POLICY NUMBER:
400.32
ADOPTED:
9.16.2025
Board Policy
- The Board of Education recognizes and appreciates the efforts of Canyons District’s administrators in fulfilling the District mission that all students will graduate college-and-career ready and is committed to providing on-going support to promote administrator professional growth.
- The Board of Education is committed to having effective administrators in all schools to ensure that each student receives high quality instruction every day.
- The Board authorizes the District Administration to develop and implement an evaluation process that is reasonable, fair and valid, and is reliable in measuring administrator effectiveness and is compliant with state statutes and regulations, Canyons School District policy, while measuring implementation of the Utah Educational Leadership Standards and the Canyons Academic Framework.
- The Canyons Leadership and Administrator Support System (CLASS) has the following purposes:
- To ensure that every student receives high quality instruction every day.
- To develop and maintain effective and highly effective educational leaders.
- To support instructional leaders in developing and leading practices that improves school climate and student progress.
- To ensure the appropriate management of resources.
- To increase the use of public practice applications.
- To provide feedback to educational leaders about instruction and leadership.
- To appraise administrators according to their effectiveness.
- To provide a basis for decisions affecting employment.
- The Board authorizes the Superintendent and District Administration to develop administrative regulations consistent with this policy, subject to review and approval by the Board.
ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION:
400.32-1
APPROVED:
9.16.2025
CLASS - 400.32-1
EDefinitions of the Canyons Leadership and Support System (CLASS) are located in Admin. Reg.—400.32-2.
- Canyons Leadership and Support System (CLASS) is the District’s process and instrument for evaluating an administrator’s performance.
- Each licensed administrator shall be evaluated by his/her principal/supervisor or principal’s/supervisor’s designee as determined by the District.
- The evaluator shall orient all licensed administrators on the purposes and procedures of the evaluation process at least once each contract year. Each licensed administrator will have access to the CLASS Evaluation App and the electronic CLASS Manual.
- All provisional administrators shall be assigned an Administrative Mentor.
- Evaluation frequency
- Provisional administrators shall be evaluated annually using the Leadership Quality Rating (LQR) and will receive a Summative Overall Rating (SOR) at the End-of-Year Conference (EYC).
- Career administrators shall be summatively evaluated during Phase Four of the four-year Growth Cycle and will receive a Summative Overall Rating (SOR) at the End-of-Year Conference (EYC).
- Probationary administrators shall be evaluated annually using the Leadership Quality Rating (LQR) and will receive a Summative Overall Rating (SOR) at the End-of-Year Conference (EYC).
- A principal or supervisor may request to Human Resources that an administrator be returned to Phase Four at any time, for reasons including, but not limited to: concerns identified through observation, feedback, and student performance, etc. Notification of any change of phase will be provided to the administrator.
- CLASS supports effective instructional leadership and professional growth of administrators through the following process:
- Orientation;
- Self-Assessment and Goals;
- Beginning-of-Year Conference;
- Leadership Quality Rating (LQR):
- Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP);
- Management Checklist
- Supervisor Knowledge/Observation;
- Lines of Evidence;
- Ethical Conduct Checklist; and
- Meeting Facilitation Checklist.
- Mid-Year Conference (MYC);
- Student Growth;
- Stakeholder Input;
- End-of-Year Conference (EYC); and
- Summative Overall Rating (SOR) for provisional (Year 1, 2, or 3), probationary, and career administrators in Phase Four (4).
- CLASS Rating(s) Acknowledgement
- The CLASS Leadership Quality Rating (LQR) and Summative Overall Rating (SOR) shall be signed by the administrator and the evaluator. The administrator’s signature indicates receipt of the CLASS Leadership Quality Rating (LQR) or Summative Overall Rating (SOR) but does not necessarily signify agreement with its contents or rating.
- Copies of the CLASS Leadership Quality Rating (LQR) and Summative Overall Rating (SOR) shall be provided to the administrator and copies shall be retained in the administrator’s personnel file in the Department of Human Resources.
- Right to Submit Written Response
- If the administrator does not agree with any portion of the evaluation, the administrator has the right to submit a written response expressing his/her views. This written response must be submitted to the evaluator and to the Director of Human Resources within fifteen (15) calendar days of the Mid-Year Conference (MYC) or End-of-Year Conference (EYC).
- A copy of the written response shall be retained with the Leadership Quality Rating (LQR) or Summative Overall Rating (SOR) in the administrator’s personnel file in the Department of Human Resources.
