391.3125 - Evaluations of licensed educational personnel; development of policy; number of evaluations; notice to probationary employee that he or she may not be reemployed; recommendations and assist

391.3125  Evaluations of licensed educational personnel; development of policy; number of evaluations; notice to probationary employee that he or she may not be reemployed; recommendations and assistance for employee; copy of evaluation.

      1.  It is the intent of the Legislature that a uniform system be developed for objective evaluation of teachers and other licensed personnel in each school district.

      2.  Each board, following consultation with and involvement of elected representatives of the teachers or their designees, shall develop a policy for objective evaluations in narrative form. The policy must set forth a means according to which an employee’s overall performance may be determined to be satisfactory or unsatisfactory. The policy may include an evaluation by the teacher, pupils, administrators or other teachers or any combination thereof. In a similar manner, counselors, librarians and other licensed personnel must be evaluated on forms developed specifically for their respective specialties. A copy of the policy adopted by the board must be filed with the Department. The primary purpose of an evaluation is to provide a format for constructive assistance. Evaluations, while not the sole criterion, must be used in the dismissal process.

      3.  A conference and a written evaluation for a probationary employee must be concluded not later than:

      (a) December 1;

      (b) February 1; and

      (c) April 1,

Ê of each school year of the probationary period, except that a probationary employee assigned to a school that operates all year must be evaluated at least three times during each 12 months of employment on a schedule determined by the board. An administrator charged with the evaluation of a probationary teacher shall personally observe the performance of the teacher in the classroom for not less than a cumulative total of 60 minutes during each evaluation period, with at least one observation during that 60-minute evaluation period consisting of at least 45 consecutive minutes.

      4.  Whenever an administrator charged with the evaluation of a probationary employee believes the employee will not be reemployed for the second year of the probationary period or the school year following the probationary period, the administrator shall bring the matter to the employee’s attention in a written document which is separate from the evaluation not later than March 1 of the current school year. The notice must include the reasons for the potential decision not to reemploy or refer to the evaluation in which the reasons are stated. Such a notice is not required if the probationary employee has received a letter of admonition during the current school year.

      5.  Each postprobationary teacher must be evaluated at least once each year. An administrator charged with the evaluation of a postprobationary teacher shall personally observe the performance of the teacher in the classroom for not less than a cumulative total of 60 minutes during each evaluation period, with at least one observation during that 60-minute evaluation period consisting of at least 30 consecutive minutes.

      6.  The evaluation of a probationary teacher or a postprobationary teacher must include, without limitation:

      (a) An evaluation of the classroom management skills of the teacher;

      (b) A review of the lesson plans and the work log or grade book of pupils prepared by the teacher;

      (c) An evaluation of whether the curriculum taught by the teacher is aligned with the standards of content and performance established pursuant to NRS 389.520, as applicable for the grade level taught by the teacher;

      (d) An evaluation of whether the teacher is appropriately addressing the needs of the pupils in the classroom, including, without limitation, special educational needs, cultural and ethnic diversity, the needs of pupils enrolled in advanced courses of study and the needs of pupils who are limited English proficient;

      (e) If necessary, recommendations for improvements in the performance of the teacher;

      (f) A description of the action that will be taken to assist the teacher in correcting any deficiencies reported in the evaluation; and

      (g) A statement by the administrator who evaluated the teacher indicating the amount of time that the administrator personally observed the performance of the teacher in the classroom.

      7.  The teacher must receive a copy of each evaluation not later than 15 days after the evaluation. A copy of the evaluation and the teacher’s response must be permanently attached to the teacher’s personnel file. Upon the request of a teacher, a reasonable effort must be made to assist the teacher to correct those deficiencies reported in the evaluation of the teacher for which the teacher requests assistance.

      (Added to NRS by 1973, 790; A 1975, 614; 1979, 1607, 1830; 1985, 1084; 1987, 1005; 1989, 1426; 1995, 393; 2007, 2164, 2453)