… We have to take seriously the fact that teacher evaluation is a relational enterprise.” However, I couldn't blame the vice principal; she had so many other essential things to do that a truly valuable evaluation process was not a top priority. After nearly a decade of top marks, I was suddenly rated as needing improvement in more than two-thirds of the evaluation categories. For instance, if your boss says you have poor time management skills, provide proof that you have, indeed, met all your deadlines. How to Respond to a Bad Performance Review, Get 10 Great Tips for Holding Effective Employee Performance Reviews, Get the Most From Your Performance Review, Tips for Asking for More Money at Your Current Job. What's Effective? Question. My manager lied and distorted the facts in my annual performace evaluation. Disrupting their workflow will set a negative tone for the meeting. Simply discussing with my students what is good, bad, and ugly and what we can change has made a difference in my evaluations, even when the change they want to see can’t be accommodated. Don’t allow a less-than-ideal evaluation put you in such a bad mood that you take it out on your kids. You put a lot of trust in me to lead that initiative, and it gave me a chance to flex my project management skills. I requested help, meetings, and answers from him, but he did not respond. —Megan Paris, teacher, Delran Intermediate School, Delran, New Jersey. ASCD's 2021 General Membership Election is open April 1–May 15. Instead it took me 15 years, three changes in grade levels, a master's degree, and countless professional development opportunities; and I'm still working to improve. Everything is "satisfactory." Many years ago, I was evaluated while giving an external assessment to my class! This post explains. All of a sudden she was off my ass. —Gwendolyn Todd, secondary instructional resource teacher, Charles County Public Schools, Maryland. Well, she gave me an “unsatisfactory” rating because I had dared to sing songs with the kids for fun- … I requested this time off from my school principal, she wasn't happy about it but ended up approving the leave. I feel that I don't get enough critical feedback on my evaluations. I accept that. They’ve (probably) observed you throughout the quarter, they are going to see the reviews anyway, and they might in fact have some useful feedback. She began making time to listen to my thoughts and opinions. I am an outspoken teacher who sometimes disagrees with administration on professional matters, so although I provided ample evidence, my evaluation did not reflect the excellent quality of my teaching. She put me on a Professional Growth Plan, yet it was extremely vague and gave me no direction as to what I … Don’t allow the observation or evaluation system to get you so discouraged that you have no energy left for your students. Take at least 24 hours to go over your boss's evaluation. I was frustrated then because it provided me with no productive feedback, but now I think it's funny! This will give you time to carefully—and hopefully honestly—consider everything in it. Alexandria, VA 22311-1714, November 2012 | Volume 70 | Number 3 —Mirna Jope, teacher, San Juan Unified School District, Carmichael, California. These are the steps to follow after getting a bad performance review. If the supervisor-talk sounds too intimidating you could approach some other senior colleagues you trust. I was so unhappy at my former school. However, don't delay more than a week since you … In this week's Voice of Experience, Max Fischer offers a refresher course on handling disagreements with the principal. —Colette Marie Bennett, English department chair, Region 6, Litchfield, Connecticut. Some of these teachers feel like their principals place too much emphasis on testing and try to standardize teaching. The following system of evaluation is a model which can be adopted for such a purpose. Early in my teaching career, my principal conducted a series of formal classroom observations that culminated after three years in a nonrenewal of tenure. If the review is accurate, use it as an opportunity to figure out ways to improve your performance. If however, after being brutally honest with yourself, you decide that the assessment is inaccurate, it may reveal that your boss is—either unintentionally or purposely—overlooking your accomplishments. I have been evaluated using a multitude of rubrics or tools. What's Effective. It can reveal a lot of information about yourself and also about your boss. Others took time to provide evidence of good teaching and received higher marks. Feedback from your boss is important. There is no plan to address academic achievement and the schools’ test scores continue to decline. You'll be able to think rationally and present your point of view in a more convincing manner. Facebook619Tweet0Pin725 I get a lot emails and messages from teachers about problems with administrators. You can prevent this—and getting another negative review—by opening the lines of communication with your manager from day