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Evaluation and Tenure
In addition to calling for new evaluations, the TEACHNJ Act also changed how tenure is awarded to all teaching staff members. Educators are eligible to earn tenure after four years — one year longer than it took under the previous law. In addition, for teachers, principals, assistant principals (AP) and vice principals (VP), TEACHNJ links the earning and keeping of tenure to the results of the employee’s annual summative evaluation. The charts below depict the four-year timelines.
Teacher Tenure Acquisition Timeline
| Year 1 | Years 2 through 3 | Year 4 |
|---|---|---|
|
Complete a district mentorship program Receieve evaluation, but the summative rating does not count toward tenure acquisition |
Receive a rating of effective or highly effective in the two annual summative evaluations in which the teacher completed the district mentorship program. |
Employed in the district for four consecutive calendar years. Employed in the district for four consecutive academic years, together with employment at the beginning of the next succeeding academic year. Employed in the district for the equivalent of more than four academic years within a period of any five consecutive academic years. |
Process to File a Charge of Inefficiency
To maintain tenure, all teachers, principals, APs, and VPs (regardless of hire date) must continue to earn a rating of Effective or Highly Effective. The table below outlines the process to file a charge of inefficiency (tenure charge) against any tenured teaching staff member who is rated Ineffective or Partially Effective in two consecutive years:
| Summative Rating A | Summative Rating B (Consecutive) | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Ineffective | Ineffective | The superintendent shall file a charge of inefficiency. |
| Partially Effective | Ineffective | The superintendent shall file a charge of inefficiency. |
| Ineffective | Partially Effective | The superintendent shall file a charge of inefficiency or may defer by filing written evidence of exceptional circumstances. After the following summative evaluation (i.e., the third consecutive), the superintendent shall file a charge of inefficiency if the rating is Ineffective or Partially Effective. |
| Partially Effective | Partially Effective |
The superintendent shall file a charge of inefficiency or may defer by filing written evidence of exceptional circumstances. After the following summative evaluation (i.e., the third consecutive), the superintendent shall file a charge of inefficiency if the rating is Ineffective or Partially Effective. Under the TEACHNJ Act, tenure revocation decisions are made through an expedited arbitration process. The Commissioner maintains a panel of arbitrators who are designated by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the New Jersey Education Association, the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, and the American Federation of Teachers. Individual evaluation records for all New Jersey educators are exempt from open records laws, and personally identifiable data are not made available for public release. |