Frequency of Evaluations : Nebraska

Analysis of Nebraska's policies

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

The state does not articulate the frequency of evaluations for nonprobationary teachers. Nebraska does, however, require that new teachers be evaluated at least twice a year, a minimum of once a semester. 

Citation

Nebraska Statute 79-828(2)

Recommendations for Nebraska

Require annual formal evaluations for all teachers.
All teachers in Nebraska 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, Nebraska 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

Nebraska recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.