August 2013.
Dear Educator,
In a continued effort to support all West Virginia educators on the new Educator
Evaluation System, the Department of Education would like to offer the following
information:
For educators who are new to the Online Educator Evaluation System, there are steps that
you can take to better ensure yourself of an easy transition into the system. In order to
participate in the new system, all educators need to have access to WVEIS on the Web
(WOW). If you have never used WOW or simply need a refresher course with the site,
helpful information can be located on the Resources page of the Educator Evaluation
website. Information located on this page can guide you through registering to use
WOW, resetting your password, and assist in answering many of the questions you may
have regarding WOW.
Once you have accessed WOW using your WVEIS ID, please ensure that you provide
your employee ID number and a contact email address to the system. The employee
number and contact email address are vital components to the new Online Educator
Evaluation System. Failing to provide these essential components could result in
difficulties using the system in the future.
The Department of Education, in conjunction with district central offices and each of the
eight RESAs, have developed a system for fielding your questions regarding WOW and
the new Educator Evaluation System. Please visit the Contacts page of the Educator
Evaluation website to see whom you should contact if you have questions or concerns
regarding the new Online Educator Evaluation System.
For an overview of when specific components of the evaluation system need to be
completed, please refer to the Educator Evaluation System Timeline.
Be watchful for future emails regarding the new Educator Evaluation System. The
purpose of these emails is to better guide and assist you throughout the 2013-2014 school
year.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Trent J. Danowski
Office of Professional Preparation
September 2013
Dear Educator,
In a continued effort to support all West Virginia educators on the new Educator Evaluation System, the
Department of Education would like to offer the following information:
The Educator Self-Reflection, the first component of the evaluation system, must be completed within the
online system by all educators on or before October 1, 2013. All educators are required to complete a selfreflection regardless of your role (e.g. School Leader, Teacher, or School Counselor) or your assigned
progression level. Educators should always use the rubrics provided within the online system for each
standard element reflected upon while completing the self-reflection. During the pilot years of the
evaluation system, the Educator Self-Reflection was widely regarded a worthwhile and powerful tool
which promotes educator growth. The self-reflection establishes your starting point for the year as an
educator. Since self-reflections are reviewed by the evaluator, they also serve to open up communication
between educator and evaluator. Open and honest dialogue between educator and evaluator is a critical
aspect of the evaluation process.
A reminder to all school-level administrators: In order for your educators to complete any of the
components within the online evaluation system, the school administrator must first assign a Progression
Level to each educator. For information on assigning progression levels to educators, as well as other
administrator responsibilities within the evaluation system, please refer to the WOW Training Guide for
Administrators, available through the Resources page of the Educator Evaluation website.
The Department of Education, in conjunction with district central offices and each of the eight RESAs, has
developed a system for fielding your questions regarding WOW and the new Educator Evaluation System.
Please visit the Contacts page of the Educator Evaluation website to see whom you should contact if you
have questions or concerns regarding the new online Educator Evaluation System. The support contact
listings were recently revised in an effort to make the information more user-friendly. Since questions
regarding the technical aspects of the online system and questions regarding procedural aspects of
the evaluation system are often best answered by different persons, it is imperative that educators
refer to the Support Contacts list available through the Educator Evaluation website in order to
assure you receive the best and the most efficient response to a question or concern.
Upcoming Educator Evaluation System Dates:
•
•
•
October 1, 2013 – Educator Self-Reflections are due in the online system.
November 1, 2013 – Educator Learning Goals are due in the online system.
By November 1, 2013 – Evaluators complete first observation for educators on the Initial and
Intermediate progressions.
Sincerely,
Trent J. Danowski
Office of Professional Preparation.
October 2013
Dear Educator,
In a continued effort to support all West Virginia educators on the new Educator Evaluation System, the
Department of Education would like to offer the following information:
The Educator Self-Reflection, the first component of the evaluation system, was to be completed within the
online system by all educators by October 1, 2013. During the week of October 7, the Department of
Education confirmed that over 19,000 educators of the approximately 21,000 state-wide educators
registered in the online system successfully completed and submitted a Self-Reflection. If you have yet to
complete and submit a Self-Reflection within the online Educator Evaluation System, please do so in a
timely fashion.
