Hawaii Celebrates Major Breakthrough on Educator Evaluations

News Release from Hawaii Board of Education April 17, 2012

The Hawaii State Board of Education (BOE) today unanimously approved three policies related to performance evaluation systems for teachers and principals. These policies supportsystems that emphasize educator effectiveness through professional development and compensation tied to job performance. Beginning in school year 2013-14, a major component of Hawaii’s educator evaluations will be student learning and growth.

"These policies reflect the Board's commitment to ensure the DOE puts in place an evaluation system that is fair, consistent and accurately reflects the performance of our employees and is based upon both clear professional and educational achievement objectives. Hawaii has outstanding educators and a proper functioning evaluation system is essential to ensure the hard work and dedication of our professionals is recognized, encouraged and rewarded and that we are all working together towards clear student achievement objectives" stated Don Horner, Board chairman.

“Today’s Board decisions provide clear direction and fully promote our efforts to implement a method of measuring and supporting the performance of our teachers and principals to transform public education for Hawaii’s students,” said Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. “We want to furnish our educators with timely feedback on their impact on students to improve academic learning, eliminate achievement gaps, and most importantly, ensure all of our high school graduates are ready for college or careers.”

Since its first subject meeting in February, the Board has modified the policies and considered input from the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

BOE Policies 2055 (Teacher and Principal Performance Evaluation), 5100 (Recruitment, Employment, Retention, and Termination), and 5200 (Compensation and Classification Policy) direct the DOE to implement evaluation systems that cultivate and nurture highly effective educators.

Both evaluation systems remain subject to due process provisions of the respective collective bargaining agreements, including the grievance procedures and other articles.

The DOE has reached a memorandum of understanding with the Hawaii Government Employees Association to develop a new evaluation system for principals effective school year 2012-13.

Currently, the DOE is piloting its teacher evaluation program in 18 schools in the Zones of School Innovation (Nanakuli-Waianae and Kau-Keaau-Pahoa complex areas). It will expand the pilot next school year by adding 63 schools.

Cultivating, rewarding, and leveraging effective teaching and leading is a key component of Hawaii’s $75 million Race to the Top plan and the DOE’s Strategic Plan.

-DOE-

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