39-1. Evaluation Plan and Procedures

  1. The BOARD and the UNION agree with the following goals and purposes for teacher evaluation:

    1. To build principals’ and/or teachers leaders’ expertise in observing and analyzing instruction and supporting teacher development.

    2. To engage teachers in reflection and self-assessment regarding their own performance.

    3. To provide teachers with information and guidance to inform their development.

  2. The BOARD adopted an evaluation plan and procedures (“the evaluation plan”) on March 29, 2012. That plan was implemented effective with the start of the 2012-2013 school year, and has remained in place since, with year-to-year amendments through the Joint Teacher Evaluation Committee not inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement. The BOARD shall share with the UNION members of the Joint Committee a draft of the REACH handbook no later than July 15th of each year and the BOARD and UNION members of the Joint Committee shall try to reach consensus on the language before the BOARD publishes the handbook on or about August 15th.

  3. The Joint Teacher Evaluation Committee (“Joint Committee”) shall continue its collaboration. The Joint Committee shall consist of five members selected by the UNION and five members selected by the BOARD. The Joint Committee shall meet at least one day per month during the regular school year. The Joint Committee shall produce joint recommendations to the Chief Talent Officer and Union President by the end of each school year regarding possible improvements to the implementation of Teacher Evaluations, including efforts to mitigate or eliminate any disproportionate impacts of observations or student growth measures. Student growth scores shall be 30% of the summative rating for the duration of this Agreement, unless before the Agreement’s expiration, there is a change in applicable state law, in which case student growth scores shall be the statutory minimum. Joint Committee meetings shall occur where possible during the regular school day. Where necessary, members of the committee who are classroom teachers shall be provided with substitute teachers on meeting days.

    The Board shall provide REACH performance tasks in English and Spanish as appropriate. The Joint Evaluation Committee will explore the recommendation for expanding the REACH performance tasks in other native languages.

    The Joint Evaluation Committee, in partnership with the Office of Students with Disabilities, shall develop by mutual agreement supporting documents for cluster and other types of special education classes.

  4. The BOARD and the UNION shall conduct a new joint study of evaluation implementation, to be renewed and updated annually, for as long as there remains a disproportionate impact of observation or student growth measures of the implementation of the teacher evaluation plan, as determined by the Joint Committee. The Joint Committee shall determine what changes, if any, are necessary to improve the content and procedures of the teacher evaluation plan. Any changes to the teacher evaluation plan shall be communicated to all teachers within ten school days of adoption.

  5. The BOARD shall provide the UNION with a calendar prior to each school year setting forth the relevant dates in connection with the Evaluation Plan.

  6. The BOARD shall not use school-wide value-added growth measures as a component of student growth in an individual teacher’s evaluation.

39-1.1. Orientation. 

New teachers to a school and all teachers at a school with a new principal at the start of the school year shall be provided with an orientation session on the teacher evaluation plan during the first week of the school year prior to student attendance, but not later than the 20th day of student attendance, unless they are hired or transferred to the school after the 20th day. In such cases, teachers shall be provided copies, which may be in electronic form, of the teacher evaluation plan. Teachers hired after the first week of the school year shall be provided with said orientation within the first week after their hiring.

Returning teachers in schools with a returning principal at the start of the school year shall have access to all orientation materials and the teacher evaluation plan on the CPS Knowledge Center. The Joint Committee shall review and determine orientation materials and programs for the 2013-14 school year and thereafter.

39-1.2. REACH Teacher Evaluation. 

The Joint Evaluation Committee shall retain a mutually agreed expert, no later than April 1, 2017, to assist it in studying the REACH evaluation system and to provide recommendations to mitigate or eliminate any disproportionate impacts of the observation or student growth measures.