Educator Goal Setting, the second component of the evaluation system, is to be completed within the online
system by all educators on or before November 1, 2013. All educators are to set two goals for the current
school year. The types of goals you set vary depending on your role as an educator (e.g. – School Leader,
Teacher, or Counselor). However, WV Senate Bill 359 requires that all PK-3rd grade teachers focus one
of their learning goals on Reading. Please visit the Educator Evaluation website for more information
on Goal Setting, including numerous sample goals for review, or refer to the appropriate Educator
Evaluation Guidebook for further assistance.
For Counselors and School Leaders, an online cross-walk document had been created to assist you with
the proper placement of specific Goal Setting information within the generic template of the online system.
Beginning during the week of October 21, this reference material will be found within the Goal
Setting component of the WVEIS WOW online system for Counselors and School Leaders only.
The Office of Information Systems has created a new link within WVEIS WOW entitled My Information.
The My Information link, located within the Educators menu option, allows you to review your critical data
as it relates to the online evaluation system (i.e. – school assignment, employee ID number, contact email
address, etc.). As many technical difficulties when using the online system are ultimately the result of
inaccurate data entry, please take a moment to ensure that your information is accurate. If you find that
changes need to be made to your information, the My Information link also provides the appropriate
personnel to contact in order to have those changes made.
Upcoming Educator Evaluation System Dates:
•
•
•
November 1, 2013 – Educator Goal Setting is due in the online system.
By November 1, 2013 – Evaluators complete first observation for educators on the Initial and
Intermediate progressions.
By January 1, 2014 – Evaluators complete second observation for those educators on the Initial
progression.
Sincerely,
Trent J. Danowski
Office of Professional Preparation.
November 2013
Dear Educator,
In a continued effort to support all West Virginia educators on the new Educator Evaluation System, the
Department of Education would like to offer the following information:
The submission of Evidence within the new Educator Evaluation System is one of the ways an
educator has direct input into his/her own evaluation. Evidence is submitted using the corresponding
link within the online system and does not require the uploading of documents or the maintaining of
portfolios. There are 3 instances which require the submission of Evidence within the online Educator
Evaluation System:
1. If an educator self-reflects as Distinguished, or if the evaluator determines the performance rating
to be Distinguished, evidence is required.
2. If the educator’s self-reflection differs from the opinion of the evaluator, the educator is afforded
the opportunity to provide evidence to support his/her self-reflection rating. The evaluator will
consider the evidence provided when completing the summative evaluation.
3. If an Unsatisfactory rating is given to the educator, evidence must be noted in the system by the
evaluator.
For more information on Evidence, please refer to the Educator Evaluation Guidebooks, or review the
concise Frequently Asked Questions document available on the Evidence page of the Educator Evaluation
webpage.
All educators have the capability to print completed components of the online Educator Evaluation
System. If you desire to print any completed components of your online evaluation, you should utilize the
Evaluation File 2014 link found within your WOW account. The Observation component of the online
system has been updated to allow you to print an Observation report which includes the comments
provided by the evaluator during the observation. Your designated evaluator and select personnel at your
employing district central office also have the capability to print completed components of your online
Educator Evaluation System. No other individual has access (view/print) to your evaluation files.
The evaluation procedure for Librarians/Media Specialists may be determined at the district-level
based upon the assigned job responsibilities of the individual educator. Educators who are assigned
direct instructional responsibilities with students are to be evaluated using the online evaluation system.
Educators who are not assigned direct instructional responsibilities may be evaluated using the Professional
Growth and Development Goal method of evaluation at the discretion of the employing district central
office. Questions should be directed to your district central office.
Upcoming Educator Evaluation System Dates:
•
•
By January 1, 2014 – Evaluators complete second observation for those educators on the Initial
progression.
By March 1, 2014 – Evaluators complete third observation for those educators on the Initial
progression.
Sincerely,
Trent J. Danowski
Office of Professional Preparation.
