2024-2025 Tenure Candidates Press Release 

Announcing the 2024-2025 Tenure Candidates. Dr. Hamilton welcomes your feedback on these candidates. If you would like to share your thoughts, please email Dr. Hamilton at khamilton@edgemont.org.

The following Edgemont faculty members are in the final year of the State-mandated probationary period before tenure may be granted:

These staff members will continue to be evaluated by Edgemont administrators using Edgemont’s Annual Professional Performance Review Plan. This Plan provides a framework for identifying and commending effective performance in their respective certification areas, for defining areas requiring attention, and for making recommendations that will assist a teacher or an administrator to improve instructional practices in his/her classroom, department, or school. Ultimately, Edgemont’s Annual Professional Performance Review Plan provides a framework to help make decisions about continued employment and the recommendation of continued employment which results in tenure for probationary employees.

The evaluation process in Edgemont is lengthy and comprehensive. A minimum of three formal observations of each probationary faculty member shall be conducted by an administrator each year. These formal observations may be announced or unannounced, and they augment informal observations made by administrators. In addition, Dr. Hamilton will make at least one visit to each probationary teacher’s classroom/workplace in addition to the three formal, evaluation reports to be written and discussed with the teacher. These observations are documented using the NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric or the Multidimensional Leadership Performance Rubric, a thorough and rigorous set of standards for evaluating a teacher’s or administrator’s performance both inside and outside of the classroom. Teachers are encouraged to maintain a professional portfolio of artifacts that may assist with this process that may help to demonstrate their work in areas identified in the rubric as part of the evaluation process. The district and building administrators continue to train on the use of this rubric to ensure inter-rater reliability.

Each year and again toward the end of an employee’s probationary period, all reports written by other administrators and all written feedback received about probationary professionals are reviewed. Dr. Hamilton will then make a recommendation about each probationary employee’s ongoing employment to the members of the Board of Education. This year, Dr. Hamilton expects to announce his recommendations concerning tenure appointments at the public Board meeting of April 22, 2025.

Additionally, Dr. Hamilton has implemented a Tenure Defense Process whereby principals must meet with him to review and discuss evidence to substantiate the recommendation to grant or deny tenure. Feedback is always welcomed from students and from parents about all members of our faculty throughout the year, both tenured and non-tenured, especially after it has been shared directly with the particular teacher or administrator. In keeping with the purpose of our evaluation process, namely, to follow a carefully designed system to define and measure effective teaching, cause measurable learning, and to stimulate professional growth of our Edgemont staff. Dr. Hamilton hopes that students and parents so inclined have already offered feedback to and about those professionals who are in their final year of probation to their respective principals or in the case of a district administrator, to Dr. Hamilton directly.

Tenure Review Process Presentation