one. November 2012Teacher Evaluation: What's Fair? However, I want to continue to grow, and for that I need guidance and suggestions. He glanced at my lesson plans, gave me a thumbs-up, and walked out. Try to understand the feedback and come up with a list of questions about things that are confusing. Prepare for this step even before scheduling the appointment should your boss want to sit down with you sooner than expected. This happened only 17 days after my start. The location limited the amount of noise permitted, a serious problem in a language learning classroom. … My boss threatened to give me a bad recommendation for anyone who called, and I went to HR. 5. She called my principal and complained that I skipped “her” PLC. Honest evaluations respect and remember the human element. A principal needs to provide clear guidelines to all staff members and, after the observation, to provide specific feedback and suggestions for improvement. If they do, I hope my professional organization will defend me. When you land at your next job, you may feel extreme anxiety about your first evaluation. If so, ask them to suggest ways to improve. I have a folder full of evaluation reports from administrators with whom I have worked. I was there under another principal and when the new principal came aboard, the harassment began. If there is a plan for improvement, put it in writing. Getting a pat on the back and being told that you are doing fine cannot take the place of a formal evaluation. What had changed? One day after a classroom observation, she actually complimented my creative writing lesson. Lose your temper no matter how angry you feel. This year we have all new adminstration and its my evaluation year. Evaluations should be professional, fair, and supportive. If you're still angry after one day, wait a little longer. If you have a union rep, go to them. I dutifully filled out the questionnaire. The committee will also weigh in on the full range of issues relating to this agreement, including Teacher Improvement Plans and the definition of student growth. The principal has the final say, of course, but the discussion should aim for consensus based on actual evidence … Don't let your feelings get in the way of objectivity. My principal did not handle first year teachers very well. —LeAnna Swing, teacher, Buncombe County Schools, Asheville, North Carolina. Having real, honest conversations and providing detailed feedback ensure success. Included: Five commonsense tips. Some teachers complained about the poorly implemented process, and their scores bumped up. If I had been given the opportunity to have colleagues join the observations, reflections, and discussions of my lesson plans and subsequent assessments, I am sure that I would have become an excellent teacher right out of the starting gate. I had only been in the profession for two years. What had happened to my instruction? I appreciate that you recognized the energy and enthusiasm I have for my work and acknowledged my dedication to Name of Company. The post-conference was laughable; all he could write were things like, "You read the questions carefully," and "I liked how you kept them quiet." No one enjoys learning their boss isn't pleased with their work and having that information in writing to live indefinitely in your employment file, makes it so much worse. If I gave you low ratings, that would be very uncomfortable for me to talk to you about. Nothing had any solid foundation to it. The data collected in the evaluations should have been made public—at the very least to me, to provide useful feedback. If you don't, go to HR. To me, that's the equivalent of getting a C. I find this highly frustrating. 1703 North Beauregard St. My principal called me to his office after an observation and said, "The only criticism I have is that you should dress more professionally." Such informative feedback is important for students, too, rather than the generic "Good job! Teacher Evaluation: What's Fair? In one short video clip, a teacher received a high score because of the behavior of his honors-level students, who remained on task. To be fair, my principal was supposed to observe me during my second 5th grade class, but she decided to pop in during my first class. How did I plan to extend the lesson? What are they and why would they take a flawed evaluation system from bad to worse? Demonstrate that you are proactive by coming up with ideas to share during the meeting. The principal has no overall vision for the school. Among the complaints against me—I had been late to a morning staff meeting … on September 11, 2001. What were the expected learning outcomes? I decided at that moment to become an administrator and do everything I could to be a better leader than he was. The principal was running behind on his evaluations, so he dropped in and did mine during Stanford 9 testing. This will give you time to carefully—and hopefully honestly—consider everything in it. Forgo a meeting if there is absolutely no chance your boss will listen to anything you have to say