December 2013
Dear Educator,
In a continued effort to support all West Virginia educators on the new Educator Evaluation System, the
Department of Education would like to offer the following information:
Observations provide a view of teacher practice and the opportunity to collect data for the purposes
of educator evaluation. Evidence collected during observations help educators clarify strengths and
identify areas for growth. Educators and evaluators shall conduct a conference within ten (10) days of the
completion of an observation. During these conferences, educators and evaluators exchange reflection and
feedback related to the completed observation. By January 1, 2014, teachers on the Initial Progression
should have two (2) observations completed, while teachers on the Intermediate Progression should have
one (1) of their observations completed. Observations are not required for teachers in the Advanced
Progression, but may be requested at any time by either the educator or the evaluator.
Observations for school counselors are completely optional, but may be requested by the school
counselor or the evaluator at any time for activities of a non-confidential nature. These observations can be
used as evidence to support performance ratings or goal attainment.
For more complete information regarding educator observations, please review the Educator Evaluation
Guidebooks available for view/print on the West Virginia Educator Evaluation website.
The Office of Data Management and Analysis has created a new monitoring tool which will enable
district and school-level administrators to monitor the progress made by educators within the online
Educator Evaluation System. The new monitoring tool is designed to provide easy access to aggregate
numbers and percentages regarding educator completion of specific evaluation components. For example,
through this new tool, district administrators are able to quickly and easily view exactly what percentage of
educators at a given school within their district have successfully completed the Self-Reflection component
or the Goal-setting component of the online evaluation system. School-level administrators are able to
access the same aggregate information specific to their school only. In order to access this new monitoring
tool please locate the WVR link on the Menu page of WVEIS WOW. Click the link to view the subfolders,
if needed. Next, locate and expand the WVR400 (Educator Evaluation and Quality) link in order to view
the subfolders. The monitoring tool is labeled as EMP.EVALR (Educator Evaluation Reports).
Upcoming Educator Evaluation System Dates:
•
•
By January 1, 2014 – Evaluators complete second observation for those educators on the Initial
progression.
By March 1, 2014 – Evaluators complete third observation for those educators on the Initial
progression
Sincerely,
Trent J. Danowski
Office of Professional Preparation.
January 2014
Dear Educator,
In a continued effort to support all West Virginia educators on the new Educator Evaluation System, the
Department of Education would like to offer the following information:
A reminder to all evaluators: The educator evaluation system utilizes rubrics which must be adhered
to when conducting/completing the evaluation of an educator. Rubrics can be easily accessed while
using the online system by clicking on the provided blue “Rubric” links within the individual components
of the online system. You may also download and print complete evaluation rubrics for Teachers, School
Leaders, and Counselors through the WV Educator Evaluation webpage. The need to adhere to the rubrics
is necessary during all phases of the evaluation process; this includes not only the summative evaluation,
but when conducting observations and assessing the success of an educator’s Student Learning Goal(s).
The Office of Data Management and Analysis has created a new monitoring tool which will enable
district and school-level administrators to monitor the progress made by educators within the online
Educator Evaluation System. The new monitoring tool is designed to provide easy access to aggregate
numbers and percentages regarding educator completion of specific evaluation components. For example,
district administrators are able to quickly and easily view the percentage of educators at a given school,
within their district, have successfully completed the Self-Reflection component or the Goal-setting
component of the online evaluation system. School-level administrators are able to access the same
aggregate information specific to their school only. In order to access this new monitoring tool please
locate the WVR link on the Menu page of WVEIS WOW. Click the link to view the subfolders and locate
and expand the WVR400 (Educator Evaluation and Quality) link in order to view the subfolders. The
monitoring tool is labeled as EMP.EVALR (Educator Evaluation Reports). This monitoring tool is one
of the system improvements which was recommended by our pilot and demonstration sites.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The WV Department of Education will soon be contacting schools and districts
whose aggregate data, as reflected through the above mentioned EVALR Monitoring Tool, demonstrates
that educators in the school/district are behind schedule. This is just a means to help districts/schools
monitor the completion of educator evaluation online components and determine where assistance is
needed.
ESEA Guidance Documents specific to the West Virginia Educator Evaluation System are now available
online through the WV Educator Evaluation website.
Upcoming Educator Evaluation System Dates:
•
By March 1, 2014 – Evaluators complete third observation for those educators on the Initial
progression
Sincerely,
Trent J. Danowski
Office of Professional Preparation.
