program shall be developed through mutual agreement with the District's professional development and evaluation committee. If unable to attain mutual agreement, the Board and the professional development and evaluation committee shall consider adopting by mutual agreement the State Board of Education (SBE) adopted model teacher evaluation and support program without any modification. Further, if the Board and the professional development and evaluation committee fail to agree on the SBE model, the Board, will use its statutory authority to adopt and implement a teacher evaluation program of its choice, provided such program is consistent with the SBE adopted guidelines.
Such a program will be aimed at improving administrator/teacher performance and at promoting professional growth within the framework of the goals and objectives of the school district. Such an evaluative process will include a formal procedure for the evaluation of the Superintendent of Schools by the Board of Education.
Evaluations of certified staff below the rank of Superintendent shall be conducted in accordance with the guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education under Connecticut General Statute 10-151b, as amended and the teacher evaluation and support program developed through mutual agreement with the District's professional development and evaluation committee. Further, claims of failure to follow such guidelines shall be subject to the grievance procedure in collective bargaining agreements negotiated subsequent to July 1, 2004.
The Evaluation of the Superintendent
Through the evaluation of the Superintendent, the Board of Education will strive to accomplish the following:
1. Clarification for the Superintendent of his/her role in the school system as understood by the Board of Education.
2. Clarification for all Board of Education members of the role of the Superintendent in light of his/her responsibilities, his/her authority, and his/her organizational expectations.
3. Development of a unity of purpose in order to achieve high priority goals and objectives.
4. Development of an opportunity for goal achievement through regular appraisal and feedback.
5. Enhancement of organizational health resulting from involved, committed, and strengthened individuals.
The Superintendent's annual evaluation and the annual evaluation of District administrators and teachers should be viewed as part of an overall district management plan of establishing goals and objective, appropriate programs, and methods of evaluation. Instructional leadership efforts can only be productive if teaching and learning are emphasized and if objectives, measurement, and feedback are part of that effort. Teachers, administrators, central office personnel, and the Board of Education should be partners in the improvement process, and it is expected that this policy provide direction in achieving that partnership.
The Evaluation of District Administrators
The District's evaluation of administrators below the rank of Superintendent will be accomplished through the adoption and use of the State model, "SEED" (Connecticut's System for Educator Evaluation and Development), or an approved hybrid of SEED, or a District-proposed alternative evaluation and support plan which fulfills the state guidelines.
The evaluation of District administrators shall utilize, as required, a four level metric rating system. The District will provide evaluation-based professional learning to address needs identified through the evaluation process. In addition, individual administrator and remediation plans will be created by the District for those administrators whose performance rating is "Developing" or "Below Standard." Opportunities for career growth and professional development based upon performance ratings shall be provided by the District.
The annual administrative evaluation process will include, but is not limited to, (1) an orientation process; (2) a goal setting conference at the start of the school year; (3) a mid-year review; and (4) an end-of-year summative review, through self-assessment and conference.
(cf. 4115 - Evaluation)
Legal Reference: Connecticut General Statutes
10-151a Access of teacher to supervisory records and reports in personnel file.
10-151b Evaluation by superintendents of certain education personnel. (amended by PA 04-137, An Act Concerning Teachers' Evaluations and P.A. 12-116 An Act Concerning Educational Reform).
10-151c Records of teacher performance and evaluation not public records.
10-220a(b) Inservice training. Professional development. Institutes for educators. Cooperating and beginning teacher programs, regulations.
Connecticut Guidelines for Educator Evaluation, adopted by the State Board of Education, June 27, 2012.
Connecticut's System for Educator Evaluation and Development (SEED) State Model Evaluation System.
Policy adopted:
2400
Administration
Evaluation of the Superintendent
Preface
The Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) and the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) recognize the critical importance of a strong partnership between every Board of Education and its Superintendent of Schools. This recommended evaluation process collaboratively developed by CABE and CAPSS is an attempt to properly communicate our strong belief that the Board of Education and Superintendent must view themselves and function as the school district's Leadership Team. To that end, we strongly believe that the Leadership Team must share and enthusiastically advocate the same goals and a vision of learning that sets high performance expectations for the entire school community.
It is important to note that the foundational components of the recommended evaluation process are the CABE/CAPSS School Governance Position Statement, adopted March 2004 and revised in 2014, and the CABE Superintendent evaluation instrument and the Board self-assessment. The Board of Education Chairperson, working with the Superintendent and the rest of the Board of Education, is responsible for carrying out the evaluation of the Leadership Team.
While the Board of Education and Superintendent have different roles and responsibilities, their work must complement each other. Ultimately, all serve to advance the goals and objectives of their community for public education and, most importantly, student learning. As the Board of Education's Chief Executive Officer, Connecticut Education Law (C.G.S. 10-157(a)) requires the Superintendent of Schools' job performance be evaluated annually. Whether written or oral, the annual evaluation of the school district's Chief Executive Officer is one of the most important responsibilities of every Board of Education.
CABE and CAPSS have recommended an evaluation process for the Superintendent of Schools that is collaborative, goal oriented and offers numerous opportunities for focused and targeted feedback from the Board of Education to the Superintendent of Schools regarding his/her job performance. We firmly believe that this collaborative and candid approach to evaluation will improve Board of Education and Superintendent communications and relationships, minimize evaluation surprises and most importantly, enhance the overall success of the school district.
