CHAPARRAL

Can Adjuncts Feel More Secure? Rehire Rights Explained

Despite having been around for several years now, the rehire rights provision of the contract and the evaluation that helps one achieve that right are still a mystery to some. Newer hires may not know on what basis they will be evaluated and what the procedure is.

     All new adjunct faculty are supposed to be evaluated in their first or second semester of teaching, but sometimes, when the division chair or designee gets busy, these evaluations slip by unnoticed by both parties. This is not always a good thing for the evaluatee. Two evaluations with an “exceeds standards” rating are initially required to land a part-time instructor on the rehire rights list.  Since evaluations are done only every three years (after that first one), it will take a new hire about three to four years even to get that designation.

What is involved in an evaluation and how should one prepare for it?

     The process for the evaluation of classroom adjunct faculty involves four distinct actions: peer evaluation (done by your department chair or designee), student evaluations, self evaluation and summation. An adjunct faculty member evaluation starts with a notification from the division chair or designee that one is due for an evaluation that semester. But even before that time, adjunct faculty should be gathering and hanging onto documents that show what they have been doing to increase their professional teaching credentials, conferences they have attended, workshops they have participated in, committees or departmental work they have undertaken. Sometimes it is hard to recall what one did three years previously, so creating a file may help to jog one’s memory.

http://www.glendale.edu/community/employment/pdf/forms/PT_Instructional_
Adjunct_Eval_Packet.pdf

 (you will find it under “form” in the Private Internal Links site)

     To take a look at what you need to keep track of, check out the entire packet. There you will find the Self Evaluation form, which is to be completed by the adjunct faculty member as the first step. This is your “brag sheet,” so be sure to let the division chair or evaluator know everything you have been doing as a wonderful teacher. Getting requested census rosters and grade sheets in on time is becoming an important issue to pay attention to when it comes to evaluations.  The self-evaluation is to be forwarded to the division chair within the first four weeks of the college term identified for evaluation.

     The division chair or designee will contact the evaluatee to request materials including the syllabus, one exam and any other instructions given to students. The evaluator will use the syllabus to select visiting dates that avoid tests, films or guest speakers. The evaluator may observe at any time without prior notice and may conduct as many classroom observations as deemed necessary to assess the effectiveness of the instructor.

      The evaluatee will also be contacted to schedule student evaluations of her/his classes. The Student Evaluation form (there are different ones for different kinds of courses) can be found at this link on the GCC website under “Academic”: http://www.glendale.edu/intranet/forms.htm.

     Knowing what is on the Student Evaluation form will help you prepare your students for questions on the sheet that may not apply to your particular discipline. Questions such as, “The announced course objectives and what is taught are the same” may be way over the head of some students, especially now that course objectives are being written in SLO-ese. So you may need to remind students of what you had on your course syllabus and how it relates to what they are doing in class.

     The final step in the evaluation process is the completion by the division chair of a Summary Evaluation with commendations and recommendations which includes an overall rating of “exceeds standards,” “meets standards,” “needs to improve” or “unsatisfactory performance.” Only an “exceeds standards” designation allows an adjunct faculty member to be placed on the “rehire rights list” (which provides certainty of having one class, if available, in future semesters). This final evaluation is shared with the evaluatee and must be submitted to the faculty member not later than 15 working days after the end of the semester. The evaluatee has the right to submit written comments regarding this evaluation for his/her file.

     In the event of an unsatisfactory evaluation, the adjunct faculty member may request an additional evaluation. For this reevaluation, at least two evaluators will be selected, including the division chair, associate dean, or designee, and a tenured peer faculty member selected by the Academic Senate. No faculty member may act as a reevaluator if he/she wrote the original evaluation, unless requested by the evaluatee. All new evaluation data collected will beforwarded to the appropriate vice president, who reviews all the evaluation forms and written reports, and  will provide a final written decision. Possible further action can include reevaluation the following semester or possible loss of future employment. The appropriate vice president will also determine whether the unsatisfactory evaluation is to beplaced in the faculty member’s personnel file.

     In these tough budget times, having a spot on the “rehire rights list” can provide some measure of comfort and assurance. The Guild is in the process of getting an up-to-date list. Once it is complete, adjuncts will be informed so that they can check its validity, probably online. The list had been allowed to lapse in the HR office due to recent staff changes there, so getting a true picture of where we stand will be helpful, and we are working diligently to see that those entitled to a class in the future get it, and those newer faculty who already have one “exceeds standards” evaluation will know that their next evaluation could be the one that gets them on the list.

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