The Valley Central School District is committed to supporting the development of effective teachers and administrators. To this end, the District shall provide procedures for the evaluation of all professional staff. District plans for Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) of teachers and Principals shall be developed in accordance with applicable laws, Commissioner’s Regulations, and Rules of the Board of Regents.
The primary purposes of these evaluations are:
- To encourage and promote improved performance;
- To guide professional development efforts; and
- To provide a basis for evaluative judgments by applicable school officials.
APPR Ratings
For those teachers and Principals subject to Education Law 3012-c, the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) will result in a single composite effectiveness score and final quality rating of “highly effective,” “effective,” “developing,” or “ineffective.” The composite score will be determined as follows:
- 20% – student growth on state assessments or other comparable measures of student growth (increases to 25% upon implementation of a value-added growth model);
- 20% – locally selected measures of student growth or achievement that are determined to be rigorous and comparable across classrooms as defined by the Commissioner (decreases to 15% upon implementation of a value-added growth model); and
- 60% – other measures of teacher/Principal effectiveness consistent with standards prescribed by the Commissioner in regulation.
The ratings scale based on composite scores has been established as follows:
- Highly Effective = composite effectiveness score of 91-100
- Effective = composite effectiveness score of 75-90
- Developing = composite effectiveness score of 65-74
- Ineffective = composite effectiveness score of 0-64
If a teacher or Principal is rated “developing” or “ineffective,” the School District will develop and implement a teacher or Principal improvement plan (TIP or PIP).
The School District will ensure that all evaluators are appropriately trained consistent with standards prescribed by the Commissioner and that an appeals procedure is locally developed.
Disclosure of APPR Data
Under Education Law 3012-c, the Commissioner is required to disclose aggregate professional performance review data for teachers and Principals on the New York State Education Department (NYSED) website and in any other manner to make such data widely available to the public. However, the release of such aggregate data may not include personally identifiable information for any teacher or Principal. Such public disclosure of final quality ratings and composite effectiveness scores will be suitable for research, analysis and comparison of APPR data for teachers and Principals across the state.
Upon request, the District will release to parents/legal guardians the final quality ratings and composite effectiveness scores for teachers and Principals to which their student is currently assigned. All requests must be made to the Assistant Superintendent, and the parent/legal guardian shall complete a Score Request Form. The District’s obligation to disclose this information is limited to those teachers and Building Principals subject to Education Law 3012-c. The District will provide conspicuous notice to parents/legal guardians of their right to obtain such information and the methods by which the data can be obtained.
Upon request, parents will receive an oral or written explanation of the composite effectiveness scoring ranges for final quality ratings and be offered the opportunity to understand such scores in the context of teacher evaluation and student performance. When a request for this information is received, reasonable efforts will be made to verify that it is a bona fide request by a parent/legal guardian entitled to review the data.
Annual professional performance reviews of individual teachers and Principals shall not be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL).
The District will not honor requests from parents/legal guardians or students to change the student’s assigned teacher(s) and/or building because of a teacher or administrator’s APPR score.
Ref:
- Education Law Section 3012-c
- Public Officers Law Sections 87 and 89
- 8 NYCRR Sections 30-2 and 100.2(o)
Adoption date: February 10, 2014
Revised: July 6, 2017
Reviewed: November 27, 2017