or any discussion will escalate into an argument. To see upcoming questions and contribute a response, go to www.ascd.org/tellmeabout. —Holly Ashley, reading specialist, Rochester Memorial School, Rochester, Massachusetts. I was teaching in a closet behind the library, with cardboard boxes as bookshelves. Your boss may bring up valid points during the meeting. At my school, principals seemed overwhelmed by the number of evaluations they had to complete. He said, “I don’t have examples, it’s just the feeling I get.” It was edge-of-the-seat leadership. Dawn Rosenberg McKay is a certified Career Development Facilitator. I was looking forward to discussing ways to improve. Getting a bad performance review from your employer is devastating. Perfunctory evaluations send the message that what teachers do in their classrooms is not important. —Wendi Pillars, ESL teacher, Virginia Cross Elementary School, Siler City, North Carolina. The first thing to do is...nothing. Evaluations should be a way for professionals to receive constructive feedback to improve their craft and specific praise for their strengths. I said that I could do so but explained why I had dressed that way up to that point. Do You Need to Write Letters of Reprimand for Employee Performance? Follow These Helpful Tips to Survive Working With a Bad Boss, How to Save Your Job If You Are About to Be Fired, Top 10 Behavioral Interview Questions and Sample Answers, How to Best Respond to a Request for a Reference Check, Best Answers for Emotional Intelligence Interview Questions, Examples of How to Respond to a Job Rejection, How Happy Employees Make Your Business More Productive, How Employees Can Contribute to a Positive Work Environment, Tips for Asking Your Boss If You Can Work From Home, 8 Surefire Tips for Asking for and Getting a Raise. —Gretchen Schultek, 3rd grade teacher, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Charlotte, North Carolina. Well the year before I received a very good evaluation that one was taken off of my TKES so if the principal see it they would only see the bad one. The purpose of this meeting is to either refute your boss's negative feedback if you disagree with it or to present a plan to improve your performance if what they said rings true. My principal had taken my responses to the questionnaire and placed them into his evaluation form for my lesson. There’s no freedom for the teachers to be creative or exercise their professional judgment, and there’s no freedom for kids to be kids. Here's what to do if you disagree with a bad performance review: If you agree with your boss and the goal of the meeting is to present a plan to improve your performance, here's what to do: Send your boss an email reiterating everything discussed during the meeting. As we talked, the principal was standing there in athletic shorts and a windbreaker. On my first evaluation, he gave me low marks across the board, along with comments about “bad rapport with the faculty.” I was shocked by that and asked for examples of what he meant. She then sent me a calendar invite for every Tuesday from now until the end of the year so she could “document when I chose not to do my job”. My OM asked me to partake in falsifying time cards as well as do some other “illegal and unethical” duties. She is a former writer for The Balance Careers. The response did not satisfy my concerns. There was no discussion and no opportunity for me to learn. Evaluation conferences are greatly enhanced if the principal and teacher fill out the rubrics in advance, then meet and compare scores one page at a time. The least helpful and frustrating evaluations were conducted without feedback, and were non-negotiable. Pages 90-91. There was no discussion and no opportunity for me to learn. These comments were nice to hear and I treasured them, but they didn't provide information about what exactly I was doing well. 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. The vice principal pulled me from one of my classes (leaving my coteacher in charge), and we went into a supply closet. She gave me my observation evaluation, which was glowing, and asked me to sign it. magazine and save up to During my last year of teaching, a couple days before winter break, my principal observed me (insult #1 – any decent administrator wouldn’t observe a teacher right before winter break). MISSION: ASCD empowers educators to achieve excellence in learning, teaching, and leading so that every child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. I hope that my average marks won't negatively affect my career. When it was time for my evaluation, my principal came into my classroom, walked around, and chatted with a few students. If your relationship is going smoothly and you have a well-liked administrator, then enjoy your job! I included a rigorous and honest self-reflection about the lesson and turned it in to my principal. Acknowledge you understand and agree with your boss's points. Was I at a new school, teaching new materials? 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