PMS 5 - November 1997

Appraisal of Teachers in Specialist Positions

Performance Management Systems

A Series of Guidelines on

Performance Management Systems

Published November 1997

For further information about the material in this publication, Curriculum Division,

Ministry of Education, Box 1666, Wellington, fax (04) 471 6193.

E-mail: curriculum@minedu.govt.nz

For information and assistance in setting up or reviewing your school's performance management system, contact your nearest Ministry of Education Management Centre. You will be provided with the name of your nearest PMS contractor.

1. Challenges to appraising teachers with specialist responsibilities

According to PMS 1, which was distributed with the Education Gazette of 10 February 1997, boards of trustees are responsible for ensuring that "each teacher participates in the appraisal process at least once within a twelve-month period" (page 5). Boards are also reminded that "in this prescription the term 'teacher' includes all appointees holding teaching positions", for example, non-classroom teachers, such as guidance counsellors and attached teachers with specialist responsibilities (page 6). Teachers in this latter sense would include:

• itinerant resource teachers, such as teachers of the hearing impaired or visually impaired, music specialists, and reading resource teachers;
• teachers in special education or guidance learning units;
• technology teachers in intermediate and primary schools; and
• secondary teachers with particular responsibilities, for example, guidance counsellors.

In appraising these teachers, whose roles differ significantly from those of the majority of their colleagues, the challenge for boards and principals is to ensure that appraisal is fair and rigorous and that it meets the mandatory requirements.

There are three consequent issues that boards and principals must come to terms with:

1. An appraiser must be identified who is professionally competent. Who might this be in the case of specialist teachers?
2. The appraisal must be against performance expectations related to key professional responsibilities. What might these be in the case of specialist teachers?
3. The appraisee must be working towards at least one appropriate development objective and be receiving negotiated assistance and support. How might this be best achieved in the case of specialist teachers?

In the following sections, suggestions are made on each of these three issues.

2. Identification of an appropriate appraiser

"No one else in the school fully understands what it is I do. I need to be appraised by someone who does."

A guidance counsellor in a secondary school

"I'm part of a team. The things I do may differ in content, but I work in the same context as my colleague who appraises me."

A teacher in a full primary school with an attached technology centre

"I teach music to small groups of students in nine schools each week. Which school is responsible for my appraisal?"

An itinerant teacher of music

"I'm happy to have my deputy principal as my appraiser. We involve the reading adviser in the process. And I respect them both as professionals."

A resource teacher of reading who is based in a primary school

Boards of trustees are required, through the person(s) to whom they have delegated the responsibility for the appraisal process, to identify an appraiser in consultation with the teacher concerned. The quotations above illustrate that there will be more than one viewpoint as to who makes the best appraiser for teachers with specialist responsibilities.

In arriving at decisions, management will need to balance:

• accountability for the teaching and learning;
• good employer responsibilities; and
• resourcing implications.

It will be crucial to the success of the appraisal that the appraisee has:

• some say in the selection of his or her appraiser;
• confidence in the professional integrity of his or her appraiser; and
• a good working relationship with his or her appraiser, based on honesty, trust, and mutual respect.

The precise means of conducting the appraisal is ultimately a school management decision. The following sections outline the possible pros and cons of some options that might be useful in making or reviewing decisions of this kind.

3. Determining performance expectations

As a basis for the "quality assurance" component of appraisal, all teachers (including specialist teachers) must have a written statement of performance expectations that describes the key tasks and outcomes of the position. Performance expectations for specialist teachers must relate to the key professional responsibilities and key performance areas of their position. There is flexibility for schools to determine these appropriately under three broad headings:

i) Teaching responsibilities

Does the position involve planning and preparation for interaction with students?

What skills and techniques are needed?

How is the environment managed?

What forms of assessment are required?

ii) School-wide responsibilities

Is a specific leadership role undertaken?

What contribution is made to school goals?

How does the position contribute to the effective operation of the school as a whole?

Does the position involve pastoral activities and student counselling?

iii) Management responsibilities

Is professional leadership required?

What contribution is made to management planning and decision making?

Is there responsibility for resource management?

