What is DEAC?
The District Evaluation Advisory Committee (DEAC), required by AchieveNJ through at least SY16-17, has great potential for supporting districts in effectively implementing AchieveNJ.
State recommended functions of the DEAC include:
- Coordinate efforts to plan and implement educator evaluation;
- Maintain open lines of communication and provide a consistent message about evaluation throughout the district;
- Provide an integrated vision connecting multiple initiatives that districts are implementing; and
- Provide a coherent professional development plan for the district based on evaluation data.
The committee must include:
- the Superintendent
- a special education administrator
- a parent
- a member of the district Board of Education
- one or more Central Office administrators overseeing the teacher evaluation process
- one or more administrators conducting evaluations
- representatives of teachers from each school level in the district
See full list of members
The primary role of the DEAC is to oversee and guide the planning and implementation of the school district Board of Education's evaluation policies and procedures (for both teachers and principals), whereas the School Improvement Panel (ScIP) provides leadership at the school level not only for the implementation of the district's teacher evaluation policies and procedures, but also mentoring and professional development supports for teachers.
The superintendent is responsible for the formation and operation of the DEAC. The Superintendent must decide how to use the advice provided by this committee and which DEAC decisions should be adopted by the district. The Superintendent should clearly communicate the DEAC role in providing feedback.
One key role that both the DEAC and ScIP can play is to mediate and facilitate ongoing communications between the district and its schools to ensure that policies and procedures are being communicated consistently and implemented effectively. For example, the DEAC can distribute policy and procedural information via each ScIP. The SciP can provide school-level feedback on how the policies are being implemented, including information on successes and challenges. To ensure effective two-way communication between ScIPs and DEACs, districts should consider having at least one ScIP member from each school also sit on the DEAC where feasible.
2017-2018 DEAC Meeting Dates
- September 14, 2017
- March 8, 2018
- May 17, 2018
All meetings will be held in the second floor conference room (Central Office). All meetings will be begin at 4:30 pm and end at 6:00 pm (or earlier).
What is ScIP?
The TEACHNJ Act requires that all schools convene a School Improvement Panel (ScIP) with the charge of providing leadership in the areas of teacher evaluation, mentoring, and professional development, including implementation of procedures for Corrective Action Plans. The ScIP is not the sole body responsible for implementation of these systems and programs, but helps ensure the consistent application of requirements across the school.
The ScIP must include the school principal, an assistant principal or a designee if the school does not have one, and a teacher. More staff members may be added to the ScIP, provided that teachers represent at least one-third of the total membership. The principal has final responsibility for ScIP membership but must consult with the local association representative in determining a suitable teacher to participate. As of SY15-16, teachers serving on ScIPs must have earned a rating of Effective or Highly Effective in the most recent evaluation. Until then, the teacher must meet local standards for having "a demonstrated record of success in the classroom."