EDUCATEAlabama & LEADAlabama FAQs
| Question | Last Updated |
| Are local school systems required to evaluate all certified professional personnel? Yes. The Alabama Board of Education passed a resolution (link to BOE resolutions) in 1988 establishing policies and procedures, which require the implementation of an evaluation system based on state criteria for all professional education personnel in each local school system. Ten PEPE programs are now in effect: Teacher, Counselor, Library Media Specialist, Psychometrist/Psychologist, Special Education II (teachers of students with severe disabilities), Speech/Language Pathologist, Assistant Principal, Principal, Central Office Personnel and Superintendent. |
| Are PEPE manuals/materials available on the Web? Yes. Manuals for all PEPE programs, along with PowerPoint material, survey analysis programs, and a “Contact Us” for questions can be found at the following website address: www.alabamapepe.com. |
| Are there provisions for teachers pursuing National Board Teacher Certification to be exempt from performance evaluations? Yes. Written guidelines have been developed regarding PEPE exemptions for educators in pursuit of National Board Certification and are available by contacting the PEPE Section of the SDE. However, the implementation of the guidelines is an LEA option and is not required. |
| Can evaluation results of an individual(s) be released to the public? No |
| Have recent changes been made in the PEPE Evaluator of Teachers Manual? Yes. The manual has been revised and now includes procedures for the evaluators of teachers, counselors, library/media specialists, physchometrtists/psychologists/ special education II teachers, and speech/language pathologists. The new manual contains a very extensive section on the Professional Development component. |
| How does the evaluation process of tenured principals differ from that of contract principals? Tenured principals (prior to July 2000) may undergo full PEPE evaluations on a three-year cycle or undergo annual evaluations at the LEA’s discretion. Contract principals must undergo full PEPE evaluations annually. |
| How does the PEPE Program ensure that evaluation scores are unbiased? The PEPE Program is a multi-data source evaluation program. This means that an individual’s performance data is gathered using more than one form of assessment. An educator’s evaluation scores are derived from actual performance data captured by the evaluator and are determined by the pattern of the educator’s performance over the course of a full school year. A rationale statement or justification of the score awarded, based on actual performance data, must be provided by the evaluator and accompany each score awarded. |
| How long should LEAs keep completed PEPE records? Indefinitely |
| If a teacher transfers from one LEA to another in the state, must she/he undergo PEPE? Yes. The teacher must undergo annual evaluation for three consecutive years until tenure is granted in the current LEA. At that point he/she is placed on the evaluation cycle established by the LEA. |
| If an educator is on a three-year evaluation cycle, can the cycle be changed? Yes, school administrators have the autonomy to place a person on annual evaluation if there is need to do so. |
| If an LEA places tenured personnel on a three-year evaluation cycle, can local administrators regularly visit those classrooms? Yes. Administrators are encouraged to make regular visits to classrooms regardless of the status of the teacher’s evaluation cycle. |
| May administrators who have not been PEPE certified conduct portions of an educator’s evaluation? No. An evaluator must hold PEPE certification specific to the program of evaluation in which he/she participates. |
| Should all PEPE records remain secure? Yes |
| Should Boards of Education have Local Education Agency (LEA) policies to reflect using PEPE? Yes. For a model policy, contact the PEPE Section of the SDE. When adopting the policy, a decision must be made whether to use the evaluation program for formative or summative purposes. |
| Should every educator pursue a Professional Development Plan (PDP) during the year of full evaluation? Yes. All certificated educators, with the exception of a novice teacher, should always be in pursuit of an individual PDP. A PDP should be developed at the end of each school year and pursued the ensuing school year, regardless of the status of one’s full evaluation year. Efforts toward individual professional development should never cease. |
What are the composite PEPE scores educators must earn in order to meet standards?
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| What happens when an administrator does not successfully complete PEPE evaluator training? For the LEA administrator to be considered for retraining, the LEA Superintendent must submit a written request on behalf of the LEA administrator to the State Superintendent of Education. |
| What is a contract principal? A contract principal is defined as a building level administrator employed after July 1, 2000. A contract principal cannot earn tenure. |
| What is the SDE position on the evaluation score of 4 on the rating scale? The rating scale of 1-4 is used to determine the scores for definition items, indicator items, and competency areas. Performance data of an individual is the sole basis for awarding a score. If the individual’s performance data is outstanding and there are no areas for improvement, a score of 4 should be awarded. |
| What should occur when a teacher’s composite PEPE score is less than 20 (18 for novice teachers)? At a minimum, the educator should be placed on annual evaluations with intensified professional development plans for a reasonable amount of time until performance improvement occurs. LEAs using the PEPE summative component (used in determining continued employment) should follow local policies, procedures, and activities previously approved by the local board of education. |
| With which PEPE evaluation system should a transportation supervisor, maintenance supervisor or nutrition supervisor be evaluated? If a central office supervisor, regardless of title, is certificated, he/she should be evaluated with the PEPE Central Office Personnel Program. If the supervisor is not certificated, the LEA developed evaluation process for support personnel should apply. |
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Primary Contact: John Bell or (334) 242-9962
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