Regional School Unit 73 board of directors on Thursday evening approved a new evaluation system for specialists and education technicians in the district. Screenshot

JAY — Regional School Unit 73’s board of directors on Thursday evening approved new evaluation systems for specialists and education technicians.

“We couldn’t use the same program for specialized staff because that plan did not incorporate rubrics that dealt with nursing or with social workers, any type of specialized position,” said Julie Bolduc, Title 1 reading specialist at Spruce Mountain Elementary School. “So we had to go with a different one.”

The new system for specialized staff, which has been in use for two years as a pilot program, includes specialized rubrics tailored to various positions like nursing and social work, based on the book “Teacher Evaluation to Enhance Professional Practice” by Charlotte Danielson and Thomas McGreal. 

Specialized staff complete self-evaluations using an electronic toolkit, rate themselves on position-specific standards, and set personal goals aligned with district objectives.

Because of confidentiality issues, observation of specialists may not always be possible in evaluating performance so evidence is collected and shared with the administrator, Bolduc stated. “They use that evidence to prove that they’re meeting whatever goal they set for themselves,” she said.

The scoring process is the same for teachers, specialists and education technicians, said Julie Taylor, a math teacher at Spruce Mountain Middle School. There are scores for personal, district, and building goals averaged to determine professional growth. Administrators also look at other areas outside of goals to determine professional practice scores.

Director Tina Riley of Jay asked if the changes in the evaluation system work well.

“Absolutely, we’re getting feedback,” Bolduc replied. A lot of the staff have said this is much better, it is actually more specific feedback to their field, and it allows them to use evidence to support what they’re working on, she noted.

The new system for education technicians is a three-year rotation, every three years they are randomly assigned to be evaluated.

They complete self-evaluations on paper as they do not always have access to technology at the same availability as staff. The technicians identify three to five stakeholders who provide feedback to the administrator, including teachers and other staff members they work with, Bolduc noted.

“It could be the bus driver that they ride with because they have to be part of transportation support for a particular student,” she stated.

Like specialized staff, the scores will be used to determine a technician’s professional growth and practice, Taylor said.

The systems have been piloted with some adjustments already made, Bolduc said. Some new staff had their year changed to allow time to familiarize themselves with other staff, she noted.

“I really appreciate that you’re doing this with such unified language we can all understand, everybody’s using the same terms,” Director Elaine Fitzgerald of Jay said. “Everybody is treated the same and has the same opportunities, and can actually grow from these. This is not evaluative and negative. This is how we enhance the positives. They are very clear and I appreciate that and I’m sure the staff does as well.”