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District to adopt new ‘walkthrough’ platform to help principals give non-evaluative instructional feedback
Summary
Superintendent and curriculum leaders described a planned reset of classroom walkthroughs, selection of a Bullseye platform, and an emphasis on non-evaluative feedback and quarterly data use to inform professional learning and accreditation goals.
Shawnee Mission leaders told the board they plan to replace the district's inconsistent classroom-walkthrough tool with a customizable platform (Bullseye) to provide brief, non-evaluative observations and feedback intended to improve instructional quality.
Pam (curriculum leadership) said the district's prior tool suffered device-compatibility and reporting issues and that the reset is intended to provide a single pre-K–12 rubric focused on high-quality instruction. The proposed rubric will emphasize six instructional areas including student engagement and evidence of learning and align with Kansas accreditation fundamentals and the district's school-improvement goals.
Administrators will use the mobile app for short classroom “snapshots” (three to five minutes), record observed indicators and deliver non-evaluative feedback. The platform supports two-way feedback so teachers can respond or add evidence after a walkthrough; district leaders plan calibration sessions so observers apply criteria consistently.
Pam said the district expects principals to perform a meaningful number of walkthroughs each quarter (illustrative targets from past practice included roughly 30–40 per quarter) and that the new tool will allow leaders to see which classrooms have or have not been visited. The board asked about frequency, elementary vs. secondary differences and safeguards to ensure walkthroughs remain non-evaluative; staff said evaluation remains a separate formal process and walkthrough evidence is not used for teacher evaluation.
The district is treating the rollout as a multi-step reset: draft the rubric with teacher and principal input, pilot and calibrate observers, provide training and quarterly building-level data discussions to link observations to professional learning. The board did not vote on a contract at this meeting; administrators said they will bring recommended purchase and implementation details forward as part of regular procurement and title-fund planning. No final procurement action occurred at the meeting.