- Right to Request Review of CLASS Summative Overall Rating
- An administrator has fifteen (15) calendar days following receipt of the Summative Overall Rating (SOR) to submit a written request for a review of the evaluation findings. The written request must be submitted to the Director of Human Resources.
- If a review is requested, the Superintendent’s designee shall appoint an independent reviewer to review the procedures and make recommendations regarding the employee’s evaluation. The review shall be in accordance with State Board of Education rules. The independent reviewer shall not be an employee of the District.
- The objective of CLASS is to support the development of effective administrators in the District. If an administrator, as identified through CLASS, has an unsatisfactory performance rating the following will apply:
- Provisional administrators whose CLASS Leadership Quality Rating (LQR) or Summative Overall Rating (SOR) is unsatisfactory shall be notified that continued employment with the District is in question.
- Additional resources shall be identified to assist the administrator (e.g., Administrator Boot Camp, Administrative Mentor, or School Performance Director).
- Cycle One (1) is repeated.
- Career administrators whose CLASS Leadership Quality Rating (LQR) or Summative Overall Rating (SOR) is unsatisfactory shall be placed on probation and notified that continued employment with the District is in question (District Policy—400.40—Probation.
- A Plan of Assistance will be provided.
- Cycle One (1) is repeated.
- The principal/supervisor then confers with the Supervisor’s Assistance Team (SAT) to determine the action to be taken:
- Remediation Completed – If the career administrator has demonstrated satisfactory progress, including completion of all goals, he/she is removed from probation and reinstated to career status.
- Career administrators who have been placed on probation for unsatisfactory performance and are again unsatisfactory within a three-year period are subject to non-renewal or employment termination pursuant to District Policy—400.42—Termination of Administrative Personnel.
- Termination – Career administrators whose Leadership Quality Rating (LQR) or Summative Overall Rating (SOR) remains in the “Minimally Effective” or “Not Effective” range shall be subject to the provisions of District Policy—400.42—Termination of Administrative Personnel.
- Change in Assignment—At the discretion of the Superintendent, a change in assignment may occur at any time during this process.
- Remediation Completed – If the career administrator has demonstrated satisfactory progress, including completion of all goals, he/she is removed from probation and reinstated to career status.
- Provisional administrators whose CLASS Leadership Quality Rating (LQR) or Summative Overall Rating (SOR) is unsatisfactory shall be notified that continued employment with the District is in question.
- CLASS Clarifications:
- Evaluation records are classified as “Private Records” and shall be managed according to the guidelines of District policy.
- Evaluation records are stored electronically on District secured servers and/or District personnel files maintained in the Human Resources Department.E
ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION:
400.32-2
APPROVED:
9.16.2025
Definitions/Glossary of Terms - 400.32-2
Definitions for purposes of this regulation:
- “Beginning-of-Year Conference (BYC)” is feedback provided by the evaluator, either electronically or face-to-face, regarding the administrator’s Self-Assessment and Goals.
- “Calendar days” means any day of the week, month, or year.
- “Career administrator” means a licensed administrator entitled to reasonable expectation of continued employment under the policies of the District.
- “CLASS (Canyons Leadership and Administrator Support System)” is the District’s summative evaluation instrument and process. CLASS supports effective instructional leadership, professional growth and determines administrator effectiveness ratings (i.e., “Not Effective,” “Emerging Effective/Minimally Effective,” “Effective,” or “Highly Effective”). CLASS has three components (i.e., “Leadership Quality,” “Stakeholder Input,” and “Student Growth”).
- “Evaluator” is a principal or supervisor or the designee of the principal or supervisor, which designee is CLASS certified.
- “End-of-Year Conference (EYC)” is a face-to-face meeting conducted by the evaluator to discuss the administrator’s Summative Overall Rating (SOR).
- “Evaluation Record” is, but not limited to, the administrator’s Leadership Quality Rating (LQR) and/or Summative Overall Rating (SOR) and any documentation used to determine the administrator’s effectiveness rating; e.g., Lines of Evidence, Supervisor Knowledge/Observation, Management Checklist, Stakeholder Input, Student Growth, etc.
- “Formative evaluation” is an informal evaluation designed and used to promote growth and implementation in a person’s performance.
- “Growth Cycle” is the evaluation requirements for administrators over a period of four (4) school years.
