Unsatisfactory Evaluations: Virginia

Analysis of Virginia's policies

Virginia requires that any probationary teacher who receives an unsatisfactory performance evaluation shall not be "reemployed" by the local district.

Virginia does not have a policy regarding non-probationary teachers who receive unsatisfactory evaluations, except that teachers receiving unsatisfactory evaluations must have an evaluation the following year.

Citation

Code of Virginia: Section 22.1-295 and Section 22.1-303

Recommendations for Virginia

Require that all teachers who receive unsatisfactory evaluations be placed on improvement plans.
Virginia should adopt a policy requiring that all teachers who receive even one unsatisfactory evaluation be placed on structured improvement plans. These plans should focus on performance areas that directly connect to student learning and should list noted deficiencies, define specific action steps necessary to address these deficiencies and describe how and when progress will be measured.

Make eligibility for dismissal a consequence of unsatisfactory evaluations.
Teachers who receive two consecutive unsatisfactory evaluations or have two unsatisfactory evaluations within five years should be formally eligible for dismissal, regardless of whether they have tenure. Virginia should adopt a policy that ensures that all teachers who receive such unsatisfactory evaluations are eligible for dismissal.

State response to our analysis

Virginia recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.