Student achievement across all areas is important and must be assessed in multiple ways. Therefore, growth in student achievement has to be a factor in the assessment of the Superintendent's evaluations. All of the leadership performance areas and specific areas of responsibility outlined in this document should be considered. Indicators related to student academic achievement are necessary, but not sufficient to make final determinations about the Superintendent's job performance.
To increase the effectiveness of the school district's Leadership Team and the overall performance of the Board of Education and its individual members, CABE and CAPSS believe that it is vitally important that every Board of Education conducts a self-assessment each school year.
An annual self-assessment enables the Board of Education to thoughtfully and constructively evaluate its performance as the community's legislative body that develops, evaluates and oversees education policy. CABE and CAPSS strongly recommend Board of Education self-assessment as a necessary and worthwhile activity toward advancing the vision and goals of the school district. It is important that the Board factor the Superintendent's perspective into its self-assessment.
The following is a recommended process and timeline for the annual evaluation of the Superintendent of Schools and the Board of Education self-assessment. It is important to note that the recommended timeline is based upon a traditional evaluation year model (July-June) and can be easily as necessary. The recommended Leadership Team meetings can and should be conducted in Executive Session because they pertain to Board of Education Self-Evaluation and Personnel.
Legal Considerations: Executive Session and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
The Connecticut Freedom of Information law allows for the discussion in executive session of "personnel matters," which includes "the appointment, employment, performance, evaluation, health or dismissal of a public official or employee, provided that such individual may require that discussion be held at an open meeting" (Connecticut General Statute Section 1-200(6)). Under this provision the superintendent's evaluation, as well as the performance of one or more Board of Education members, are appropriate topics for executive session. District goals, procedures, policies and data are NOT appropriate subjects for executive session under the FOI law. All votes must be taken in public - only discussion can occur in executive session.
Note: Based on court decisions in Connecticut, written evaluation documents are likely to be deemed public records subject to disclosure. Such written evaluation documents subject to public disclosure would include any draft evaluation that is circulated among Board of Education members.
Recommended Evaluation Process
The formal evaluation should in no way preclude informal discussions between the Superintendent and Board of Education as needed.
Beginning of New Evaluation Year Meeting - July/September
Step 1: The Board conducts its self-evaluation and goal-setting.
Step 2: The district Leadership Team (Board of Education and Superintendent) meets to discuss goals and objectives. Any discussion of district goals must be held in public. This structured conversation is intended to serve as a goal/priority setting session for the district's Leadership Team for the upcoming school year.
Step 3: In Executive Session the Board of Education has an opportunity to candidly discuss with the Superintendent their performance goals for the year. Some of these will have been reflected in the most recent evaluation of the Superintendent's performance. This discussion should also include the process and format by which the Superintendent's performance will be evaluated.
Mid Year Evaluation Meeting - December / January
Step 1: The Board reviews its performance in light of previously established goals.
Step 2: It is recommended that the Leadership Team meets again in Executive Session to informally discuss their progress on goals and objectives established in July/August. This session also provides the Leadership Team with an opportunity to identify and strategize about new and/or unexpected challenges. This level of team collaboration allows all parties to be contributing members of a fluid, responsive and strategic team.
Step 3: During this same discussion, it is recommended that the Board of Education provide targeted informal feedback to the Superintendent about his/her effectiveness vis-à-vis the previously established goals and objectives. The purpose of this informal feedback session is to assess the Superintendent's midyear performance and provide him/her with an opportunity to properly respond to any Board of Education concerns and avoid unnecessary performance evaluation "surprises" at year's end.
End of the Year Evaluation of the Superintendent - May / June
Step 1: The Superintendent shares a verbal "Year in Review" self-assessment with the Board of Education in Executive Session. This self-assessment may be supplemented by submitting documentation as a formal narrative, portfolio or some other mutually agreed upon format that was established during the Beginning of the Year Meeting, with the understanding that any such written documentation would not be confidential. This document serves as evidentiary documentation regarding the Superintendent's job performance and should aid the Board of Education in completing a comprehensive and fair evaluation of the Superintendent.
Step 2: The Board of Education conducts the evaluation of the Superintendent of Schools according to Board of Education Policy in Executive Session unless the Superintendent exercises his/her statutory right to require that such discussion be held in open session. It is recommended that there be no prior sharing of written performance evaluation commentary (hard copy or electronic) among Board of Education members prior to the Executive Session. The result of the Board of Education's Executive Session discussion regarding the Superintendent's performance should be either a written or verbal draft performance evaluation of the Superintendent of Schools.
Step 3: A meeting in Executive Session should be scheduled by the Board of Education between the Superintendent and the Board of Education, according to Board of Education Policy and Superintendent's contract. The purpose of this follow-up meeting is to share and discuss the Board of Education's draft evaluation with the Superintendent. This session serves as a final opportunity for candid discussion between the Board of Education and the Superintendent prior to the completion of the formal performance evaluation. The Connecticut Superintendent Leadership Competency Framework, developed by LEAD Connecticut, also should be examined as it is intended to focus specifically on effective superintendent leadership. It is included at the end of this document.
Step 4: The formal performance evaluation is completed and presented either verbally or in writing to the Superintendent of Schools by a representative(s) of the Board of Education according to Board of Education Policy and Superintendent's contract. It is important to note that if the Board of Education's performance evaluation of the Superintendent of Schools is in writing, it is a public document and subject to FOIA. Any written copy of the Superintendent's performance evaluation must also be placed in the Superintendent's official personnel file.
Regulation approved: