The NSD/NSEA Instructional Quality Committee was established in 2011 with a primary goal of researching, recommending, and overseeing the implementation of a new Teacher and Principal evaluation system. The work of the committee is based upon ESSB 5895, which requires Washington State School Districts to begin to implement a new Evaluation System by the 2013-2014 school year. We will keep the information on this website as up to date as possible, and have enabled a 'submit a question' feature in order to keep the FAQ's up to date as well. The School Board voted unanimously to approve the Danielson Professional Practices Framework for use with the new teacher evaluation system.

One of the resources that will be used for the new evaluation system is eVal. It is a place where teachers and principals can set goals, upload artifacts and communicate securely about evaluations. For principals, it is also a tool that can be used for observations.

Please read more about eVal and its features here: http://tpep-wa.org/resources/eval

There is a 'sandbox' in which teachers and principals can 'play' to become familiar with eVal and its many features.  You don't need an EDS account to play in the sandbox, and any data you enter will be wiped clean each night.

Play in the sandbox here  (use Safari as your browser)

To log on as a teacher:

User Name:  Northshore SD school 1 T1

Password:  password

To log on as a principal:

User Name:  Northshore SD school 1 pr

Password:  password

As many of you know, the Legislature passed a bill in 2010 (ESSB6696, now updated in ESSB5895) that requires new criteria and a new rating system for evaluating principals and certificated classroom teachers. As a result of this legislation, Northshore Education Association (NSEA) and Northshore School District (NSD) bargained a representative joint committee, the Instructional Quality Committee (IQC), to oversee the study and implementation of the new required evaluation system.

In addition to ensuring compliance with the law, the primary goal of our committee is to improve the system of evaluation for teachers and principals through the use of effective tools and processes that promote individual professional growth.

Our first task as a committee was to study the three Professional Practices Frameworks that the state has recommended for use with the eight new teacher evaluation criteria established in E2SSB 6696. We brought in an outside expert to help us study the three frameworks (Robert Marzano, CEL's 5D+ and Charlotte Danielson) in an efficient and thorough way that allowed us to make an informed decision. The committee selected Charlotte Danielson's framework because it will allow us to use a model that reflects a systemic commitment to professional growth, self-reflection and a collaborative approach between teachers and principals.

Danielson's Framework for Teaching has a few key features that played a significant role in our decision.

• We found it to be the best fit with ongoing district-wide initiatives related to teaching and learning.
• The framework is about teaching, not the teacher, and provides a clear road map for continuous growth in the practice of teaching. It fosters a supportive environment and uses language that promotes self-advocacy and collaboration.
• The body of research that informed the development of the Danielson Framework, and the existing research about the use of this framework, was more extensive than the others. 

As a committee, we value collaborative conversation and a decision-making process that engages and includes key stakeholders in our community. We are united in our commitment to the process and in our convictions about the importance of taking the time to properly implement an authentic and valid teacher and principal evaluation system that is truly focused on the continuous improvement of teaching and learning.

The following timeline will guide our next steps as a committee, and we will continue to communicate our progress as we go.

• 2011-2012 IQC Committee studied frameworks and recommended Danielson to Board of Directors.
• 2012-2013 IQC Committee continues work on evaluation process, as state further defines parameters and language, in preparation for collective bargaining.
• 2013-2014 Begin new evaluation process for provisional and probationary teachers, as required by law and as bargained. 2014-2015 Implementation continues
• 2015-2016 All teachers evaluated under new system

Visit Washington State's Website for the TPEP Project.