The answers to questions such as these should help to define the scope of responsibilities for any specialist teaching position. As the experiences of schools in the following examples show, the process used for the appraisal of teachers with specialist skills and responsibilities will vary according to the culture and climate of the school(s) involved. The views and needs of those managing and working within the school(s) will also influence the appraisal process.

Scenario One

A secondary school has a guidance counsellor who either:

• is a member of a professional organisation, for example, the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC); or
• is abiding by a professional code of ethics and the requirements of the job description. In this instance, the code requires the guidance counsellor to participate in external professional supervision.

A member of the senior management team is identified as the appraiser by the principal, in consultation with the guidance counsellor. The appraiser and the appraisee meet with the NZAC peer supervisor to determine:

• the process and timeline for the appraisal;
• the role each will play;
• how client confidentiality will be handled; and
• personal and/or professional development objective(s).

One area is selected for focus in each of the key performance areas. These performance areas are determined as:

i) Teaching responsibilities

In the case of guidance counsellors, "teaching" responsibilities would be student-focused duties, such as:

• casework, both individual and family;
• statistical data keeping for evaluation of practice; and
• referral to support agencies.

ii) School-wide responsibilities

• advocacy and mediation, for example, family group conferences and suspensions;
• programme involvement, for example, sexuality and social education;
• consultation and support for deans and other school personnel; and
• cross-cultural involvement.

iii) Management responsibilities

• guidance administration, including coordination, liaison, and chairing meetings;
• networking with a variety of agencies; and
• policy development.

Responsibility for the appraisal remains within the school. This supervising relationship provides key elements of the support needed by the guidance counsellor for professional growth.

Note: a variation on this model would be to allocate responsibility for all stages of the appraisal to the NZAC peer supervisor, who in turn reports to senior management.

Scenario Two

A full primary school is the base for three special needs resource teachers who work independently in a range of schools. The senior teacher in the group is responsible for the appraisal of her two colleagues; the principal appraises the senior teacher. Because their involvement in a school is rarely on a long-term, sustained basis, there is no formal arrangement for client school input into the appraisal. Informal contact is made with the client schools when the appraiser accompanies the appraisee on visits for observation purposes. Key tasks in the job description provide the basis for the performance expectations used in the appraisal process.

The principal finds the visits particularly useful in gaining insights into the nature of the job, and the travel time between schools is helpful in developing a professional rapport with each teacher.

Scenario Three

A full primary school is the base school for a resource teacher of reading (RTR). A memorandum of agreement is entered into with a cluster of client schools and a management committee is established to ensure that job description, performance appraisal, and performance agreements are negotiated annually. Appraisal of the RTR is the responsibility of the base school.

Client schools in which the RTR is working are asked to specify their needs, so that these can be incorporated into performance expectations and appraisal objectives. In consultation with the RTR and client school principals, the base school principal determines which school should be involved in appraisal for the year and invites the others to give written feedback.

The client school principal prepares an appraisal report, and the outcome is discussed "in committee" at a management committee meeting involving RTR and client and base school representatives.

Scenario Four

A secondary school is responsible for paying the salary of an itinerant teacher of music who teaches violin at the school for one day a week. He also teaches for one day a week in each of three other schools. The base school has a head of department for music and, after consultation with the teacher, she is appointed as appraiser. She meets with the staff responsible for music education in the other three schools and, in consultation with the itinerant teacher, decides on the performance expectations. The teacher's job description is part of the consideration.

The teacher is responsible for the maintenance and lending procedures for string instruments in two of the schools. This activity forms the basis of performance expectations in the key performance area of management responsibilities.

A schedule of observation visits is agreed to by the teacher and the appraiser.

Scenario Five

A full primary school has a technology centre. The board policy calls for teachers to nominate their preferred appraiser. Each of the three technology teachers chooses to identify members of the senior management team because of their experience with year 7 and 8 students and their knowledge of the technology curriculum.

The inclusion of the three technology teachers in a school-wide appraisal system helps all staff to recognise the changed environment in which these teachers now operate and reinforces the message that they are part of the teaching team. This is further cemented by whole-staff training sessions in goal setting, by feedback, and by observation of teaching.

