The PAR Panel, a governing panel of six teachers and six principals, will review the documentation and the progress of under-performing and new teachers to recommend appropriate personnel actions to the superintendent. The new Teacher Evaluation System has established six standards for excellence in teaching that are based on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The formal evaluation of teachers consists of a global assessment of the teacher's work. To assist evaluators and teachers establish a dialogue about the quality of work, each standard has criteria and illustrative examples that describe ways that the standard can be met. The specific examples need not exist in every case, but teachers and evaluators must support their claims that each performance standard is met using detailed descriptors of the work like the ones in the examples.
Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
Teachers are responsible for establishing and managing student learning in a positive learning environment. Teachers continually assess student progress, analyze the results, and adapt instruction to improve student achievement. Teachers are committed to continuous improvement and professional development. Teachers exhibit a high degree of professionalism. Direct observation of the teacher's work, reviews of the teacher's planning and self assessment, reviews of the teacher's long term professional growth plans and efforts, and a review of student achievement data are all utilized in the formal performance evaluation of each teacher.