OPTIMUS LEARNING SCHOOL
INQUIRY FORM
Teachers receive formal performance evaluations from the Director at the end of each quarter. There are four general factors that go into evaluating a teacher; all four are important. Throughout the quarter, the Assistant Director will observe each teacher three separate times. The first two observations are unplanned (one is in-class and the other is through the audio/video camera) and the third is planned. For each observation, one Observation Form is filled out, each observation is 10% and together they make up 30% of your evaluation score. A weekly student grade check is filled out by teachers every week and makes up 30% of the evaluation score. Also, Student/Parent Feedback is filled out by parents in the last week of each quarter and makes up 20% of the evaluation score. The Director fills out an Intangibles Forms for all teachers, which make up the final 20% of the evaluation total.
The observation form goes into detail about lesson preparation, style and presentation, interpersonal dynamics, class management, and the overall impression of the class. The student/parent feedback and intangibles forms; however, are simpler and provide general feedback.
* All forms use a 1-5 scoring scale and teachers should have a score of 4.0 (equivalent to 80%) or more, which indicates that a teacher is performing well. The base scale is 3.5, which is the score all teachers are started with.
30% |
30% |
20% |
20% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class Observations | Weekly Student Performance | Student / Parent Feedback | Intangibles |
| Scored by the Assistant Director |
Affected by scores on English and Math tests/projects |
From Parent Opinion Questionnaires completed quarterly |
Scored by the Director periodically throughout the quarter |
Class Observations
Each teacher will be observed once per month for a total of 3 observations per quarter. For teachers that teach more than one type of class, the Assistant Director will try to observe as many types as possible. The observation form will be used each time. For any items that are not observable in that class (i.e. Assistant Director didn’t stay long enough to see it that day, that doesn’t happen in that type of class, etc.), the item will not be scored and will not count towards that evaluation.
Weekly Student Performance
Based on the student’s most recent report card, the student will be given a “baseline percentage.” For example, if Student 1 had a B in English on their most recent report card, that student will have a baseline percentage of 80% for English. If Student 1 had a C in Math, they will have a baseline percentage of 70% for Math. Once baseline percentages have been established for the quarter, the teacher will need to enter student data each week for each subject. Scores students get on tests in those two subjects will affect the performance percentage. Quarterly, a student’s achievement scores will be averaged together (Weeks 1-12). This averaged percentage will be compared to the student's baseline percentage from the start of the quarter. Averaged percentages above the original baseline percentage will be rewarded with higher evaluation scores for the teacher, whereas averaged percentages below the original baseline percentage will receive unsatisfactory evaluation scores. At the end of the quarter (or ongoing) the teacher evaluation point value can be calculated based on the amount that the student’s performance has improved or gone down from the baseline percentage. If Student 1 finished the quarter with an English performance percentage of 80% (the same as the baseline percentage), the teacher would receive a score of 3.5 for that portion of the evaluation. If Student 1 finished the quarter with an English performance percentage of 90%, the teacher would receive a score of 4.5 for that portion of the evaluation.
Student / Parent Feedback
Each quarter, parents will be asked to fill out a Parent Opinion Questionnaire (P.O.Q) that asks them to agree or disagree with a series of statements about their child’s teacher and the education they are receiving at Optimus. The P.O.Q also includes a number of short-response questions for which parents can provide specific feedback. Parents with more than one child in the program (or a child taking class with more than one teacher) will need to fill out one P.O.Q for EACH teacher. There are two different forms of the P.O.Q, one for students enrolled in the Afterschool Program and one for students taking enrichment classes.
Intangibles
Periodically throughout the quarter, the Director will be checking certain aspects of a teacher’s performance. These can include punctuality, walkie-talkie response, daily comments, emailing student performance, parent complaints/emailed HW pictures, etc. Each time an item is checked, a “grade” will be recorded for the teacher’s performance in that area. At the end of the quarter, the Director will be able to review the grades given to the teacher for each intangible item along with the date each grade was given. A score will be determined from that.
