(Contributed by Matthew M. Daude)

A Performance Improvement Plan should include these elements:

• • A brief summary of the persistent patterns and how they have manifested. (e.g., “Information from student contacts to the department, student comments on evaluations, and student formal complaints suggests that there is a persistent pattern of . . . .”). Provide specific examples that are evidence of the pattern.
    • • • The idea here is that this process will be used when there is evidence of persisting patterns that hamper student learning and success.
        • This section states that persisting pattern and provides the sources of information.
  • Administrative measures to ensure program/instructional quality, if any.
    • • • E.g, an adjustment in the staffing/eligibility to address student needs. If it is necessary to remove eligibility from someone because there are concentrations of complaints in one level but not another, then that would be part of the persisting pattern and should be addressed in the plan.
        • These actions are usually temporary structural changes (like eligibility) to allow a person time to engage in the improvement plan without adversely affecting teaching/program quality.
  • An improvement plan that includes
    • • • A specific set of performance goals:
          • • Include a maximum of three expectations/goals.
            • Prioritize goals that have the greatest impact on teaching quality and the student experience.
        • Improvement must be observable/measurable
          • • Examples: adhering to the departmental goals/outcomes/materials in every section, etc.
  • State specific assessment methods for each expectation
    • • • Here, assessment methods should be attached to each expectation describing exactly how improvement will be assessed. E.g., periodic review of (graded) assignments by a faculty committee, classroom observation, student surveys, student comments on evaluation, etc.
        • While there is a maximum of three goals, include as many assessment methods as needed to ensure accurate assessment.
        • Assessments must be behavioral/measurable, etc.
          • • For instance, if one of the assessment methods refers to how people feel, then it is necessary to explain how these feelings are to be measured.
  • Include specific learning experiences to foster/support improvement
    • • • Be explicit and specific about which institutional professional development sessions or activities, departmental PD, workshops, peer observation, etc.
        • Cultivate and deploy other learning resources (like assigning a faculty mentor, putting someone on a jury-grading committee, etc.)
  • A timeline of activities with specific deadlines to meet the improvement goals.
    • • • It may be useful but not mandatory to tie the deadlines and assessment to the evaluation cycle. Note that a deadline can be shorter than one evaluation cycle, as long as the college can track and appropriately assess progress.
        • Include in the plan a general statement that the performance improvement plan, assessment, and outcomes will be incorporated into the next faculty evaluation — not only documented there but also reflected in the overall faculty evaluation rating.

A Few Methodological Suggestions

• • • Generally, the longer an improvement plan is, the less effective it is. Keep it short, relevant, and focused, especially on the three highest priority outcomes.
    • Be as specific and concrete as possible. One of the main reasons an improvement plan fails is because it started out impressionistic. “Students will feel comfortable and achieve a higher degree of learning” is only an outcome if it is possible to actually assess how comfortable they are and how much they are learning.
    • Always meet in person to discuss the plan, even if the plan was worked out and agreed upon by email, etc. This shows an investment in faculty growth and provides the opportunity for questions and clarifications.
    • Always document the plan, and provide the faculty member a copy. Be sure you have documented examples of the persistent pattern discussed to share with the faculty member. Always keep copies of the documentation.
    • Invite participation and collaboration, but hold the line on the persisting patterns that need attention and on specific and concrete outcomes. For instance, the discussion might start with the persisting pattern, set some high-impact priorities and outcomes, and propose a few possibilities for learning activities, and then invite additional perspectives and other learning activities. Through this discussion, keep the trajectory from persisting patterns to outcomes in view: That’s the “growth pathway.”
    • Be courageous and do not avoid conflict. Avoiding conflict is an anxiety-reduction strategy for you, but it allows problems to go unaddressed. Remember that ACC is not a social service organization for professors; the mission is teaching students. Your highest duty is to create the conditions that allow students to succeed, and helping professors become effective is an essential foundation for that mission.

Based on the outcomes of the Performance Improvement Plan, followup steps will be assessed and discussed with the faculty member.