Scenario Six

An itinerant teacher of woodwind instruments is employed by nine schools in a rural area for individual and group teaching and for annual concerts in four of the schools. The time involved adds up to five full working days each week. Three of the schools are responsible for salary payments. These three schools take responsibility, on an annual rotational basis, for the appraisal of the teacher. A member of each school's

senior management takes responsibility for the appraisal. The expertise of a music adviser is sought to provide input into the appraisal process, because the schools themselves have no qualified teacher in music. The teacher is consulted and agrees to the choice of appraiser and to a set of performance expectations covering teaching and school-wide responsibilities (for the concert responsibilities).

The following comments are from teachers consulted in the development of the previous scenarios:

"Streamline documentation beware of putting too much in to start with. Treat them as working documents that can be reviewed and revised."

"By giving us a focus, performance expectations help us to recognise where we need to concentrate our energy and to accept that in some areas we can only do the minimum."

"When appraisal is clear and fair, it breaks down any fear. It is about teaching and learning, no matter what the context for these might be."

4. Determining development objectives and assistance/support

Performance appraisal for any teacher must have a professional development orientation. This is achieved through the requirements that:

• each teacher must be working annually towards an aspect of personal improvement that is defined in a written development objective; and

• the school must provide assistance and support to aid this teacher development process.

There are two main options that schools could adopt for providing appropriate developmental assistance to teachers with specialist responsibilities:

1. individual professional development;
2. group-based professional development.

Option One: Specialist teachers involved in individual professional development

In School A, the guidance counsellor meets annually in mid-November with the chairperson of the college's professional development committee to discuss her professional development needs for the coming year. A development objective is set, and the assistance/support to be provided from the school's professional development budget is agreed upon. Later, the counsellor provides the professional development committee with a report of outcomes.

Option Two: Specialist teachers involved in group-based professional development

In School B, teachers work in whànau groups that are coordinated by a senior teacher. These form the basis of the appraisal system. The cycle involves individual teachers identifying their own and their students' needs. The whànau uses these to develop collective goals. The senior management team is responsible for collating and prioritising these to determine school-wide goals linked to school review data. Methods of support are negotiated through the senior teacher in the whànau group.

The senior teacher is responsible for documenting the outcome of the appraisal and reporting to the senior management team so that it has a good understanding of teaching strengths and of the ongoing development needed.

A popular mechanism in some schools is to adapt the concept of quality learning circles, either as the main focus or as a key element in the appraisal process. (See page 7 of PMS 2, which was distributed with the Education Gazette of 24 March 1997.)

In School C, learning circles complement a one-to-one appraisal process in which teachers choose their appraiser. The learning circles are one of the means of providing support so that development objectives can be met.

The principal allocates staff into groups, ensuring there is a good mix of skill, experience, and personality. The groups determine their learning focus, based on school-wide objectives. Where appropriate, all staff are involved in training opportunities, such as a school-based advanced studies for teachers course offered by a college of education. This provides a good theoretical base. The learning groups provide support for translating theory into practice.

Note: some schools have extended a team approach to appraisal in innovative ways, for example:

• by appraising support staff on a team basis;
• by appraising senior staff on a team basis; and/or
• by the principal modelling whànau appraisal by involving the staff trustee and the senior staff in his or her appraisal by the chairperson.

Option Three: Itinerant teachers

The itinerant music teacher referred to in Scenario 6 (page 5) works in nine schools and is paid by three. The teachers in charge of music in each of the nine schools meet and discuss how they can integrate the work of the music specialist into their schools' goals and self-review systems. They decide that the work of the teacher, particularly when it entails school-wide involvement in performance music, is an important part of delivering the essential learning area of The Arts.

The teacher is involved in planning school programmes that complement the instrumental work. The teacher is also involved in developing student assessment procedures.

Methods of support are negotiated so that the teacher's developmental needs are being met. The schools decide to provide developmental support to the teacher on a pro rata basis relating to the hours worked in each school. The ratio is based on the average support available for a full-time teacher in each of the schools.

The senior staff member from the school whose turn it is to complete the appraisal convenes an annual meeting with a representative from each school. At this meeting they review progress and consult on the ongoing appraisal and the development objective(s). The music adviser attends these meetings and provides input. The meetings are held "in committee". The senior staff member prepares a written report for the principal(s).