Frequency of Evaluations : Kansas

Analysis of Kansas's policies

Regrettably, Kansas does not ensure that all teachers are evaluated annually.

For the first two years of employment, new teachers are required to be evaluated once per semester; each evaluation must be scheduled no later than the 60th day of the semester. During the third and fourth years of employment, teachers in Kansas are required to be evaluated annually. After the fourth year, teachers are evaluated once every three years, not later than February 15 of that particular school year. 

Citation

Kansas Statute 72-9003(d)

Recommendations for Kansas

Require annual formal evaluations for all teachers.
All teachers in Kansas should be evaluated annually. Rather than treated as mere formalities, these teacher evaluations should serve as important tools for rewarding good teachers, helping average teachers improve and holding weak teachers accountable for poor performance.  

Base evaluations on multiple observations.
To guarantee that annual evaluations are based on an adequate collection of information, Kansas should require multiple observations for all teachers, even those who have nonprobationary status. Further, as evaluation instruments become more data driven, it may not be feasible to issue multiple formal evaluation ratings during a single year. Applicable student data will likely not be available to support multiple ratings.  

State response to our analysis

Kansas asserted that its new Educator Evaluation Protocol (KEEP) system, which is currently being piloted, will ensure that these recommendations are followed. The state added that it will make final design considerations upon successful completion of the pilot.