Southern Regional To Implement New Teacher/Adminstrator Evaluations Ahead of State Deadline

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP --- The Southern Regional School Board approved the district’s effectiveness evaluation procedure that was recently mandated by the state at Wednesday's meeting.

Under the passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Chris Christie earlier this month, teachers and administrators will now undergo annual effectiveness evaluations.

“We just got ahead of the curve,” said district Superintendent Craig Henry after the meeting. He also said by having the plan in place now, the district will be able to “field test” it during the first trimester of the coming school year. This will enable the district to make any minor adjustments if needed before submitting it to the state by the deadline, he added.

Beginning in January 2013, the act requires every school district to annually submit to the state education commissioner the evaluation plan it will use to test the effectiveness of teachers and administrators.

When introducing the policy for a vote to the board, Henry thanked Colleen Neil, president of the Southern Regional Education Association, for her and other teachers help in developing the plan.

Neil, a middle and high school history teacher, said teachers and the administration met over the summer and “worked as a team” to develop the evaluation plan.

The effectiveness evaluations, once in place, will become one of the factors used to determine tenure and other retention issues for both teachers and administrators in the future, according to the act.