Periodic Evaluation (Periodic Mini Evaluation and Professional Development Plan) of Probationary Faculty, 2024-2025
This memorandum provides information on two forms of periodic evaluation for probationary faculty members: The Periodic Mini Evaluation (for probationary faculty members) and the Professional Development Plan (appropriate for some first-year probationary faculty and faculty who opt for COVID-19 Professional Development Plan).
Probationary faculty members are evaluated each year. Probationary faculty members who are not being reviewed for reappointment, tenure, and/or promotion normally undergo a Mini evaluation.
Some probationary faculty members will prepare a Professional Development Plan (PDP) in lieu of the Mini evaluation. That decision is made by the Department Chair and the Dean in consultation with the faculty member. Probationary faculty members, in their first year of appointment, with no (0) years of service credit are eligible for a Professional Development Plan, as well as faculty who have opted to submit a COVID-19 Professional Development Plan to extend their probationary period. The COVID-19 Professional Development Plan has its own timeline and guidelines.
The purpose of periodic evaluation is to provide assessment and feedback to probationary faculty members on their activities under the categories of instruction and instructionally related activities; research, scholarly and creative activities; and service. Unlike the RTP review for reappointment, tenure, and promotion, the Mini evaluation does not include a recommendation for any personnel action.
A list of candidates scheduled for a Mini evaluation is provided to each college office. The college office distributes copies to the Department Chairs, who are to provide copies to Department Peer Review Committees once they are elected.
1. Tenure Track Faculty Evaluation 101 Sessions
Candidates undergoing Mini evaluation or preparing a Professional Development Plan are encouraged to attend the virtual RTP workshops for candidates. Tenure Track 101 sessions give early career faculty an overview of the evaluation process and are scheduled for:
- Tuesday, October 8, 2024 from 10:00am - 11:30am
- Thursday, October 24, 2024 from 1:00pm - 2:30pm
RSVP to attend Tenure Track Faculty Evaluation 101 Sessions
2. Periodic Mini Evaluation Deadlines
- Deadline for candidates to submit materials via Interfolio is Monday, February 10, 2025.
- Deans should establish timelines for completing reviews at the Department level, completing the Dean’s review, and candidates receiving their respective reviews.
- All completed Mini evaluations are due by Monday, May 5, 2025.
3. Periodic Mini Evaluation Process
Participants in the Review Process
Periodic Mini Evaluations of probationary faculty members are to be conducted by a department-level Peer Review Committee and the College Dean. The Department Chair may also write a review if they do not participate as a member of the Peer Review Committee. The Peer Review Committee will use the standard Periodic Review Form which is available on the Faculty Affairs website.
The elected Peer Review Committee must consist of at least three tenured faculty members. A department may decide to designate its RTP Committee to be the Peer Review Committee for these Mini evaluations or it may elect a separate committee. There is no committee review at the College level.
4. Materials to be Submitted by the Candidate
The candidate's activities are to be evaluated under the categories of:
- Instruction and Instructionally Related Activities
- Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities
- Service
Current review period: New probationary faculty members during the period prior to their first Reappointment review should submit materials from the date of appointment. If service credit was given at the time of appointment, candidates should also include materials for the credited years. Probationary faculty members who have completed a Reappointment review should include materials for the period since their most recent Reappointment review.
The following materials must be submitted via Interfolio by Monday, February 10, 2025:
- Updated Professional Data Sheet (PDS) which addresses the above categories
- Narrative
- Student evaluation summaries
- Any other new information or materials that address activities for the current review period
- All prior reviews (which includes the Professional Development Plan if one was submitted)
In Spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching transitioned from face-to-face to alternative modes of instruction; faculty members had only a few days to make this transition. Given this significant and rapid change and the impact on faculty members and students, consideration was given to not administering the Student Perceptions of Teaching instrument in Spring 2020. However, in order to comply with the Unit 3 Collective Bargaining Agreement, all CSUs needed to administer student evaluations. At the time a decision was made that all faculty members would be held harmless in the personnel process in terms of Spring 2020 SPOTs; Spring 2020 SPOT may not be considered in personnel decisions, unless the faculty member explicitly chooses to include the SPOT summary in their file.
In Fall 2019, CHHS participated in a college wide pilot test of online administration of SPOT summaries. While the SPOT summaries for this semester are to be included in files, candidates for personnel action(s) are to be held harmless in relation to these SPOT summaries. Candidates are encouraged to address the Fall 2019 SPOT summaries in their narrative, particularly if the outcomes differ from the norms for the candidate and/or the department. Evaluators may use the Fall 2019 SPOT summaries for formative purposes but may not use them for summative purposes. Other instructional materials, including available SPOT summaries from other semesters should be used for summative evaluation of instruction.
Summer 2020 professional development participation will not have any impact on faculty evaluations, nor will participation or non-participation be used in any personnel actions.
5. Open Period for Periodic Mini Evaluation
Section 15.2 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement:
Faculty unit employees, students, academic administrators, and the President may contribute information to the evaluation of a faculty unit employee. Information submitted by the faculty unit employee and by academic administrators may include statements and opinions about the qualifications and work of the employee provided by other persons identified by name. Only tenured faculty unit employees and academic administrators may engage in deliberations and make recommendations to the President regarding the evaluation of a faculty unit employee.
