Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR)
What is APPR?
APPR stands for Annual Professional Performance Review and it is the process by which teachers and principals are evaluated in New York state. The intent of APPR is to assist educators to improve the quality of instruction in schools and, in turn, to improve students’ performance and readiness for colleges and careers. District APPR plans must meet strict state guidelines and be negotiated with local unions. Under state guidelines, APPR takes into account classroom observations and student performance. Teachers and principals across New York ultimately receive an overall effectiveness rating every year.
APPR Plan
APPR Rating & Score Release Process
Pursuant to Education Law Section 3012-c, parents and legal guardians of students may request the final quality rating and composite effectiveness score for each of the teachers and for the principal of the school building to which your child is assigned for the 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 rating and composite score. The purpose of this notice is to inform you of this right and the process by which you may request such information.
Only parents and legal guardians may have access to the final quality rating and composite score of the student’s teacher(s) and principal.
The school district is required by the law to take reasonable steps to insure 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 and submitted to a building principal or the superintendent of schools. No oral requests will be honored. The school district may request additional verification such as licenses or other photo identification to verify that the person requesting the information is the parent or legal guardian of the student. In the case of legal guardians, the school district will require proof of guardianship (e.g. court orders, etc.). 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) and the requesting person will be notified once their request has been verified and approved.
Once the request is approved, an appointment with the administrator, or designated individual authorized to release such information, will be arranged. At the meeting, the rating and score will be verbally provided. At this same meeting, the parent or guardian will also receive the required explanation regarding the rating and score to best understand them in the context of teacher evaluation and student performance. In the event a parent or guardian is unable to meet in person, they may receive the information verbally by phone.
Since all of the information needed to establish final teacher and principal ratings and composite scores is not provided until the beginning of school (i.e. final information is often provided by the State Education Department to school districts on or around September 1), the availability to receive the final rating and composite scores for a student’s teacher(s) and principal for the school year shall not be accessible by parents/legal guardians until the end of September each school year. Requests for the information may be made anytime on or after that date.
You should also be advised that a teacher or principal may appeal their final rating and composite score. This will impact both the timing of when such information can be provided to a parent or guardian since, if an appeal is filed by the teacher or principal, then the rating and composite score will not be available until that appeal process has concluded.
If you have any questions about this procedure and/or to request an effectiveness score, please contact Interim Superintendent Ken Facin at 518-677-2653, ext. 1010.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, parents/guardians have the right to know the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teachers, including:
- Whether a teacher has state certification for the grade levels and subjects he or she is teaching;
- The teacher’s baccalaureate degree major and any other certifications or degrees;
- Whether their child receives services from paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.
Parents/guardians may request their child’s classroom teacher’s professional qualifications by contacting their child’s building principal.