Exiting Ineffective Teachers Policy
Washington requires that teachers who receive an unsatisfactory evaluation be placed on probation and assigned an improvement plan. If a teacher does not improve during the period of probation, he or she can be either dismissed under "the probable cause clause" or given an "alternative assignment."
Unfortunately, Washington's effort to make unsatisfactory evaluations
grounds for termination does not carry over to the state's dismissal
policy (see Goal 5-C).
Washington recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. The state added that "further study regarding teacher dismissal will be ongoing through the implementation of the pilot in 2011-12 and in state-wide implementation in 2013-14."
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.