Common use of Assistance Program Clause in Contracts

Assistance Program. Teachers experiencing serious instructional difficulties may be placed on an Improvement Plan in accordance with the following process. However, at the discretion of the teacher, the Peer Assistance and Review program may be used in addition to the Improvement Plan process described below. In a case where the teacher chooses to participate in the Peer Assistance and Review program the principal will carry out the steps of the Improvement Plan process outlined below but the teacher may choose not to attend the post observation conference with the principal mentioned in item 4, below. The choice of the teacher to participate in the Peer Assistance and Review program must be communicated, in writing, to the principal within five (5) school days of the meeting mentioned in item 2, below. Nothing in this section shall prevent principals from observing and evaluating teachers or prevent the District from exercising its authority to discharge a teacher for inefficiency in teaching pursuant to Minn. Stat. 122A.41. The purpose of using the Teacher Assistance Program in addition to the Peer Assistance and Review program is to allow the teacher to identify an additional method of support that will allow them to address identified instructional difficulties. The assigned PAR consulting teacher may attend any post observation conference at the request of the teacher.