To provide this opportunity for individuals to voluntarily contribute information, an Open Period has been established from Monday, November 18, 2024 through Monday, December 9, 2024.
Departments will be provided with a list of the candidates who are eligible for Periodic Mini Evaluation (PME); this list must be posted in each department office on or before Monday, November 18, 2024. Each posted list must contain the following statement:
Faculty, students, academic-administrators and the President may contribute information to the evaluation of a faculty unit employee. Information submitted by the faculty unit employee and academic administrators may include statements and opinions about qualifications and work of the candidate by other persons identified by name. Letters or memoranda which contain statements of opinion or allegations of fact by unnamed persons cannot be accepted. All information must be submitted in written form to the Peer Review Committee with a copy to the candidate, by Monday, December 9, 2024.
To accommodate members of the campus community who will not be accessing campus facilities in the fall, a list of the candidates who are eligible for Periodic Mini Evaluation is posted on the Faculty Affairs website.
The candidate must be given five (5) days’ notice before any such materials are placed in their file by the Peer Review Committee Chair. The candidate may respond to or rebut information provided during the Open Period. However, since the periodic evaluation is a part of the Personnel Action File, requests for removal of information on the ground of inaccuracy – and only on that ground – may be made under the terms of Article 11.13 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Candidates may solicit letters of support, and these should be included in the supplemental documentation.
6. Committee Evaluation of the Periodic Mini Evaluation File
On the basis of information provided by the candidate and the material submitted during the Open Period, the Peer Review Committee evaluates the activities and achievements of the candidate for the current review period. While this may include service at another institution for which probationary credit was granted, particular attention should be paid to the candidate's record at CSULB.
7. Candidate Response/Rebuttal
Following each level of review (Department, Department Chair (if applicable), and Dean), the candidate will receive the evaluation. The candidate may, within ten (10) calendar days of the receipt of the review, submit a response/rebuttal via Interfolio; any response/rebuttal shall then be forwarded with the review.
8. Procedures for Candidates on Joint Appointment
Special rules apply to the formation of RTP committees for faculty members on joint appointments. See “University Joint Appointments for Faculty Personnel Policy and Procedures” (PS 94-11) on the Academic Senate website.
9. Completion of the Periodic Mini Evaluation
Following completion of reviews by the Department, Department Chair (if provided), and the Dean, all materials will be placed in the candidate's Personnel Action File in the Office of Academic Affairs.
10. Professional Development Plan (PDP) for First Year Faculty
The Professional Development Plan is an alternative that can replace the first-year Mini evaluation for probationary faculty members with no (0) years of service credit. The Department Chair and the Dean, in consultation with the faculty member, determine whether to require the Mini evaluation or the PDP.
The Professional Development Plan is an articulation of the probationary faculty member’s professional goals, areas of interest, and accomplishments that they expect to achieve in each of the three areas of evaluation—instruction and instructionally-related activities; research, scholarly and creative activities; and service—in order to meet the university, college, and department expectations/requirements for Reappointment, Tenure, and Promotion. As such, the PDP is three short narratives (approximately 500 words per area), one for each area of evaluation.
In no way is the Professional Development Plan meant to serve as a contract. The achievement of all stated goals does not guarantee tenure; nor does the failure to achieve these goals mean that tenure will not be granted.
For additional information, see the Professional Development Plan FAQ available on the Faculty Affairs website.
11. Timeline for Preparing the Professional Development Plan:
The timeline for writing, consulting, revising, and forwarding of the signed PDP (including teaching evaluation summaries) to Faculty Affairs is outlined below. The same obligation to meet timelines applies to both the PDP and the Mini review, although the specific timelines and procedures differ. No Open Period is required for faculty members preparing a PDP.
- September - October 2024: Candidate meets with the Department Chair to review the RTP process, discuss expectations, and PDP requirements.
- Friday, November 8, 2024: Candidate submits draft of PDP to the Department Chair.
- Friday, December 6, 2024: Department Chair provides candidate with comments and/or recommendations for revisions.
- Friday, February 7, 2025:Candidate submits revised PDP (if necessary) to Department Chair for signature.
- Friday, February 7 - Friday, February 28, 2025: Candidate meets with Department Chair to discuss the PDP and progress to date, including fall semester student evaluations of teaching.
- Monday, March 3, 2025: Department Chair forwards PDP to the Dean.
- Friday, March 28, 2025: Dean provides candidate with comments and/or recommendations for revisions.
- Friday, April 11, 2025: Faculty member submits revised PDP (if necessary) to the Dean for signature.
- Tuesday, May 6, 2025: Dean forwards signed, final PDP to the candidate, Department Chair, Department Peer Committee members, and Faculty Affairs for the Personnel Action File.
Getting Help with Periodic Mini Evaluations
This memo and guidelines for both the Periodic Mini Evaluation and Professional Development Plan (PDP) are available on the Faculty Affairs website:
