Procedure 1.2.5 TEACHER PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

1.0 New teachers shall participate in the New Teacher Induction Program and their performance shall be appraised in accordance with the procedures described in the Manual.

 

2.0 Qualified teachers or unqualified teachers on a Letter of Permission who are new to the Board with teaching experience from a publicly funded school board in Ontario must have at least one appraisal completed in the first year of employment with the Board. Their five-year cycle for evaluation will begin after the completion of the first appraisal.

 

3.0 Teachers continuously employed by the Board shall be placed on a five-year cycle for evaluation and their performance shall be appraised in accordance with the procedures described in the Manual.

 

4.0 Requirements of this policy are not intended to interfere with the Principal’s discretionary right to conduct additional appraisals as long as there is consistency with the requirements of the Education Act and its associated regulations, guidelines, rules and policies.

 

5.0 For a teacher seconded to the Board, the teacher’s scheduled evaluation year remains the same.

 

6.0 The following will not be counted in the five-year cycle for evaluation:

 

7.0 The Principal or Vice-Principal shall conduct teacher performance appraisals. Where a Principal is unable to do so, a Supervisory Officer may conduct the teacher performance appraisal.

 

8.0 Where a Principal determines that a teacher appraisal will be more appropriately handled by another Principal, upon consultation with the teacher and the Supervisory Officer, the teacher appraisal or part of it may be carried out by another Principal.

 

9.0 Where a teacher is assigned to more than one school, the school in which the teacher spends the most classroom time will be the school in which the teacher’s performance appraisal is conducted. If there is no differentiation in assignment, the appraisal will occur in the school designated as their home school in Payroll.

 

10.0 A listing of those eligible for performance appraisals shall be provided to Principals at the beginning of the school year.

 

11.0 Principals are accountable to their Regional Supervisory Officer for adherence to this policy.

 

12.0 A teacher who is teaching a minimum of half a school year shall be subject to the full requirements of this policy and timelines will be adjusted accordingly.

 

13.0 Every experienced teacher, who is no longer considered a new teacher, must submit an Annual Learning Plan (ALP) to the Principal of the school (see Appendix H of the Manual). This plan will contain the teacher’s professional growth objectives, a proposed action plan and timelines for achieving those objectives. A meeting to review the ALP must take place if requested by either the teacher or the Principal, otherwise a meeting is not required in a non-evaluation year.  If the year is scheduled as an evaluation year, the ALP will form part of the performance appraisal process. Teachers are encouraged to include parent and student input in the development, review and update of the ALP to better inform their professional learning and teaching practice.

 

14.0 Summative reports and a copy of the current Annual Learning Plan from the evaluation process will be filed with the appropriate Supervisory Officer by the last working day in May. These will be kept on file at the Board Office for 6 years from the date of the report.

 

15.0 The Principal shall encourage teachers to maintain records of their Appraisals and Annual Learning Plans as part of their personal portfolio of professional learning.

 

16.0 Where an appraisal is unsatisfactory, the Principal shall inform the appropriate Supervisory Officer and the Superintendent of Human Resources and provide all required documentation, prior to meeting with the teacher.

 

17.0 Where a teacher is on review status, a joint recommendation for immediate termination of the teacher’s employment with the Board may be made by the Principal, the Supervisory Officer and the Superintendent of Human Resources if it is determined that the delay necessitated by conducting a third performance appraisal is not in the best interest of students.

 

18.0 While the Board is in the process of considering the termination of a teacher’s employment as a result of poor performance, the teacher will be suspended with pay or reassigned until the final decision is made.

 

19.0 Should a teacher’s employment with the Board be terminated due to unsatisfactory performance, or should a teacher resign while on review status, the Director of Education or designate shall communicate with the Ontario College of Teachers as required.

 

20.0 The Board will work with the teacher unions to deal with any differences that may arise between the Board and its teachers with respect to the implementation of the performance appraisal system.

 

21.0 The Board will exercise its responsibilities regarding the exchange of performance appraisal documentation with other Boards for prospective and past employees as required.