- “Leadership Quality Rating” (LQR) consists of Administrator Knowledge/Observation, Lines of Evidence, Supervisor Knowledge/Observation, Management, Ethical Conduct, and Meeting Participation Checklists.
- “Mid-Year Conference (MYC)” is a face-to-face meeting conducted by the evaluator to discuss the administrator’s Leadership Quality Rating (LQR).
- “Phase One,” “Phase Two” and “Phase Three” of the Provisional Administrator and “Phase Four” of the Career Administrator consists of Self-Assessment and Goals, Leadership Quality Rating (LQR), Stakeholder Input, and Student Growth which generates a Summative Overall Rating (SOR).
- “Phase One,” “Phase Two,” and “Phase Three” of the Career Administrator consist of Self-Assessment and Goals, the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP), the LAND Trust Plan, and Student Growth.
- “Plan of Assistance (POA)” identifies specific, measurable, and actionable deficiencies and recommends a course of action and resources intended to improve the administrator’s performance and may not exceed 120 school days.
- “Probationary administrator” means any licensed administrator employed by the District who has been placed on probation (District Policy—400.40—Probation).
- “Provisional Administrator” means:
- An employee entering to a licensed administrative assignment or position or returning to a licensed administrative assignment or position with the District.
- A District employee who accepts another position that is substantially different from the position in which career status was achieved (e.g., assistant principal to principal). (District Policy—400.34—Provisional Administrative Employees).
- “Remediation Process” is the course of action taken for an administrator identified with an unsatisfactory rating.
- “Satisfactory performance” means a CLASS Leadership Quality Rating (LQR) and/or Summative Overall Rating (SOR) rating that is in the “Emerging Effective” (Provisional administrators only), “Effective,” or “Highly Effective” range.
- “School days” means the days the administrator is under contract to work and students are in attendance.
- “Student Growth” consists of student assessment data as determined by Utah State Board; e.g., Student Learning Objectives (SLO) and Rate of Improvement (ROI).
- “Stakeholder Input” consists of survey data collected from stakeholders (e.g. educators, parents, students, colleagues, etc.) and a response statement to stakeholder input.
- “Summative evaluation” is an evaluation designed to make ratings of an administrator’s performance by the principal or supervisor or the designee of the principal or supervisor.
- “Summative Overall Rating” (SOR) is the CLASS overall rating, determined and assigned during Provisional Administrator Phases One, Two, Three, as well as Career Administrator Phase Four (i.e., “Not Effective,” “Emerging Effective/Minimally Effective,” “Effective,” or “Highly Effective”).
- “Temporary employee” means an individual who is employed by the District on a temporary basis. Temporary employees include, but are not limited to the following: substitute administrators; employees hired under contracts for one (1) year only or for less than one (1) year; employees whose positions are funded by grants and/or yearly allocated state or federal monies; employees whose positions are authorized for no more than twelve (12) months; and an individual who possesses a Local Education Agency (LEA) specific competency-based license as recommended by the local Board of Education.
- “Unsatisfactory performance” means a CLASS Leadership Quality Rating (IQR) and/or Summative Overall Rating (SOR) rating that is in the “Minimally Effective” (career administrators only) or “Not Effective” range.
- “Working days” means the days the administrator being evaluated is under contract to work.
Exhibits
None
References
- Utah Code §53G-11-5, et seq. School District and Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind Employee Requirements
- Utah Code §53G-11-520, et seq. School District and Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind Employee Requirements
- Utah Admin. Code R277-323. Public Education Evaluation
- Utah Admin. Code R277-419. Public Accounting
- Utah Admin. Code R277-531. Public Education Evaluation Requirements
- Utah Admin. Code R277-533. Educator Evaluation Systems
Forms
None
Document History
Revised – 9.16.2025. Policy – 400.32 – Evaluation of Administrative Personnel was updated to align with Utah Code § 53G-11-520 and Utah Admin. Code R277-323 (2024). The evaluation statute and USBE Rule allow for a District to move to an evaluation cycle of up to four years, rather than the current three-year cycle.
Revised – 6.30.2017. Policy – 400.32 – Evaluation of Administrative Personnel was revised to conduct written evaluation for employees annually in accordance with Utah Code.
Adopted – 9.20.2011.
Adopted – 9.20.2011.
This online presentation is an electronic representation of the Canyons School District’s currently adopted policy manual. It does not reflect updating activities in progress. The official, authoritative manual is available for inspection in the office of the Superintendent located at 9361 South 300 East Sandy, UT 84070.
