Hawaii Teachers Union Tentative Contract Agreement

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN
STATE OF HAWAII
BOARD OF EDUCATION AND
HAWAII STATE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
(TEACHER EVALUATION)

WHEREAS,

• The intent of this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is to:

• Communicate expectations related to the new performance evaluation for teachers;
• Outline the conditions for the state’s successful implementation of a new performance
evaluation system; and,
• Ensure teachers’ and their Union representatives’ involvement in the continuous
improvement of the performance evaluation system through a formal mechanism for
collaboration between Association as the exclusive representative of teachers and the
Employer.

• The parties recognize and agree that teacher performance is critical to students’ growth and
development. Therefore, the evaluation of teachers’ performance should provide information
pertinent to professional improvement that increases teachers’ effectiveness in facilitating
student learning and growth, so that all students reach their aspirations from early learning
through college, career, and citizenship;

• The evaluation shall be implemented in accordance with relevant Hawaii Revised Statutes,
Hawaii State Board of Education (Board) policies, Bargaining Unit 5 collective bargaining
provisions and the Employer’s guidelines, procedures and Standard Practices;

• This agreement builds upon ongoing national research and practice and two years of piloting
the evaluation components in Hawaii. In 2011-12, 18 Hawaii schools piloted components of
a new evaluation design, and 81 schools piloted components in 2012-13;

• The parties believe that our students and teachers deserve an effective education system
which includes a quality performance evaluation system that provides teachers with
formative feedback to inform practice and advance student learning;

• The parties agree that the evaluation system and personnel evaluations must be fair,
transparent, equitable and comprehensive. The evaluation system must include orientation,
training and supports for evaluation system participants including teachers being evaluated
and administrators involved in producing teachers’ evaluation rating, and follow up support
as required;

• The parties recognize that in the process of education and learning there are factors affecting
student achievement that are not within the control of the teacher to affect; and, that these

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factors, external to the school and classroom, may have a significant impact on teachers’
effectiveness and student achievement;

• Performance evaluation is part of the Employer’s Educator Effectiveness System (EES), a
broader system of continuous improvement and effectiveness that addresses teacher
recruitment, induction, mentoring, professional development, and retention. The
performance evaluation provides data to support personalized professional growth;

• The Employer and Association agree to the following statement of values, based on the
National Education Association’s principles of evaluation1

• The purpose of evaluation is to guide ongoing improvement and support.
Specifically, the process of evaluation must provide meaningful and actionable
feedback linked to professional development.

• The evaluation process needs to be co-designed with teachers and their Union
representatives.

• The evaluation design must include multiple, valid measures based on transparent
teaching standards.

• Observations must be conducted by certified evaluators whose work is regularly
calibrated.

• Evaluation systems must be adequately funded and staffed, and fully developed and
validated.

• Evaluation systems must include adequate training and ongoing support for all
teachers on the new systems, before findings are used to make any high stakes
employment decisions.

• Teacher input is essential in determining performance and learning outcomes.

• In addition, the Employer and Association recognize that multiple forms of professional
development are critical to enhance teacher practice. Professional development has the
greatest impact when there is sufficient time for professional learning to be job-embedded as
part of an educator’s workday2.

THEREFORE,

The Employer and Association agree that the provisions of this MOU are consistent with the
provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, 2013-2017. The following conditions and
actions enable successful implementation of the performance evaluation statewide, effective July
1, 2013:

1
National Education Association, provided by Segun Eubanks to both parties on February 14, 2013
2
Learning Forward, Standards for Professional Learning. Oxford, OH 2011

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1. Collaboration

a. The Hawaii Department of Education (Department) and Association agree to form a
joint committee that shall review the design, validity, and reliability of the
performance evaluation system for continuous improvement of design and
implementation necessary to meet the aspirations detailed within the statement of
values. The joint committee will provide recommendations for adjustments or
changes to the Superintendent of Education and the Hawaii State Board of Education
to improve the design and implementation.

b. The committee shall include key stakeholders and be composed of an equal number
of representatives selected by each party.

c. The joint committee shall meet prior to the start of the 2013-2014 school year. The
committee shall meet at least twice a year.

d. The scope of the joint committee shall include, but shall not be limited to, review of
the following:

i. Equity on the evaluation design between classroom and non-classroom
teachers;

ii. Whether and how to differentiate the evaluation cycle for those teachers rated
as consistently effective and/or highly effective;

iii. Whether and how to include schoolwide growth measures for all teachers;

iv. Reclassification opportunities;

v. Method of calculating the summative evaluation rating;

vi. Supports including orientation, information, training and follow up
professional development related to evaluation;

vii. Timelines related to the evaluation system;

viii. Results of the evaluation system; and,

ix. Other issues mutually agreed upon.

e. Teachers and their Association representatives will have ongoing opportunities to be
involved in the design and implementation of the performance evaluation system.
Teachers may be asked to participate in surveys, serve on workgroups and associated
sub-committee; in addition, teachers may provide structured feedback through the
relevant Association UniServ representative.

