Exiting Ineffective Teachers Policy
South Dakota does not have a policy regarding teachers who receive unsatisfactory evaluations.
Require that all teachers who receive unsatisfactory evaluations be placed on improvement plans.
South Dakota should adopt a policy requiring that teachers who receive
even one unsatisfactory evaluation be placed on structured improvement
plans. These plans should focus on performance areas that directly
connect to student learning and should list noted deficiencies, define
specific action steps necessary to address these deficiencies and
describe how and when progress will be measured.
Make eligibility for dismissal a consequence of unsatisfactory evaluations.
Teachers who receive two consecutive unsatisfactory evaluations or
have two unsatisfactory evaluations within five years should be
formally eligible for dismissal, regardless of whether they have
tenure. South Dakota should adopt policy to ensure that teachers who receive such unsatisfactory evaluations are eligible for dismissal.
South Dakota recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.
To review the process and types of personnel evaluations observed in other job sectors, including the problems inherent to some evaluation systems see, for example, Gliddon, David (October 2004). Effective Performance Management Systems, Current Criticisms and New Ideas for Employee Evaluation in Performance Improvement 43(9), 27-36.