History

The Toledo Public School system has achieved national recognition for its Intern-Intervention Program. The Toledo Plan is an effective teacher performance tool based on peer coaching and evaluation. Boldly different from traditional evaluation procedures in use by other school systems, intern-intervention has generated considerable national and international attention for Toledo. This recognition has resulted in over 3000 requests for information from school systems and others interested in peer review and higher classroom performance standards.

This pacesetting program, which was started in 1981, provides a formula for professional development of beginning teachers and an evaluation system that detects and screens out those who show little aptitude for the classroom. Additionally, experienced teachers who are severely deficient in performance are given intensive peer assistance to bring their work to acceptable standards. This intensive system of evaluation is aimed at those most in need of professional help--beginners in our system and those experienced teachers in trouble. For these individuals, intern-intervention delivers the very finest professional help available--peers who are themselves excellent teachers.

The Intern Program

All teachers newly hired by Toledo Public Schools are subject to inclusion in the Intern Program. Five days before the start of school, all new teachers attend the New Teachers Academy. Each new teacher's status is determined by the co-chairs of the Intern Board of Review. Those designated as interns are assigned a consulting teacher (mentor teacher) for the purpose of professional development and evaluation. The Intern Program allows the consulting teacher the time to conduct a complete evaluation of the intern's progress and ultimate success (or lack thereof) in meeting the performance standards of the Toledo Public Schools.

The evaluation process is one of continuous mutual goal-setting using classroom observations and follow-up conferences where the intern and consulting teacher can analyze and set practical goals for improvement based on detailed evaluation criteria. A consulting teacher may use any of a number of methods to assist the intern in meeting the goals set such as demonstration lessons, video taping, observations of other teachers.

The consulting teacher assigned to each intern will have final responsibility for the evaluation of the intern. Evaluation reports are filed by each consulting teacher on or before December 20 and March 20. Evaluations are based largely on the intern's progress toward meeting specific goals as determined by the consulting teacher. At the last evaluation date, the intern consulting teacher recommends to the Intern Board of Review the future employment status of the intern teacher. This board accepts or rejects the recommendation of the consulting teacher. The nine member board is composed of five teachers and four administrators. Six votes are required to reverse a consulting teacher's recommendation.

Consulting Teachers

• Full-time mentors/evaluators who are limited to 3 years in the program
• Receive an additional $5,165 in salary
• Minimum of 5 years of outstanding teaching service
• Conduct new-teacher orientation
• Provide workshops for interns on current teaching procedures and classroom management techniques
• Submit periodic reports to the Intern Board of Review regarding the status of each intern
• Attend all meetings of the Intern Board of Review

Intern Board of Review

• Governs Intern Program
• Consists of 5 union representatives and 4 management representatives
• Chairmanship is rotated annually between the president of the Toledo Federation of Teachers and an assistant superintendent
• Assigns consulting teachers
• Approves applicable inservices
• Manages the budget
• Monitors and scrutinizes the work of each consulting teacher
• Accepts or rejects the evaluation recommendations of the consulting teachers

Evaluation Procedure

• Preliminary Conference is held between the consulting teacher and the intern teacher to discuss supervision, evaluation, and goal setting process.
• Goal-Setting Observation is made by the consulting teacher to observe and make assessment of the intern's teaching performance.
• Goal-Setting Conference between the consulting teacher and the intern teacher is held to establish specific performance goals.
• Growth Period is given to allow the intern teacher time to follow through on the performance goals identified during the Goal-Setting Conference.
• Summary Evaluation is completed using performance goals as a basis for overall evaluation.

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  Status Report of Intern Teachers

  Resignations do not include normal transfers out of district. Resignations are result of interns failing to meet standards.

  School Year	Teachers Placed	Non-Renewed	Terminated	Resigned	% Failure
  1981-82	19	3	0	0	15.7
  1982-83	49	1	0	0	2.0
  1983-84	71	2	0	3	7.0
  1984-85	83	3	0	1	4.8
  1985-86	92	0	2	3	5.4
  1986-87	163	2	0	4	3.6
  1987-88	202	5	2	4	5.4
  1988-89	151	6	1	4	7.3
  1989-90	141	4	1	5	7.1
  1990-91	170	8	0	9	10.0
  1991-92	109	9	0	4	11.9
  1992-93	249	5	3	17	9.6
  1993-94	170	7	1	10	10.6
  1994-95	160	6	2	8	10.0
  1995-96	No Program	No Program	No Program	No Program	No Program
  1996-97	175	7	2	8	9.7
  1997-98	175	1	5	15	12.0

   

   

  Performance Review/Intervention

   

Performance Review

A performance review is designed for teachers who have been identified as needing assistance in addressing serious teaching problems. A performance review will result in one of the three following actions:

1. Assignment to intervention component of the Toledo Plan.

2. Assignment to the School Consultation Program which is a mentoring and teacher assistance program.

3. No remediation needed.

Identification of a teacher in need of a performance review may take place in three different ways:

1. Both principal and Federation building committee may jointly identify and recommend.

2. Individually, a principal may identify and recommend.

3. A Federation building committee may independently identify and recommend.

 

Description of Intervention

The Intervention component is designed to assist non-probationary teachers who have been identified as performing in a way so unsatisfactory that improvement or termination is imperative. A system of checks and balances is used to avoid abuse of intervention by either union or management.

If intervention is recommended by the Intern Board of Review, the following procedures are used:

1. The teacher may file an appeal of the process within five (5) days of notification of placement in intervention to an impartial arbitrator.
2. If the impartial arbitrator determines that procedures have been correctly followed and that intervention is the proper program, intervention will proceed.
3. Confidentiality will be maintained at the school and at the Intern Board of Review.
4. Consultant works with teacher with the goal of bringing the teacher to satisfactory level of teaching performance.
5. There are no artificial time limits imposed.
6. The consulting teacher decides when intervention ends.
7. At that time, a status report is filed with both school management and the union.
8. Representation and due process rights and procedures exist for intervention teachers who are subject to termination.