March 2014
Dear Educator,
In a continued effort to support all West Virginia educators on the new Educator Evaluation System, the
Department of Education would like to offer the following information:
Twitter Updates! – Keeping up to date with the evaluation system has just become easier! The Department
of Education would like to announce the launch of the West Virginia Educator Evaluation System Twitter
Feed. WVDE will provide update information, links to resources, and answers to your questions about the
educator evaluation system. Please follow us on Twitter @wvedeval
Professional Goals and Student Learning Goals – As educators complete their Professional and/or
Student Learning Goals and reach a point in the school year where results data is available for their goal(s),
remember to return to your WVEIS WOW Educator Evaluation online account and to input the new results
data into the appropriate completed goal. Educators should return to the goals they established in the online
system prior to November 1, 2013 and input their results in section 8 within the online goals template.
Educators who are late-year hires should be evaluated using either the online system or paper-based
evaluation forms. Educators who are contracted to teach for 100 days or more should be utilizing the online
evaluation system. Educators whose employment date results in a contract of fewer than 100 days may find
the paper-based evaluation system more accommodating to their shortened timeframe in the classroom,
although it is possible to have such educators use the online system as well.
School Leader / Principal Evaluations – As of March 17, 2014: school leaders/principals who utilized the
online evaluation system during the 2012-2013 school year may return to those online evaluations and
finalize the results of their completed Summative Evaluation.
ESEA Guidance Documents specific to the West Virginia Educator Evaluation System are now available
online through the WV Educator Evaluation website.
Upcoming Educator Evaluation System Dates:
•
By March 1, 2014 – Evaluators complete third observation for those educators on the Initial
progression
•
By May 1, 2014:
o Evaluators complete final observations for educators in Initial and Intermediate
progressions.
o Educators submit evidence & submit results data for their Professional and Student
Learning Goals.
Sincerely,
Trent J. Danowski
Office of Professional Preparation.
May 2014
Dear Educator,
In a continued effort to support all West Virginia educators on the new Educator Evaluation System, the
Department of Education would like to offer the following information:
Congratulations are in order for all the educators in the state of West Virginia! You are quickly
approaching the conclusion of the first year of full state implementation of the online Educator Evaluation
System. Thank you for your professionalism in completing what, for many of you, was a new method of
evaluation. I have heard many great stories over the course of this year regarding educators assisting each
other in navigating the online components of the evaluation system. Your communication and collaboration
helped to ensure that this evaluation cycle is a successful one.
For Classroom Teachers who have chosen to use WESTEST data as the Results Data for one or more of
your student learning goals – your summative evaluation cannot be completed prior to June 1st of this
school year. You need to re-visit your goals for this school year in the fall of the 2014-2015 school year,
once WESTEST data is available for review. At that time, insert the appropriate Goal Results information
into the online system. Then notify your evaluator that your student learning goals are completed and the
completion of your 2014 summative evaluation may commence.
Attention Evaluators: Here is the proper Order of Events when completing the summative evaluations of
your educators:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Evaluator and Educator hold the summative evaluation conference.
Evaluator completes online summative evaluation of Educator. Evaluator checks the “Finalize”
option at the bottom of evaluation and then clicks SAVE.
Educator enters WOW evaluation module. Educator may now enter an Addendum to their
summative evaluation if desired. Educator “Accepts” evaluation and clicks SAVE.
Fall 2014: School-wide growth data will be uploaded into the evaluation system.
Fall 2014: Educators re-visit their 2014 evaluations and complete a Final Acceptance of their
evaluation.
Upcoming Educator Evaluation System Dates:



By June 1, 2014 – Evaluators conduct summative conferences with classroom teachers and
school counselors, then complete and finalize summative evaluations for those educators.
By June 1, 2014 – Educators re-visit 2014 summative evaluations which have been finalized
by their principal. Educators accept the 2014 summative evaluation.
By July 1, 2014 - Evaluators conduct summative conferences with school principals, then
complete and finalize evaluations for school principals. Principals then accept the 2014
summative evaluation.
Sincerely,
Trent J. Danowski
Office of Professional Preparation.