Texas Teacher Law

Preparing for Your Teacher Appraisal

Teacher appraisal season is in full swing. and if the thought of someone watching your every move while you try your best to keep a roomful of students under control and learning causes you to get the shakes and sit up nights worrying, just know that you are not alone.   Here are some tips on how you can regain some control over the process. 

1. Be sure you understand how appraisals are done at your school.  While most aspects of the process are mandated by the state and are the same in every school, some things are not.  Find out who will do your observation, if you will get advance notice, and if you can refuse certain times. 

2. Ask for a pre-conference with your assigned evaluator.  This gives you a chance to prepare the evaluator for what he/she will see. Talk about your teaching style and any peculiarities of your classes. 

3. Immediately after your observation, write up notes on how you think it went, noting anything unusual that happened or anything you think the evaluator may not have fully understood. 

4. Write a follow-up note to the evaluator summarizing the class and adding any information you think might be helpful (such as that the student who didn't answer you and you didn't correct wears a hearing aid that doesn't always work).

5. If you're happy with the appraisal report, celebrate with a piece of chocolate or a bouquet of flowers for yourself. 

6. If you're not happy with the appraisal report, ask for a conference and outline your concerns.  If you are still not happy after the conference, write a response for the file and consider whether you should file an appeal.  

You can get help from your teacher association, or me!

Teacher Appraisals

Word on the street is that the exit level TAKS may be abolished this legislative session. If only the teachers' own equivalent of the TAKS, the annual appraisal, could be abolished as well. But no such luck, so get prepared for observations in the next two months. With spring break coming up in a few weeks, teachers should be aware that appraisal observations cannot be scheduled on the day before a school holiday. Nor can they be scheduled closer than 15 working days prior to the last day of instruction. That puts the last possible day for an observation at the end of April or the very beginning of May.

Respond to poor appraisals immediately

Teachers have a right to request a meeting with their appraiser, to submit a written response to an appraisal for inclusion with the file, or to request a second appraisal by a different appraiser. Diong any or all of these things can result in favorable changes to your appraisal, but even if they don't, it's important to take these steps if you don't believe the appraisal accurately reflects your abilities.

Formally objecting to the appraisal can help you with future supervisors, or can form the basis for a successful appeal of a proposed contract non-renewal.

However, you must act quickly. In most cases, you have only ten working days to request a conference, a second appraisal, submit a written response or file a grievance. So lick your wounds quickly if you get a poor appraisal, and then go get 'em!

Teacher Appraisals

I wrote this article a while ago, and it's been published elsewhere, but I figured the info is always relevant, so here you go . . .

Texas public school teachers are appraised yearly. Here’s a quick review of what to expect and what you can do if there are problems. All classroom teachers must be appraised on the basis of classroom teaching performance, in an area for which they hold certification if at all possible.

Teachers should be appraised every year, unless the teacher has been appraised as proficient or better in every category on the most recent appraisal. If so, the teacher and district may agree to do an appraisal less often, but at least every five years.

The teacher appraisal cannot include evaluation of extracurricular duties, although there may be a separate appraisal document covering those duties. The appraisal may be based on classroom observation, periodic walk-throughs, and written documentation. The documentation may be gathered from any source, as long as the teacher is informed it may be used on the appraisal. Either the teacher or the appraiser may request a pre- or post-observation conference. If you have unusual circumstances in your classroom, you should always request a pre-observation conference so that you can prepare the appraiser for what will be happening in your class.

Material for the appraisal may be gathered during the entire school year, but formal observations may not be held during: 1. the first two weeks of instruction; 2. the last day of instruction before a school holiday; and 3. any other day deemed inappropriate by the local school board.

If you have concerns about any observation, written documentation or appraisal report, you must deal with those concerns right away. There are slight differences in your options depending on whether your district uses the state developed PDAS instrument or a locally developed instrument, but the bottom line, always, is don’t wait more than a few days to respond. If your district uses the PDAS, submit a written response after receiving: a written observation summary; a written summative annual appraisal report; and/or any other written appraisal document. The response or must be submitted within 10 working days of receiving a written appraisal document, or, at the discretion of the appraiser, within 15 working days.

A teacher may request a second appraisal by a different appraiser after receiving: a written observation summary with which the teacher disagrees; and/or a written summative annual appraisal report with which the teacher disagrees. The second appraisal must be requested within 10 working days of receiving a written observation summary or a written summative annual appraisal report, or at the discretion of the appraiser, within 15 working days. The second appraisal may replace the first, or the two scores may be averaged, or the second appraisal may simply be added to the teacher’s appraisal file as an additional document. These are locally determined matters.

If your district uses a locally developed appraisal processes, after receiving a written copy of the evaluation, a teacher is entitled to: a second appraisal by a different appraiser; and submit a written rebuttal for attachment to the evaluation.

A teacher may file a grievance regarding an unsatisfactory appraisal result under the local grievance policy. Specific rules, timelines and procedures will be found in the local district policy. A grievance should be considered if any of the following have occurred: the appraisal result is very poor; irrelevant information or bias results in a negative appraisal; or written rules or procedures have not been followed.