For many programs, the “annual” review is the only time the director and the staff member meet one-on-one to review the past year.
Delivering a preschool teacher evaluation once a year is not a problem. IF the review(s) you are writing are positive.
However, for those staff members where there are areas that need improvement or issues to be discussed, annual review time can be a time of dread—for both parties.
Preschool Teacher evaluation time can be stressful--for both parties involved! But, if you use the proper tools, your evaluations will be THE most important tool to improve the quality of your program and your staff.
Staff evaluations are so important to the growth and quality of your program. Evaluations are an amazing opportunity to meet one-on-one with each member of your preschool team to reflect on the past successes and struggles. It is also an opportunity to look forward and plan for the growth and changes you can work on as a team.
Most staff members (and directors!) dread them and I think the reason for this is that reviews are considered a measurement or, if you will, a judgement when they should be used as tools for improvement: improvement in the way of personal growth and development for the teacher and improvement to the quality of your program.
Did You Know?
According to a Gallup poll, 78% of employees polled said that annual evaluations
25% of that same group said annual reviews were basically worthless and considered them
A WASTE OF THEIR TIME !
It is my belief that annual reviews should NOT be the only time you meet with your staff one-on-one. Growth and development plans should be discussed and supported often throughout the year.
In addition, annual reviews should certainly NOT be the time when you formally discuss issues. Like growth and development plans, concerns or areas that need change should be discussed immediately with a plan to make changes.
The annual review is a great time to do just that: Review! Review the growth & and development learning that’s taken place AND review the challenges, issues and improvements that have happened throughout the year. I suggest that you use your annual employee evaluation form as a tool to meet with each staff member at least quarterly.
Writing up Employee Evaluations can be a daunting task.
It is even more daunting if you don’t have a form developed yet or if you have a form that does not cover the areas you want it to.
I have created a packet that has all the forms you'll need. It includes:
Employee Evaluation Form
that covers 44 professional areas within 6 Sections!
(see below for details!)
Observation Documentation Form
Teacher Workshop Log
And they are ALL EDITABLE (in this MS Word Packet) , so you can customize it to your own program's needs!
Order Yours Today:
$6.00 (USD)
Here are some more details!
Staff Evaluation (Review) Form
This 3-page review form covers 44 specific review criteria broken down under 6 main sections to help support staff in their professional growth and development as well as review the staff member's understanding and application of your program’s quality indicators. The 6 sections are:
Professionalism
This section contains 10 review areas including:
Program Planning & Development
This section contains 9 review areas including:
Guiding & Interacting with Children
This section contains 10 review areas including:
Partnering with Families
This section contains 4 review areas including:
Partnering with Co-Workers
This section contains 7 review areas including:
Professional Development
This section contains 4 review areas including:
Staff Observation Form
Use this form when observing teachers either formally or informally. It will help you to see your teachers’ strengths and areas needing improvement.
This form has 4 sections to use while observing staff to prompt you to observe specifics such as:
1. Taking note of what is happening in the class at the time of the observation (this is where you would list Circle Time, Center Time, Snack Time, preparing to go outside, etc.)
2. Taking note of what you observe and/or the interactions between staff or children that you observe.
3. Taking note of what was handled well (be sure to let the teacher know right away as well!)
4. Taking note of any areas or concerns you might see.
These types of documentations will help you in many ways! Of course, they will be helpful during any evaluations.
Additionally, your documentations will help you determine trainings you want to provide to staff, issues happening in the classroom that you were not aware of that you can provide support for (perhaps an issue with a family, or relational issue between staff, etc.)
Preschool Staff Workshop Log
This will help your teachers (and you!) keep track of any trainings they attend throughout the year.
We kept a folder for each of us in the classroom and added to it each time we attended a training.
We would look at our logs during each monthly staff meeting and discuss ideas as a team for further training during our staff meetings.
This packet is completely editable. As you review this packet you can delete items that may not apply to your program or that you don’t think is necessary to be on an evaluation form. You can also add items you think should be included.
Prior to meeting with each staff member, provide them with a copy of the evaluation form used. Each staff member should take the time to self-assess how they think they are doing in the areas covered on the evaluation form along with notes and comments.
You should also fill out a copy with your own assessment of those areas for each staff member. When you meet with the staff member, you should both bring your assessments and compare/discuss them. You should also bring a summary of (or copies of) the observations you have done.
These tools (the staff evaluation form and the observation forms) are a way to help your program grow and flourish. It helps you to know where your staff needs more support and helps your staff to know what support is in place as well as to know that you are part of a team.
If you have only presented annual evaluations in the past, change that starting today! Decide to meet with each staff member regularly. Will it be monthly? Quarterly? Once you decide, provide your staff with a copy of your evaluation form for them to do a self-assessment. You do the same for each employee.
Meet with each employee and discuss, compare and plan for the next meeting. This gives your teacher a time frame to work on specific areas. It gives you a time frame for observing a teacher’s classroom, creating trainings that will help them grow and providing other support to help them succeed!
Preschool Teacher Evaluation Pack
Get your editable MS Word packet now!
