Teacher Evaluation System - Polk County School District

Dear Teacher,
As you review this new evaluation system, please note that your representatives on the Evaluation
Development Committee have advocated loudly, strongly, and effectively to develop a quality teacher
evaluation process. Your concerns were at the forefront of every conversation as this document was
developed. It is also important to note that this evaluation system will continue to evolve as we get
feedback from you about this document and on how to improve the evaluation process itself.
Your representatives have been pleased by the focus of the committee to create a system where
teachers are kept knowledgeable of their performance through immediate and ongoing feedback.
Your need for timely feedback was one of the strongest concerns PEA heard from you. Another
important accomplishment has been the common understandings that were reached regarding what
quality teaching is and is not. Everyone agreed that we need a teacher evaluation system that fairly
and consistently helps teachers and administrators have positive discussions to enhance teacher
performance. This system is a positive beginning that will continue to evolve over time which should
benefit teachers.
Our goal is to develop a fair, valid, and reliable evaluation system that provides ongoing and timely
feedback regarding your performance. We have built an expectation that you be told if you are
performing at less than the highest rating, ‘Highly Effective.’ You must know the requirements for
being rated ‘Highly Effective’ so that you can improve your practice. The rubrics that describe
performance through accomplished practices are written to define the requirements by focusing on
what you do in your classroom, not the extras above and beyond your normal teaching duties.
Therefore, because the evaluator’s ongoing feedback is so crucial, there has been a real emphasis on
the professional development your administrator will have to have to use this new system. The term
you will hear is inter‐rater reliability. This reliability was important from the start but was made even
more significant with the passing of Senate Bill 736 and its impact on your professional future.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the damage we believe Senate Bill 736 has done to this process.
We were developing a system that had great promise for enabling change by focusing on best
practices. Legislators have disrupted this positive process by inserting unreasonable timelines and
unreasonable expectations that must be addressed here at the very end of the process. Issues such as
these, as well as pay being tied to this system, are under advisement and PEA will communicate with
you as this process unfolds.
In conclusion, we know the system is not perfect and much work remains to be done but, I must say
that this development process has been more open and positive than any experience we have had in
recent history. It was developed to give you appropriate and timely feedback and to allow you to grow
as a professional. As this new system is implemented, we will need your feedback regarding concerns
and suggestions to improve the system. Please know that PEA is monitoring the implementation
process and that we will seek feedback as we work to refine the system. I want to thank everyone for
their support as we enter this new era of accountability, and particularly those teacher representatives
who worked tirelessly on the system to bring us this far.
In Solidarity,
Marianne Capoziello, President
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