Pascack Valley Regional High School District: Teacher Evaluation System

As part of the federal requirements for states receiving funding under Phase 2 of the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds Program during the 2009-10 school year, 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 the Pascack Valley Regional High School District’s policies and procedures for evaluating teachers and educational specialists such as librarians and counselors.

Confidentiality concerns: To protect the confidentiality of individual evaluations, districts are not required to provide a district-level statistical summary of teacher evaluation outcomes in those cases where there are fewer than 10 teachers in an entire district. Similarly, districts are not required to provide a school-level statistical summary of teacher evaluation outcomes if there are fewer than 10 teachers in a school.

Description of Teacher Evaluation System

The Pascack Valley Regional High School district utilizes an instructional model that is based primarily and the work of Charlotte Danielson’s Teacher Evaluation Framework. The instructional model identifies three primary domains: Planning and Preparation, Classroom Environment, and Instructional Practice. In addition, as a result of the district’s intense focus on technology integration, there is an element that focuses on a teacher’s integration of technology in her instructional practice.

The Pascack Valley Regional High School District uses a variety of mechanisms for evaluating the faculty. The primary method of evaluating teachers is through formal, full-period classroom observations that are conducted by a certificated supervisor and/or administrator.

Tenured teachers are observed at least once by their primary supervisor and once by a building administrator. In addition, supervisors and building administrators are expected to conduct informal classroom visitations throughout the school year. Pre and post conferences are conducted where teachers and the observers have an opportunity to plan and share strengths and weaknesses and monitor progress towards a teacher’s professional growth plan (PGP).

Non-tenured teachers are exposed to a more intensive observation and evaluation process. First-year district employees are formally observed five times while second and third year non-tenured teachers are observed a minimum of three times. Finally, all non-tenured teachers must develop and submit a reflective portfolio that focuses on improvement in one of the domains as outlined in the instructional model.

The Pascack Valley Regional High School District is a high achieving school district where students typically perform well on standardized tests. As a result, we have focused our evaluation system on a teacher’s ability to master the domains of our instructional model as opposed to focusing on test scores. Certainly, if the district began to notice a drop in student achievement, then the district would establish new instructional goals to address such changes in student achievement.

Pascack Valley Regional High School District: Principal Evaluation System

SY 2009-2010

As part of the federal requirements 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 Pascack Valley Regional High School District’s policies and procedures for evaluating principals and assistant principals.

Confidentiality concerns: To protect the confidentiality of individual evaluations, districts are not required to provide a district-level statistical summary of principal evaluation outcomes in those cases where there are fewer than 10 principals in a district.

Description of Principal Evaluation System

The Pascack Valley Regional High School District’s certified principals are evaluated in accordance to the New Jersey State laws and regulations. Principal evaluations are conducted by the superintendent of schools and are linked to the New Jersey Professional Standards for School Leaders. In addition, principal evaluations focus on a principal’s professional growth plan and her performance toward satisfying annual specific school and district goals. Finally, progress is evaluated in the following areas: community relations, budgeting, staff scheduling and utilization, staff development, staff evaluations, program development, plant operation, and problem solving techniques.

Evaluations are narrative and include opportunities for conferencing and written feedback from the principal. The narrative includes an opportunity to comment on performance objectives, progress towards school and program activities, and general administrative functioning. All principals are formally evaluated twice a year, while non-tenured principals are evaluated three times per year.

The Pascack Valley Regional High School District is committed to continually improving our two high schools. Criteria such as standardized test scores, discipline records, and graduation rates may be addressed in the evaluation. However, school climate, district goals, school climate, staff morale, and attention to specific student issues are equally important in the evaluation process.

The Pascack Valley Regional High School District is a high achieving school district where students typically perform well on standardized tests. As a result, we have focused our evaluation system on a teacher’s ability to master the domains of our instructional model as opposed to focusing on test scores. Certainly, if the district began to notice a drop in student achievement, then the district would establish new instructional goals to address such changes in student achievement. In addition, the citizens of Hillsdale, Montvale, Woodcliff Lake and River Vale should be assured that the Pascack Valley Regional High School District continually seeks methods that will improve our schools and the individual academic achievement of all our students.

Pascack Valley Regional High School District: Principal Evaluation Results - SY 2009-2010

As our district has fewer then 10 principals, the district is not required to provide a summary of principal evaluations.