In some ways, evaluating teachers is much like assessing the performance of a private sector employee. To accurately appraise a worker, the reviewers must know exactly what benchmarks he or she has (or hasn’t) achieved. Setting standards in advance of the review makes it clear to everyone involved in the process what will be measured and what the teacher should have accomplished in the year.

Specify who’s going to be doing the reviewing before the evaluation takes place

A 360 degree evaluation has a greater chance of success when everyone involved knows who the reviewers are (including the reviewers themselves). Many of the school districts which implement 360 degree evaluations allow students, peers, parents and principals to assess teacher performance.

When you have a variety of people reviewing teachers, including younger students, the evaluation form has to be as straightforward as possible. Everyone using the evaluation form has to be able to understand it quickly. And when everyone understands the evaluation form, they’ll be able to provide accurate feedback.

Successful 360 degree feedback programs in corporate settings don’t just assess the employee’s performance – they include a goal-setting component. This goal-setting component determines what the worker’s aims are, and how he or she can reach them. It also gauges whether the employee has met them or not.

Whenever a new program is implemented within an organization, there can be a negative response. Teachers might be skeptical or nervous about receiving feedback from students or their peers. It’s important to explain the entire 360 degree feedback process to teachers so they understand how it works and why it’s beneficial. When teachers fully comprehend why a 360 degree evaluation is a good idea, they’ll be much more supportive of it and they won’t try to sabotage it.

Approaching your employee reviews in a stagnant, stressful and minimally effective way just doesn’t make sense. A 360 degree review that accurately assesses an employee’s performance without heavily interfering with your daily workflow is the better option. What else can you do to get more out of your employees?

To answer this question, Grapevine Evaluations has the solution: a web-based 360 degree feedback tool that includes comprehensive reporting, so you and your employees can get an accurate understanding of what matters: how they are perceived from management and co-workers, and where they can improve. Contact us today to learn more about our product.