<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Can you summarize the framework regulating how educators in Louisiana K-12 public schools are evaluated, paid and retained?</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Do any of the state accountability standards govern how school administrators, district supervisors and principals are evaluated?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“The personnel evaluation process for teachers and administrators, Compass, is composed of two components. Half of the evaluation is based upon growth in student learning, while the other half is based on professional practice,” Holly Holland, Calcasieu Parish school system spokeswoman, wrote in an email.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“The combination of the components results in a composite score used to distinguish levels of overall effectiveness in performance.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Under state law — Act 54 of 2010 — teachers and administrators must receive annual performance evaluations, the rules and regulations for which are listed in state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Bulletin 130.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Section 105 of the bulletin says local education agencies, or LEAs, must feature the following five elements in their personnel evaluations: job description; professional growth planning; class observation; professional development and support; and a description of the grievance process.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">From BESE Bulletin 130:</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">“All job descriptions shall contain the criteria for which the teacher or administrator shall be evaluated.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">“The LEA shall provide guidelines for teachers and administrators to develop a professional growth plan with their evaluators. … Each plan will include objectives as well as the strategies that the teacher or administrator intends to use to attain each objective.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">“The evaluator or evaluators of each teacher and administrator shall conduct observations of teacher and administrator practice sufficient to gain a complete picture of performance and impart individualized feedback each year. This shall include a minimum of two observations per academic year and may include more observations, particularly for teachers or administrators that are not meeting expectations.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">“LEAs shall provide multiple opportunities for teachers and administrators to receive feedback, reflect on individual practice, and consider opportunities for improvement throughout the academic year, and shall provide intensive assistance plans to teachers and administrators.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">“LEAs shall include in their local personnel evaluation plans a description of the procedures for resolving conflict and/or grievances relating to evaluation results in a fair, efficient, effective, and professional manner.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“Teachers and leaders, at the school and district level, are provided support throughout the evaluation process,” Holland wrote. “Retaining effective educators is critical to the success of our students.”</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote"><a href="http://bese.louisiana.gov/documents-resources/policies-bulletins">bese.louisiana.gov/documents-resources/policies-bulletins</a></span>

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