2. Timeline

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a. Initial statewide implementation of the performance evaluation that is included in the
Educator Effectiveness System will occur in 2013-14. For tenured teachers, no
negative personnel action or consequences will be based on the 2013-14 evaluation
rating based on the performance evaluation in the initial year of statewide
implementation, in accordance with Hawaii State Board of Education Policy 2055.

b. Tenured teachers rated in 2012-13 as marginal on the Professional Evaluation
Program for Teachers (“PEP-T”) and teachers identified as having “documented
performance deficiencies” in 2012-13 will continue to use the PEP-T evaluation in
2013-14.

c. All non-tenured teachers who began service prior to the start to the 2013-14 school
year will be evaluated using the PEP-T during the 2013-14 school year.

d. All teachers entering service on or after the first day of the 2013-14 school year shall
be evaluated under the performance evaluation.

e. Full and ongoing statewide implementation of the performance evaluation with
personnel implications will begin in the 2014-15 school year. To meet the
requirements of section 302A-638 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes and Hawaii State
Board of Education Policy 2055 on Teacher and Principal Performance Evaluation,
the evaluation process will be ongoing and produce an annual evaluation rating of
each teacher’s performance. The rating will be based on multiple measures.

3. Measuring Effectiveness: Design and Implementation

a. The performance evaluation design meets the requirements of the Hawaii State Board
of Education Policy 2055 on Teacher and Principal Performance Evaluation.

i. The intent of the performance evaluation is to treat teachers fairly and
equitably while recognizing that the bargaining unit includes teachers who are
not based in a classroom and whose duties may not include direct instruction
of students (e.g. curriculum coordinators, counselors, resource teachers). In
accordance with Hawaii State Board of Education Policy 2055, teachers’
practice will be assessed based on their professional practice related to their
duties and responsibilities and teachers’ contribution to student learning and
growth.

ii. The performance evaluation design will be based 50% on teacher practice and
50% on student learning and growth. Each of these shall be determined using
multiple measures.

1. Teacher practice will be determined by three measures: classroom
observations, student surveys on classroom conditions, and teachers’
core professionalism (e.g. participation in a professional learning
community or data team, successful completion of the professional
development specified within an individual’s learning plan, and
professional duties).

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2. Student learning and growth will be determined by multiple measures:
student growth as measured by the Board-approved statewide
assessment and student learning objectives (e.g. teacher designed
content-driven goals set at the beginning of a course that specifically
measures student learning through one semester or school year).

b. The method of calculating the summative rating shall be determined before the start
of the 2013-14 school year, and information about the method will be included in an
evaluation manual and training for the 2013-14 school year.

c. The performance evaluation will result in an annual rating of each teacher’s
performance. The rating will be on a four-point scale: highly effective, effective,
marginal, and unsatisfactory.

d. Each teacher’s evaluation rating will be a part of their official evaluation record in
their personnel file.

e. Teachers shall have the opportunity to document concerns or additional context
surrounding their professional evaluation in their official evaluation record.

4. Preparing and Supporting Evaluators

a. Complex area capacity shall be enhanced to provide schools with targeted support on
the performance evaluation system. Specific positions will be allocated and dedicated
to conduct trainings, track progress, and support evaluators on implementing the
evaluation system in schools.

b. Evaluators shall be trained on the overall evaluation system and specifically certified
in the classroom observation protocol prior to initiating any formal classroom
observations which will be used to determine a teacher’s annual evaluation rating.

c. Evaluators shall calibrate regularly to strengthen accuracy and inter-rater reliability
according to the protocol of the observation tool.

5. Preparing and Supporting Teachers

a. Teachers shall be trained on the performance evaluation system:

i. By the first day of instruction for students, teachers will receive an orientation
to the performance evaluation system, including the tools, process,
performance criteria, method of calculating the annual evaluation rating, and
timelines. By August 31, teachers will receive additional training necessary to
build the knowledge, understanding and awareness of the performance
evaluation system. The first cycle of formal observations shall not begin until
these conditions are met.

