Teacher Evaluation System - Polk County School District

As an element in Polk County’s continuous professional improvement process for teachers, teachers
and administrators create an on‐going professional dialogue through the use of common language,
feedback loops, pre/post observation conferences, and data chats designed to create a differentiated
professional growth plan; individualized for each teacher and focused on the improvement of student
learning experiences and student engagement practices. Throughout the school year, Polk County’s
teachers are provided specific and relevant feedback from administration focused on a teacher’s
TARGET (IPDP) plan goals with the objective of improving professional practices. Working
collaboratively, the teacher and administrator develop an evaluation component to determine the
degree to which the teacher’s TARGET (IPDP) goals were achieved, design a focus for the teacher’s
professional learning for the year aligned to his or her TARGET (IPDP) plan goals, and select high
probability classroom strategies for implementation correlated to the teacher’s TARGET (IPDP) plan
goals and supported by contemporary educational research. Throughout the process, the
administrator and teacher also determine the degree to which the teacher’s implementation of the
high probability strategies are impacting student performance and adjust the teacher’s professional
learning goals accordingly.
At the conclusion of the school year, the teacher and administrator reflect upon the teacher’s
implementation of the high probability strategies gleaned from his or her professional learning
experiences and the impact his or her professional improvement had on the learning, engagement, and
achievement of his or her assigned students. An essential component of a teacher’s continuous
improvement of professional practices is feedback. Processes include:
Teachers and administration collaboratively developing short and long term professional goals
related to individual continuous improvement of practices and the implementation of high
probability strategies to increase student performance
Data from formal and informal observations will be compiled and used in conferences with
teachers once each semester to give specific feedback on their instructional practices and offer
possible learning resources to enhance professional practices. Learning resources for individual
continuous improvement may include but are not limited to:
Observations of best practices
PD 360
Professional Learning Communities at school site
Department chairs, team leaders, peer mentors to support learning
District‐based professional development
On‐going TARGET (IPDP) conversations with administrators focused on individual continuous
improvement of professional practices.
An on‐going professional dialogue between teachers and administrators through the use of
common language, feedback loops, pre/post observation conferences, and data chats that
supports a professional growth experience individualized for each teacher.
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