SADDLE RIVER SCHOOL DISTRICT TEACHER and PRINCIPAL EVALUATION SYSTEM    

SY 2009-10

INTRODUCTION

As part of the federal requirement for states receiving funding under Phase 2 of the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds Program, all school districts in New Jersey are providing information to the public on the procedures they use to evaluate teachers and principals.  The information presented below will help you understand Saddle River’s policies and procedures for evaluating teachers and educational specialists such as librarians and counselors.

DESCRIPTION OF TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEM

Presently the Saddle River Public School uses a variety of evidence to evaluate certificated staff including: formal classroom observation, walk through observations, pre and/or post observation conferences, teacher work samples such as plan books and lesson plans and the teachers Professional Development Plan.  Currently teacher performance is not based upon student performance,  however student performance  is used in developing professional development training initiatives for certificated staff.  During the 2010-11 school year the administration in conjunction with the districts Instructional Council will develop a rating instrument that will address the role of standardized test data as it relates to annual staff evaluations.

The formal observation system is based on New Jersey's Professional Standards for Teachers conceptual framework.  Non-tenured teachers have a minimum of three formal observations each school year while tenured staff  have a minimum of one formal observation. 

Results of the annual teacher evaluation system are used to plan professional development opportunities  as well as to form the basis for individual Professional Improvement Plans.  Tenure decisions are based on the results of annual evaluations.   The teacher's annual summative evaluation consists of a written narrative rather than a single overall rating scale (e.g. outstanding, satisfactory, unsatisfactory).

 SADDLE RIVER SCHOOL DISTRICT: TEACHER EVALUATION RESULTS

SY 2009-2010

PRINCIPAL EVALUATION

As part of the federal requirement for states receiving funding under Phase 2 of the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds Program, all school districts in New Jersey are providing information to the public on the procedures they use to evaluate principals.  The information presented below will help you understand Saddle River's policies and procedures for evaluating the principal.  Note: To protect the confidentiality of individual evaluations, districts are not required to provide a district level statistical summary when there are less than 10 principals in the district.  Currently the Saddle River School District has only one administrator who serves in the dual capacity of  principal and superintendent of schools.  

DESCRIPTION OF PRINCIPAL EVALUATION SYSTEM

The following Board of Education policy is useful in understanding the evaluation process used to evaluate the superintendent/principal.

The board of education, in compliance with state law, will evaluate the chief school administrator at least annually.  The New Jersey School Boards Association's training program on evaluation of superintendents shall assist the Board in this task. The purpose of the evaluation shall be:

A.    To promote professional excellence and improve the skills of the chief school administrator;

B.     To improve the quality of the education received by the pupils served by the public schools of the district;

C.     To provide a basis for the review of the job performance of the chief school administrator.

The role and responsibility of the board in this evaluation shall be:

A.  To review, revise and adopt procedures suggested by the chief school administrator for implementation of this policy;

B.  To determine whether the services of a qualified consultant will contribute substantially to the evaluation process, and to engage such a consultant if the board deems it desirable;

C.  To adopt an individual plan for professional growth and development of the chief school administrator based in part upon any needs identified in the evaluation.  This plan shall reflect contributions by both the board and the chief school administrator.  The duration of the plan will be three to five years, depending on the chief school administrator’s contract with the school district;

D.  To hold an annual summary conference between a majority of the full membership of the board and the chief school administrator.  This conference shall include a review of the chief school administrator's performance in terms of his/her job description;

E.   To adopt, by April 30, subsequent to the annual summary conference, an annual written performance report, approved by a majority of the full membership of the board.  This report shall include:

      1.   Performance areas of strength;

      2.   Performance areas needing improvement based upon the job description and evaluation criteria set forth below;

      3.   Recommendations for professional growth and development;

      4.   A summary of available indicators of pupil progress and growth and a statement of how these available indicators relate to the effectiveness of the overall program and the performance of the chief school administrator;

      5.   Provision for performance data which have not been included in the report prepared by the board of education to be entered into the record by the chief school administrator within 10 working days after the completion of the report.

The role and responsibility of the chief school administrator shall be to provide information and propose procedures for:

A.  Development of a job description and evaluation criteria, based upon the district's local goals, program objectives, policies, instructional priorities, state goals, statutory requirements, and the functions, duties and responsibilities of the chief school administrator.  The evaluation criteria shall include but not be limited to available indicators of pupil progress;

      B.  Specification of methods of data collection and reporting appropriate to the job description;

C.  Design of evaluation instruments suited to reviewing the chief school administrator's performance based upon the job description;

D.  Establishing an evaluation calendar to include a date for the annual conference and including appropriate information to allow proper consideration of all the items to be included in the subsequent written performance report;

E.   After the board's adoption of the annual written performance report, to provide all other appropriate information relative to evaluation of his/her performance not contained in the report.

      F.   Preparation and review of the Professional Growth Plan for the administrator’s professional development.

The policy shall be delivered to the chief school administrator upon adoption.  Amendments to the policy shall be distributed within 10 working days after adoption.

Evaluation Outcomes

  Note: To protect the confidentiality of individual evaluations, districts are not required to provide a district level statistical summary when there are less than 10 principals in the district.  Currently the Saddle River School District has only one administrator who serves in the dual capacity of  principal and superintendent of schools.