Wenatchee High School staff attended an optional informational meeting in Dec. regarding questions and concerns over the first year of the new teacher evaluation system.

“There’s plenty to be stressed about when teaching high school kids… and we do not need additional, unnecessary stress over a new evaluation system,” Principal Bob Celebrezze said.

Celebrezze hosted the meeting alongside English department head Chris Cloke, jointly aiming to ease teacher stress.

Students may notice more pretests and post tests in their classes, an increase in classroom surveys, and adherence to daily learning targets due to a requirement that teachers show student growth in their classes, one of many other criterion that must be met on through the new system.

The Marzano system, selected by the Wenatchee School District after the state legislature implemented the new system, is one in which teachers are graded on a one to four scale, similar to students, on different critical criterion and student growth scores at different intervals during the year.

Teachers are evaluated by vice principals and receive a summative score on their progress at end of the year. Receiving a one or a two for too many successive years in a row can result in their release as teachers.

Tensions have mounted in the building, with teachers mostly concerned about the time consuming nature of the system.

“The workload increases for teachers in order to defend themselves when evaluators don’t put in enough or any time,” Cloke said.

Cloke hopes that the meeting was informational and will encourage teachers to attend the next informational meeting on Jan. 15.