Human Resources - Talent Management

On September 21, 2020 the Talent Management Timelines were provided to all leadership. MCSD has received an update from GaDOE on October 8, 2020 confirming the requirement for TKES and LKES is set forth in state law and cannot be waived by GaDOE. However, effective immediately, MCSD is following recommendations provided by GaDOE to school leaders and teachers:

• Teacher Effectiveness Measures (TEM) and Leader Effectiveness Measures (LEM) ratings will not be determined due to the suspension of the student growth scores for the 2020-2021 school year. Student growth cannot be calculated this year as there was no testing last spring.
• The “pre-evaluation conference, mid-year evaluation conference, and summative evaluation conference” must still be conducted per state law. When conferences are utilized, they should be conducted in support of a teacher’s professional growth during these unprecedented times and should not be punitive in nature. Evidence does not have to be uploaded to the Platform. The Platform will remain open all year.
• Expectations for the self-assessment have been suspended. The self-assessment may still be conducted, but it is not required. If self-assessment is utilized, it should be conducted in support of a teacher’s professional growth during these unprecedented times.
• TAPS and LAPS Summative Assessment Ratings cannot be determined because of the challenge of rating all performance standards; therefore, they are not required by GaDOE or GaPSC for the 2020-2021 school year. Certificate renewal will not be affected since summative ratings are suspended this year. If an educator needs to remediate, remediation plans must be established at the local level.
• State law and Board rule require “multiple observations.” GaDOE interprets this as two observations for all teachers for the 2020-2021 school year. School leaders should strongly consider not conducting these during an online or blended instructional environment and wait to conduct them in a traditional instructional environment. Observations can occur at any time during the school year. GaDOE strongly recommends that observations occur during the second half of the school year.
• Professional learning requirements are in state law. However, school system leaders will determine what is appropriate considering the local context and system expectations, and GaPSC will accept verification from school system leaders for renewal purposes.

Please contact your respective Region Chief for further guidance or Brenda Reed, HR Director Reed.Brenda.G@muscogee.k12.ga.us

Talent Management is an on-going partnership between supervisors and employees, working together to accomplish District and School goals. The process focuses on alignment of employee roles and goals with the District and School’s mission and supporting development and performance goals.

Essential elements of this approach include:

• Clarifying job responsibilities, agreed upon goals, and performance expectations
• Communicating regularly by giving and receiving feedback throughout the year on performance, goals, and expectations
• Seeking and supporting continuous learning, professional growth, and development
• Celebrating achievement and rewarding exemplary performance

Employees are responsible for ongoing communication with their supervisors about their performance and for participating fully in planning their development, and for continually striving for excellence in all they do in support of the District and school goals.

Supervisors are responsible for developing performance expectations; in partnership with employees, by:

• Communicating throughout the performance management cycle about employee goals
• Supporting employee development
• Recognizing successful performance and coaching for improved performance
• Ensuring that employees have the tools, resources, and learning / development opportunities to successfully meet their job responsibilities

Providing honest, thoughtful and objective performance evaluation can be among the most difficult assignments for any manager or supervisor. However, the importance of performance management in the overall success of an organization cannot be overstated. Below are examples of potential pitfalls to avoid when evaluating your employees:

• Do not focus on one specific incident – make sure to review the entire period the evaluation period is covering
• The evaluation is not where disciplinary items are addressed – it is solely to focus on performance
• Do not go solely by memory – base the review on accurate and factual data points
• Remember that simply because an employee performs less than satisfactorily in one area that should not be the rating for the overall performance. The same concept goes for satisfactory performance. Length of service or job grade does not necessarily mean better performance. Look carefully at the individual's performance within that job;
• Avoid bias about an employee based on your personal feelings for that individual;
• Don't base current performance on past performance and assess the current period being reviewed;
• Don't overrate a poor performer as a motivational tool;
• Not all individuals are the same. Analyze each employee carefully; establish performance ranking;
• Don't rush through the evaluation. Take time to record accurate information which truly reflects the individual's performance;
• Don't be afraid to provide truthful information.

Performance planning is critical to implementing a performance management system. Every supervisor should conduct a performance planning session with each employee. During this meeting, the supervisor should describe what the direct report is to achieve during the next performance cycle. The supervisor must be able to articulate:

• The general function of the position
• The key duties associated with the position
• The relative importance of each duty to the achievement of set goals
• The indicators the supervisor will use; either results or behavior driven, to evaluate the employee’s performance
• The standards to be used to determine the level of performance achieved by the employee regarding the results, behavior, and goals.

The supervisor can then communicate to the employee what is expected in terms of performance and how that performance will be evaluated at the end of the performance cycle.

Performance planning meetings are any scheduled meetings where you communicate to your employee you want to discuss performance and your expectations for fulfilling required duties. Performance planning meetings can be held at any time including during the new hire orientation process, mid-year, or after the formal appraisal process for eligible employees. Principals and supervisors should follow the provided timelines. As you begin the meeting, you want to encourage and model two-way communication by encouraging the employee to ask questions and be an active participant in the planning process.

To begin the meeting, start by reviewing the key duties and behaviors for the position and make sure the employee understands the priorities. Discuss performance standards for each duty and make sure that the employee knows what it takes to meet expectations.

How do you do that? You can ask the employee to rephrase the expectations in their own words or to give an example of effective or poor performance for that key duty. Then, together you can determine how to best measure performance for each duty or behavior. Keep in mind that you can discuss standards and measures, but as a manger, it is your responsibility and obligation to ensure that the standards and measures are appropriate for the position. In most cases, the performance-planning meeting will go well and your employee will have a clear roadmap for fulfilling their responsibilities. However, at times there may be resistance to the standards set. If there is resistance to standards, you can:

• Explain why you feel the standards are appropriate.
• Ask the employee if there are any obstacles preventing them from reaching their performance goals.

By encouraging open dialogue, you can ascertain any potential gaps and identify solutions. From there, discuss the commitment you will make in terms of resources, time and direct assistance to help the employee to improve performance, including participation in professional development programs.

- School Year 2020-2021 Talent Management Timeline for TKES/LKES
- School Year 2020-2021 Talent Management Timeline for Classified and Non-Certified Employees
- School Year 2020-2021 Talent Management Timeline for Certified and Professional Employees

Employees that need advice and guidance should consult with Brenda Reed or their respective HR Coordinator:
Jennifer Thompson (Central Region Contact)
Latoria Akins-Jackson (East Region Contact)
Amy Grace (West Region Contact)
Beverly Langston (Support & Operations Contact)