"The Charlottesville School Board discussed with members of the City Council on Friday that the school division will monitor teacher and school administrator performances with more detailed evaluations.

“We are trying to improve the quality of instruction and make sure we are accountable for instruction in the classroom,” said Michael Heard, director of human resources for city schools and presenter of the teacher evaluation system.

The new evaluation allows for more dialogue between principals and teachers, as well as teachers and administrators. Evaluation teams made up of principals and school administrators will assess teacher performances in eight areas, including communication and instructional delivery. Students and parents will also complete surveys as part of the evaluation.

Beverly Catlin, coordinator of instruction for the division, said the evaluation process needs to provide concrete examples for teachers, such as including the types of questions teachers ask their students and whether they favor a certain group when they call on students.

“The collection of the data is the first step,” Catlin said. “We have to find ways to present it to teachers. It’s one thing for teachers to hear it. It’s another thing for teachers to use it and put into practice.”

The evaluation system has three rating levels: proficient; needs improvement; unsatisfactory.

Councilor Kendra Hamilton asked why an “exemplary” level was not in place for teachers who put in extra time and engage the community. This level could be used as motivation for teachers to give extra effort, she said.

Rosa Atkins, the schools superintendent, made it clear that teacher evaluation is separate from the federal requirements of “highly qualified” teachers. To be “highly qualified” means a teacher has met all of the qualifications for hiring, she said.

In commenting on how to honor outstanding teachers, Mayor David Brown said they could be acknowledged in other ways.

“I think I would be uneasy with recognizing excellence on a broad brush tool like an evaluation,” he said.

He was in favor of a more objective means to determine great teachers, such as how their students have improved on test scores.

“That would make other teachers say, ‘How can I do that?’” Brown said.

Administrators will also be evaluated using similar guidelines to those of teachers. A three-year evaluation cycle will be applied to division administrators, and during the second year of the cycle, teachers and staff members will fill out surveys to assess administrators’ performances.

“We are focused on accountability and improving performance,” Gertrude Ivory, assistant superintendent of curriculum, said." (Matt Deegan, The Daily Progress, September 16, 2006)