BOE Approves Teacher Evaluation and Performance Plans

Hawaii Department of Education, reform website. Screen saver image courtesy hawaiidoereform.org, Hawaii DOE.

By Maui Now Staff

The Hawaii State Board of Education unanimously approved three policies related to performance evaluation plans for teachers and principals on Tuesday.

The policies emphasize educator effectiveness through professional development, and compensation tied to job performance.

Beginning in school year 2013-14, state education officials say a major component of Hawaii’s educator evaluations will be student learning and growth.

“These policies reflect the Board’s commitment to ensure the DOE puts in place an evaluation system that is fair, consistent and accurately reflects the performance of our employees and is based upon both clear professional and educational achievement objectives,” said Board chairman Don Horner.

“Hawaii has outstanding educators and a proper functioning evaluation system is essential to ensure the hard work and dedication of our professionals is recognized, encouraged and rewarded and that we are all working together towards clear student achievement objectives” said Horner in a statement.

Since its first subject meeting in February, the Board has modified the policies and considered input from the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

State Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said that today’s Board decisions provide clear direction to transform public education for Hawaii’s students.

“We want to furnish our educators with timely feedback on their impact on students to improve academic learning, eliminate achievement gaps, and most importantly, ensure all of our high school graduates are ready for college or careers,” said Matayoshi.

The policies that were passed, direct the DOE to implement evaluation systems that cultivate and nurture highly effective educators.

The systems must still undergo due process provisions of the respective collective bargaining agreements, including grievance procedures.

The DOE also reached a memorandum of understanding with the Hawaii Government Employees Association to develop a new evaluation system for principals effective school year 2012-13.

The DOE has already initiated a pilot teacher evaluation program in 18 schools in the Nanakuli-Waianae and Kau-Keaau-Pahoa complex areas.   Plans call for the expansion of the pilot program next school year to 63 schools.