§ 18A-2-12 — Performance evaluations of school personnel; professional personnel evaluation process; restrictions on requirements on lesson plans and record keeping by classroom teachers

(a) The state board shall adopt a written system for the evaluation of the employment performance of personnel, which system shall be applied uniformly by county boards in the evaluation of the employment performance of personnel employed by the board.

(b) The system adopted by the state board for evaluating the employment performance of professional personnel shall be in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(c) For purposes of this section, “professional personnel”, “professional”, or “professionals”, means professional personnel and other professional employees, as defined in §18A-1-1 of this code but does not include classroom teachers, principals, and assistant principals subject to the evaluation processes established pursuant to §18A-3C-2 of this code.

(d) The performance evaluation system shall contain, but not be limited to, the following information:

(1) The professional personnel positions to be evaluated;

(2) The frequency and duration of the evaluations, which shall be of such frequency and duration as to insure the collection of a sufficient amount of data from which reliable conclusions and findings may be drawn, but at least annually;

(3) The evaluation shall serve the following purposes:

(A) Serve as a basis for the improvement of the performance of the personnel in their assigned duties;

(B) Provide an indicator of satisfactory performance for individual professionals;

(C) Serve as documentation for a dismissal on the grounds of unsatisfactory performance; and

(D) Serve as a basis for programs to increase the professional growth and development of professional personnel;

(4) The standards for satisfactory performance for professional personnel and the criteria to be used to determine whether the performance of each professional meets those standards and other criteria for evaluation for each professional position evaluated. Professional personnel, as appropriate, shall demonstrate competency in the knowledge and implementation of the technology standards adopted by the state board. If a professional fails to demonstrate competency in the knowledge and implementation of these standards, he or she will be subject to an improvement plan to correct the deficiencies; and

(5) Provisions for a written improvement plan, which shall be specific as to what improvements, if any, are needed in the performance of the professional and shall clearly set forth recommendations for improvements, including recommendations for additional education and training during the professional’s recertification or license renewal process.

(e) A professional whose performance is considered to be unsatisfactory shall be given notice of deficiencies. A remediation plan to correct deficiencies shall be developed by the employing county board and the professional. The professional shall be given a reasonable period of time for remediation of the deficiencies and shall receive a statement of the resources and assistance available for the purposes of correcting the deficiencies.

(f) No person may evaluate professional personnel for the purposes of this section or professional educator for the purposes of §18A-3C-2 of this code unless the person has an administrative certificate issued by the state superintendent and has successfully completed education and training in evaluation skills approved by the state board, which will enable the person to make fair, professional, and credible evaluations of the personnel whom the person is responsible for evaluating.

(g) Any professional whose performance evaluation includes a written improvement plan shall be given an opportunity to improve his or her performance through the implementation of the plan. If the next performance evaluation shows that the professional is now performing satisfactorily, no further action may be taken concerning the original performance evaluation. If the evaluation shows that the professional is still not performing satisfactorily, the evaluator either shall make additional recommendations for improvement or may recommend the dismissal of the professional in accordance with the provisions of §18A-2-8 of this code.

(h) This subsection applies to all classroom teachers irrespective of the process under which they are evaluated.

(1) Lesson plans are intended to serve as a daily guide for teachers and substitutes for the orderly presentation of the curriculum. Lesson plans may not be used as a substitute for observations by an administrator in the performance evaluation process. A classroom teacher, as defined in §18A-1-1 of this code, may not be required to post his or her lesson plans on the Internet or otherwise make them available to students and parents or to include in his or her lesson plans any of the following:

(A) Teach and reteach strategies;

(B) Write to learn activities;

(C) Cultural diversity;

(D) Color coding; or

(E) Any other similar items which are not required to serve as a guide to the teacher or substitute for daily instruction;

(2) The Legislature finds that classroom teachers must be free of unnecessary paperwork so that they can focus their time on instruction. Therefore, classroom teachers may not be required to keep records or logs of routine contacts with parents or guardians;

(3) Nothing in this subsection may be construed to prohibit classroom teachers from voluntarily posting material on the Internet; and

(4) Nothing in §18A-3C-1 et seq. of this code may be construed to negate the provisions of this subsection.

Legislative History

2018 Reg. Sess., HB4006; 2017 Reg. Sess., HB2524; 2014 Reg. Sess., HB4228; 2012 Reg. Sess., HB4236; 2011 Reg. Sess., HB2757; 2011 Reg. Sess., SB1002; 2011 Reg. Sess., SB2008; 2006 Reg. Sess., HB4406; 2006 Reg. Sess., HB308; 2004 Reg. Sess., HB4001; 2002 Reg. Sess., HB4319; 2001 Reg. Sess., HB2954; 2001 Reg. Sess., SB1