The Network for Educator Effectiveness teacher evaluation system includes comprehensive processes, resources, and tools to support teacher growth. When implemented with fidelity, NEE promotes the development of high-quality teaching practices that lead to student achievement – something school leaders strive for every day.

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How can school district leaders most effectively support NEE implementation that achieves the highest levels of effectiveness?

Well, every great initiative requires some level of oversight and accountability. If district administrators are not paying attention, any initiative is likely to fizzle out. With NEE, supporting implementation begins when district administrators stay in close contact with building principals to monitor and support NEE processes at the building level.

The following monthly timeline provides ideas for check-in points between district administrators and building administrators to monitor and support effective implementation of NEE’s teacher evaluation processes.

A word of caution: NEE does not intend for district administrators to “micromanage” principals. We encourage district administrators to view the items on this timeline as opportunities to clarify expectations, understand and clear obstacles that might be interfering with NEE implementation, and provide feedback to school leaders to support their work. Utilize the NEE Guide to Effective Feedback Conversations as a framework for your feedback conversations with principals and in coaching principals to improve their feedback to teachers.

July

  • Send a reminder email to building administrators to complete their NEE training and qualifying exam, if they have not yet done so. All administrators who evaluate teachers are required to complete training and the qualifying exam each summer. Returning administrators complete NEE Recertification training; new administrators complete New Evaluator training.
  • Download your People list in the NEE Data Tool to confirm access levels and building assignments are correct for everyone.
  • Update your People list to add new staff and archive staff who have left the district.

August

  • Meet with building administrators and clearly communicate your expectations for: which NEE indicators will be measured in classroom observations district-wide, the frequency of classroom observations, and which other NEE evaluation measures will be used (if any).
  • If your district uses a multi-year summative rotation cycle, ensure principals have a list of all staff who will be due this school year.
  • Create classroom observation templates that include the NEE indicators that will be measured across the district.
  • Work with building administrators to make sure all new teachers know how to log in to the NEE Data Tool (and that they can successfully log in) and that all new teachers have completed the Introduction to NEE module in EdHub.

September

  • Toward the end of September, open the District Activity report under the Status Reports menu in the NEE Data Tool. Check the number of classroom observations that have been completed by each evaluator. Have evaluators completed the expected number of observations? Does anyone need your help?
  • If your district is using NEE’s Teacher Professional Development Plan: Open the TPDP Status report under the Status Reports menu to ensure the TPDP process is under way. Training materials for the TPDP process are available in EdHub, under the NEE Training Materials topic.

October

  • If your district is using NEE’s Unit of Instruction plan: Communicate with building leaders your expectations for using the UOI. Building leaders should begin reviewing the UOI process with teachers, and teachers will begin the process in November. Training materials for the UOI process are available in EdHub, under the NEE Training Materials topic.

November

  • Open the Building Activity report under the Status Reports menu in the NEE Data Tool. Click on the Teachers column at the top of the report to organize the data by number of classroom observations for each teacher. Have evaluators completed the expected number of observations for each teacher? Does anyone need your help?

December

  • Open the Indicator Trend Report under the Status Reports menu in the NEE Data Tool. Share the data with building administrators to conduct a mid-year appraisal of district-wide performance. The report can be filtered by building.
  • Open the District Activity report and/or the Building Activity report under the Status Reports menu in the NEE Data Tool. Have evaluators completed the expected number of observations? Does anyone need your help?
  • If your district will use the NEE Student Survey: Communicate your expectations for administration of the student survey to begin in January or February. Training materials for administration of the NEE Student Survey are available in EdHub under the NEE Training Materials topic.

January

  • If your district is using the UOI and/or TPDP: Communicate with building leaders your expectations for completing these processes by late February or early March. Open the UOI Status and the TPDP Status reports under the Status Reports menu in the NEE Data Tool to ensure both processes are on track for completion.
  • Summative evaluations will be starting soon. Make sure new principals are prepared and know what to expect. Have new principals complete the Teacher Summative Report module available in EdHub, under the NEE Training Materials topic.

February

  • As summative evaluations approach, communicate your expectations for the teacher summative evaluation process, including: the district’s deadline for completing all summative evaluations; all teacher evaluation data (observations, surveys, TPDP scoring, UOI scoring) should be scored before completing the summative; and administrators should hold feedback conferences with teachers.

March

  • Open the Summative Status report under the Status Reports menu in the NEE Data Tool. Make sure each teacher who should have received a summative evaluation has had one completed.
  • Communicate with principals to begin registering for NEE summer training.

April

  • Open the Indicator trend Report under Status Reports in the NEE Data Tool and share the data with administrators and the professional development committee. Set PD goals, select indicators, and select evaluation measures for next school year.

May

  • Communicate with principals to register for NEE summer training, if they have not already done so.
  • Send an email to nee@missouri.edu to notify NEE of administrator changes for next school year, including administrators who will not be returning to the district, administrators who will be joining the district, and any building administrators who are moving into district administrator roles.
  • Guide principals to begin the Teacher Professional Development Plan process with teachers for the next school year. Teachers should complete the pre-implementation section of the plan using the Microsoft Word version of the organizer, available on the Help and Resources menu in the NEE Data Tool. After the school year rolls over in July in the NEE Data Tool, teachers can transfer the content of the plan into the online version of the organizer.

June

  • Send a reminder email to building administrators to complete their NEE training and qualifying exam, if they have not yet done so. All administrators who evaluate teachers are required to complete training and the qualifying exam each summer. Returning administrators complete NEE Recertification training; new administrators complete New Evaluator training.
  • Missouri districts: Complete DESE’s Screen 18a report from NEE. The data collects throughout the school year and will be cleared when the Data Tool rolls to the new school year in July. Click on Screen 18a under Status Reports in the NEE Data Tool to view and export the report.
  • One more time, before July 1, check the Summative Status report under the Status Reports menu to be sure all teachers who should have had a summative completed are listed and that all are “closed” before the school year rolls over in July in the NEE Data Tool.

Using this timeline, district administrators can more appropriately check in with principals to provide support and encouragement for implementing NEE with the highest levels of fidelity. As you have questions or would like to talk through unique considerations in your district, please contact the NEE Help Desk at nee@missouri.edu or 844-793-4357.

The Network for Educator Effectiveness (NEE) is a simple yet powerful comprehensive system for educator evaluation that helps educators grow, students learn, and schools improve. Developed by preK-12 practitioners and experts at the University of Missouri, NEE brings together classroom observation, student feedback, teacher curriculum planning, and professional development as measures of effectiveness in a secure online portal designed to promote educator growth and development.