APPR Rules Allow Parents/Guardians Access to Teacher and Principal HEDI Ratings
APPR disclosure requirements of Education Law §3012-c (10) have been implemented. The Spackenkill Union Free School District adheres to the law in a way that is fair to teachers, principals and parents.
Some of the district’s primary obligations under the law are to:
• “Fully disclose and release to the parents and/or legal guardians of a student the final quality rating and composite effectiveness score for each of the teachers and for the principal of the school building to which the student is assigned for the current school year upon the request of such parents and legal guardians.”
• Provide “an oral or written explanation of the composite effectiveness scoring ranges for final quality ratings.”
• Make “reasonable efforts… to verify that any such request is a bona fide request by a parent or guardian.”
While portions of the law may still face challenges in court, the district will work to fulfill its legal obligations unless instructed otherwise by the New York State Education Department.
Disclosure of APPR Data
Teacher APPR information – consisting of the final quality rating and composite effectiveness score – is not considered public information. By law, this individual information may only be released to parents/guardians and only for their children’s assigned teachers in a current school year. It is not subject to the Freedom of Information Law or FOIL requests, a process that reporters and other individuals can use to access public records.
While the Commissioner of Education is required to release statewide APPR data, teachers’ personally identifying information cannot and will not be released to the public by the district or the commissioner. This does not preclude a parent/ guardian from sharing information publicly. The Spackenkill School District will support its teachers throughout this process and work to educate the public about the challenges and facts of APPR.
It is important for Spackenkill parents to understand that this is the first year of a new, untested evaluation system and that it will not change current practices for assigning students to teachers. Spackenkill School District teachers have always held themselves to a high standard and we are very proud of the outstanding work they do each and every day.
Upon request, the District will release to parents/legal guardians the final quality ratings and composite effectiveness scores for teachers and principals to which their student is currently assigned. All requests must be made to the building principals by the parent/legal guardian in writing. The District's obligation to disclose this information is limited to those teachers and building principals subject to Education Law 3012-c.
The following is the procedure for parent and legal guardian requests for effectiveness scores:
Procedure for Parent Request of Composite Score (from Spackenkill Board of Education Policy #4129)
• A parent may request his child’s current teacher’s composite score from the previous school year beginning October 15. In the case of courses that change by marking period or semester, the request cannot be made until the child is in that teacher’s class.
• The request must be made in person, in writing, on the district's 2016-2017 PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR TEACHER COMPOSITE SCORE REQUEST FORM (PDF). A separate form must be filled out for each score requested.
• At the time the request is brought to the main office, a clerical person will check the identification of the person making the request, verify the legal guardianship of that person, and schedule an appointment for that person with the appropriate building administrator. An attempt will be made to schedule the appointment within seven working days of the submission of the request.
• During the meeting with the parent/guardian, the building administrator will provide the composite score orally to the parent.
The school district will not honor requests from parents/legal guardians or students to change the student’s assigned teacher(s) and/or building because of a teacher or administrator’s APPR score.
Procedure for Parent Request of Composite Score of a Principal
• A parent may request his child’s current principal’s composite score from the previous school year beginning October 15.
• The request must be made in person, in writing, on the district's CLICK HERE FOR PRINCIPAL COMFOSITE SCORE REQUEST FORM (PDF) and brought to the district office. A separate form must be filled out for each score requested.
• At the time the request is brought to the district office, a clerical person will check the identification of the person making the request, verify the legal guardianship of that person, and schedule an appointment for that person with the appropriate district office administrator. An attempt will be made to schedule the appointment within seven working days of the submission of the request.
• During the meeting with the parent/guardian, the building administrator will provide the composite score orally to the parent.
Supporting teachers and principals
The Spackenkill Union Free School District is committed to supporting the development of effective teachers and administrators. To this end, the district shall provide procedures for the evaluation of all professional staff. District plans for Annual Professional Performance Review of teachers and principals shall be developed in accordance with applicable laws, Commissioner's Regulations, and Rules of the Board of Regents.
The purposes of these evaluations are:
a) To encourage and promote improved performance;
b) To guide professional development efforts; and
c) To provide a basis for evaluative judgments by applicable school officials.
Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR)
The details of the evaluation process are determined locally by districts, but all K-12 teachers and principals in the state are evaluated in three areas: classroom/leadership observations and evidence, student growth, and student achievement.
Every K-12 teacher and principal in New York State receives a HEDI Rating - Highly Effective, Effective, Developing or Ineffective - calculated based on a 100-point possible overall score.
CLICK HERE FOR PRINCIPALS APPR
CLICK HERE FOR TEACHERS APPR