(a) Development of Performance Standards. – The State Board, in consultation with local boards of education, shall revise and develop uniform performance standards and criteria to be used in evaluating certified public school employees, including school administrators. These standards and criteria shall include improving student achievement, employee skills, and employee knowledge. The standards and criteria for school administrators also shall include building-level gains in student learning and effectiveness in providing for school safety and enforcing student discipline. The State Board shall develop rules regarding the use of these standards and criteria. The State Board also shall develop guidelines for evaluating superintendents. The guidelines shall include criteria for evaluating a superintendent‘s effectiveness in providing safe schools and enforcing student discipline.

(b) Training. – The State Board, in collaboration with the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, shall develop programs designed to train principals and superintendents in the proper administration of the employee evaluations developed by the State Board. The Board of Governors shall use the professional development programs for public school employees that are under its authority to make this training available to all principals and superintendents at locations that are geographically convenient to local school administrative units. The programs shall include methods to determine whether an employee’s performance has improved student learning, the development and implementation of appropriate professional growth and mandatory improvement plans, the process for contract nonrenewal, and the dismissal process under Part 3 of Article 22 of this Chapter. The Board of Governors shall ensure that the subject matter of the training programs is incorporated into the masters in school administration programs offered by the constituent institutions. The State Board, in collaboration with the Board of Governors, also shall develop in-service programs for licensed public school employees that may be included in a mandatory improvement plan created under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-333(b) or N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-333.1(b). The Board of Governors shall use the professional development programs for public school employees that are under its authority to make this training available at locations that are geographically convenient to local school administrative units. (1998-5, s. 4; 2011-348, s. 8; 2013-360, s. 9.7(k).)