RECOMMENDED APPRAISAL PROCESS AND PERFORMANCE CRITERIA.

(a) The commissioner shall adopt a recommended appraisal process and criteria on which to appraise the performance of teachers. The criteria must be based on observable, job-related behavior, including:

(1) teachers' implementation of discipline management procedures; and

(2) the performance of teachers' students.

(a-1) In adopting criteria described by Subsection (a)(1), the commissioner shall ensure that a teacher may not be assigned an area of deficiency in an appraisal solely on the basis of disciplinary referrals made by the teacher or documentation regarding student conduct submitted by the teacher under Section 37.002. This subsection does not prohibit a teacher from being assigned an area of deficiency based on documented evidence of a deficiency in classroom management obtained through observation or a substantiated report.

(b) The commissioner shall solicit and consider the advice of teachers in developing the recommended appraisal process and performance criteria.

(c) Under the recommended appraisal process, an appraiser must be the teacher's supervisor or a person approved by the board of trustees. An appraiser who is a classroom teacher may not appraise the performance of another classroom teacher who teaches at the same school campus at which the appraiser teaches, unless it is impractical because of the number of campuses or unless the appraiser is the chair of a department or grade level whose job description includes classroom observation responsibilities.

(d) Under the recommended appraisal process, appraisal for teachers must be detailed by category of professional skill and characteristic and must provide for separate ratings for each category. The appraisal process shall guarantee a conference between the teacher and the appraiser. The conference shall be diagnostic and prescriptive with regard to remediation needed in overall performance and by category.