Obasohan scores high
Published 10:06 pm Friday, April 9, 2010
After a well-rounded compilation of opinions and examples, the results are in.
Selma City Schools Superintendent Dr. Austin Obasohan is outstanding and demonstrates excellence, according to the Professional Education Personnel Evaluation Program, PEPE.
Obasohan received a 46 out of a possible 52 points in 13 categories.
“I am excited about the opportunity to serve and I will not be pleased, even through the evaluation is good, and I’m glad it’s good, but I will not be pleased until every child succeeds,” Obasohan said.
Items are listed on a four-point scale, 4 being the highest: communication knowledge and skills, 4; collaboration processes and skills, 3; assessment/ measurement/ evaluation, 3; organizing for results. 4; planning, 3; federal/ state/ local laws and policies, 4; problem solving, 3; innovation, 3; technology management, 3; school operations and management, 3; fiscal leadership and management, 4; management of professional responsibilities, 4 and leadership of human resources, 4.
Overall evaluations consist of four parts: a questionnaire filled out by members of the school board, a questionnaire filled out by administrators and members of the Selma City Schools central office, a structured interview of six essay questions answered by the superintendent and a portfolio demonstrating examples from the 13 listed categories.
Evaluations from the former school board members gave Obasohan’s performance a mean score of 3.6 on a 4-point scale. Administrators and central office members evaluated him a mean score of 3.5 on a 4-point scale.
The evaluation is from Fall 2009 until April 8, when Dr. James Wright, state evaluator for the PEPE, officially presented the results to Obasohan at the school board meeting that night.
Wright and Obasohan met Thursday prior to the school board meeting to discuss a professional development plan for Obasohan.
The two areas that Obasohan would like to improve are problem solving and assessment. “That is not that I don’t know how to do those things, it just means those are the areas I want to focus on more,” Obasohan said.
One sub-goal of these categories is that he would like to get information of test scores and other evaluations and assessments out to teachers and parents and the community for them to see the data.
“I want to be able to communicate that data more effectively throughout the school constituents and the entire community,” Obasohan said.
Superintendent evaluations can be conducted each year, if the school board decides to do so.
“One of the most important things a board has to do is an evaluation the teaching and learning processes in the school district,” Wright said.
It has not been confirmed yet if Obasohan will undergo another evaluation this fall, Wright said.
The State Department of Education adopted this evaluation process in 1988. Local school boards must implement a professional education personnel evaluation system or use the evaluations system developed by the State Department of Education.