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ii. Subsequent trainings are expected to focus on the application of the
performance evaluation system to identify data trends, derive insights, adjust
daily practice, and support broader instructional improvement efforts.

iii. First year teachers may receive an additional day of training as an orientation
to the Department, instructional expectations and resource supports.

b. Pursuant to an MOU between the Employer and Association on the professional
development time, every school will have dedicated time each month as part of the
teacher workday for teachers to participate in job-embedded professional
development. This time will be used for educators to work and learn together on the
following strategic priorities of the Board and Department: Common Core State
Standards, Response to Intervention, data teams and formative instruction, Educator
Effectiveness System, and mentoring support for beginning teachers.

c. School and complex area personnel shall provide targeted support around the
implementation of the performance evaluation system and achievement of individual
learning goals and objectives.

i. Each school has personnel, such as curriculum coordinators, literacy/data
coaches, technology coordinators, resource teachers, department heads and
grade level chairs, whose job duties and responsibilities include support for
teachers, the school’s professional learning community, and student learning;
these personnel are part of the system of support.

ii. Probationary teachers in their first and second year will be provided a
dedicated teacher mentor in accordance with their complex area’s induction
and mentoring program and as required by Board Policy 5100.

iii. Each complex area will contain identified teachers that serve as trained
experts in the classroom observation model and student learning objectives.
The skills of these trained teachers are resources for school-based support for
teachers who request assistance or need support. These trained teachers shall
not conduct formal observations that are used to determine the annual
performance evaluation rating.

d. Teachers will have access to a searchable database of all available large scale
professional development offered by the state office and complex areas within
Department’s data system as well as online courses and video modules. All of these
supports will be searchable by the components within the data system related to the
performance evaluation system.

e. All teachers will develop and maintain an individual professional development plan
that identifies areas for targeted growth and learning. Completion of the learning
opportunities within the plan will be considered a matter of professional
responsibility. For teachers rated as marginal, the evaluator shall be responsible for
leading development of the professional development plan.

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6. Procedural Safeguards and Assurances

a. The performance evaluations are subject to Article VIII – Teacher Performance,
including but not limited to:

i. All formal evaluations of teachers shall be in writing.

ii. No teacher shall be required to sign a blank or incomplete form.

iii. All monitoring or observation of the performance of a teacher shall be
conducted openly and with full knowledge of the teacher.

iv. The use of eavesdropping, public address-audio systems and similar devices
for teacher evaluation shall be prohibited.

v. Upon completion of the final evaluation rating, the evaluator will
review/discuss the evaluation with the teacher.

b. The following provisions of Article VIII – Teacher Performance are further
elaborated:

i. The formal observation of a teacher’s classroom practice contains a pre-
observation conference, an observation, and a post-observation conference
based on the documentation of the observation.

1. A teacher shall be notified at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to pre-
observation conversation before an observation commencing for
purposes of performance evaluation.

2. The expectation is that the evaluator provides feedback within a two-
week period of conducting the observation, as recommended by best
practice.

3. Observations for summative evaluation purposes shall be conducted by
Department Educational Officers.

ii. For salary increment purposes, tenured teachers in active service shall be
assumed to have an effective rating for that school year unless specifically
rated less than effective based on the documentation and process outlined in
this MOU. Teachers for whom this applies may provide documentation
within the evaluation record, as specified in Item 6 (e) below.

c. An administrator from the teacher’s school or administrative office shall determine
the final summative rating.

d. Individual teachers shall be provided an opportunity to document concerns or
additional context surrounding their professional evaluation with their official
evaluation record for their personnel file.

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e. Pursuant to the MOU between the Employer and Association, tenured teachers rated
as marginal may seek an expedited appeal.

7. The Department will provide the joint committee the results of a systematic review of the
evaluation design and implementation prior to the start of each school year. Prior to the start
of the school year, the joint committee shall provide recommendations for amendments or
changes to the Superintendent of Education and Board of Education.

8. This Memorandum of Understanding may be modified by mutual agreement of the Employer
and the Association. The MOU shall expire on June 30, 2017.

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Hawaii Teachers Union Tentative Contract Agreement

Hawaii Teachers Union Tentative Contract Agreement

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Hawaii Teachers Union Tentative Contract Agreement