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How does the summative evaluation process work?
You should not be surprised by your summative evaluation. It should reflect what has been noted throughout the year. Remember you can request to see your summative evaluation twenty-four hours prior to having the summative evaluation conference. You must make a written request to do this. It is suggested that you write a note to your administrator or email them asking that you be given a copy of your summative evaluation twenty-four hours prior to your conference. Whether you submit this request in writing or by email remember to keep a dated copy for your records.
The evaluator also has certain timelines and guidelines to follow. If your evaluation does not accurately reflect your performance and the administrator did not follow NPS policies and procedures, you can grieve it. The following are important timelines:
September 30: By this date, all evaluators will have reviewed the procedures for evaluation with employees scheduled for summative evaluation. Each employee shall be provided with a copy of the Norfolk Public Schools personnel evaluation handbook.
October 1 to May 15: During this period, a minimum of three formal observations and post-observational conferences will be held with each employee scheduled for summative evaluation. The first observation must occur by November 30. For a probationary teacher, two of these observations and conferences will be held prior to January 31.
May 15 to June 10: During this period, a final conference will be held with each employee being evaluated. Your evaluation can impact your career aspirations and should be taken seriously. If you receive any type of negative feedback, you need to be concerned. If you belong to the Federation, please give us a call and we will be glad to assist you.
What do I do if I get a write-up, letter of concern or a plan of action?
When getting any type of written correspondence from administration regardless of whether or not you agree with it, you must sign it to avoid being insubordinate. However, when signing you should write under your signature that you do not agree and your comments will follow. This gives you an opportunity to write a response to the write-up or letter of concern that you signed. If you belong to the NFT you should give us a call as soon as you get the written correspondence and we will help you from there. You can also call us before the meeting for representation if you know in advance. You will need to get approval from the principal before we can sit in on the meeting.
If you are presented with a plan of action and you belong to the NFT it is imperative that you contact our office as soon as possible. A plan of action can determine whether or not you remain in your position, are demoted or even possibly terminated. We take this very seriously and would like to be involved with the meetings and correspondences between you and administration early on.
What if I want to call the NFT Office to ask a question but I want to remain anonymous?
We respect the confidentiality of our members and we will not take anything outside of our office without prior approval of the member. However with this being said, when you call the NFT office for any type of assistance whether it is just a question or for representation we have to first verify that you are a member by your first and last name. We do this so that we only spend our time servicing people who are members of the NFT. Again, we do not and will not give out any information that is communicated to us in confidence by a member without the member giving us the “okay” first.
What if I am a classified worker and my principal asks me to stay past my contractual hours?
This is not only against school policy but it is against the law under the Fair Labor Standards Act. If you are a member of the NFT and this is happening to you give us a call immediately.
What if I am a teacher and my principal asks me to stay back after school for a meeting outside of my contractual hours?
There are certain guidelines and stipulations for cases like this. If you are a NFT member please call the office and we will explain them to you in further details.
How do I receive a transfer form and when is the deadline to put in a request?
Transfer request forms are sent out via email through NPS On-Blast. Teacher transfer request forms are generally due by the first week of March. The deadline for a classified transfer request form varies, please contact the NFT office for further information if you are a member.
I am a teacher who is unsure of whether or not I will return to Norfolk Public Schools next year. How long do I have to get out of my contract for the upcoming school year?
Teachers have until June 30th to decline their contract for the upcoming school year. If you are a member and you have already submitted your signed contract but have decided now that you do not wish to return to NPS please give us a call as soon as possible.