“We promote excellence through high expectations and evolving standards for students, staff, parents and community. The challenge is to reach one’s personal best while respecting each person’s individuality.”
— from the Glens Falls City School District mission statement
Like school districts across the state, Glens Falls City School District is using an evaluation procedure frequently referred to as “APPR,” which stands for “annual professional performance review.” These evaluations are required for all teachers and principals in New York state’s public school districts.
Glens Falls has always provided professional development, set specific goals, and evaluated faculty on a regular basis to ensure the district is providing a quality educational environment for students.
Read Glens Falls City School District’s APPR Plan
APPR Rating and Score release process
Pursuant to Education Law Section 3012-d, parents and legal guardians of students may request the final composite rating for each of the teachers and for the principal of the school building to which your child is assigned for the 2017-2018 school year. Please be advised that the law does not allow and prohibits the release of any additional information about the individual teacher beyond the final composite rating and transitional rating, if applicable. Only parents and legal guardians may have access to the final composite rating and transitional rating, if applicable, of the student’s teacher(s) and principal.
To request this information on your child’s educators, please follow the process as described below:
Request Form
The parent/guardian completes the “Parent/Guardian APPR Score Request Form,” and brings it—along with photo identification—to the main office of the child’s school. The parent/guardian’s photo ID will be copied onto the request form, and the form will be submitted for approval. No oral requests for APPR information will be honored, and parents/guardians should not expect to receive the information on the same day their written request is submitted.
The School District is required by the law to take reasonable steps to ensure that the person requesting the information is a parent or legal guardian of the student to whom the teacher(s) or principal is assigned. Therefore, any request must be in writing on the form provided. In the case of legal guardians, the School District will require proof of guardianship (e.g. court orders, etc.).
Verification
The district will verify that the information being requested is within the law. (Request must be made by a parent or guardian for a student in the current class or building of the teacher(s)/principal.) The status of the requesting person will be verified against other information concerning the student in the possession of the School District (e.g. information or documents submitted at the time of registration). The requesting parent/guardian will be notified once their request has been verified and approved, and an appointment with the administrator will be arranged.
Face-to-Face Meeting
Once the request is approved, an appointment with the administrator, or designated individual authorized to release such information, will be arranged. At the meeting between the administrator and parent/guardian, the educator’s composite rating will be provided verbally. The parent/guardian will receive information explaining the rating and score to best understand them in the context of teacher evaluation and student performance. Please note that the law does not allow the release of any additional information about the individual teacher/principal beyond the final composite rating.
Once the meeting is complete, the teacher or principal will be notified that his/her score was given out. Please note that a teacher or principal may appeal their final rating and composite score. This will impact the timing of when such information can be provided to a parent/guardian since, if an appeal is filed, the rating and composite score for that educator will not be available until that appeals process has concluded.
Requests for students to be placed with specific teachers will not be honored, in accordance with the district’s board-approved policy regarding student placement.
If you have any questions about this procedure, please contact Paul Jenkins, Superintendent of Schools, at 792-1212.