Central Office LIFT eligible team members are wrapping up the last performance year by making sure end-of-year self-reflections and manager evaluations are completed and submitted to HR using the links that can be found in the 2023-24 LIFT Tracker. 

Looking Forward: 2024-25

• Our senior leaders are in the process of establishing 2024-25 priorities aligned to the DPS Strategic Roadmap and the outcomes that are outlined in the Board of Education Ends Statements. Information from the LIFT Team and your leadership teams related to cascading goals will be shared in the near future. You can prepare by starting to reflect on the Strategic Roadmap and BOE Ends Statements and how they connect to your work. 
• Cascading goals refers to the process of aligning individual or team goals with the overarching goals set by senior leaders. It involves translating and breaking down the higher-level strategic goals into specific objectives and targets that are relevant and applicable to different departments, teams, or individuals within the organization. This alignment ensures that everyone's efforts are directed towards achieving the larger strategic objectives. Essentially, it involves the flow of goals from the top down, ensuring cohesion and unity in pursuit of the common vision.

The 2023-24 end-of-year (EOY) evaluation window for Leadership Investment Framework for Talent (LIFT) team members is now open! (May 1 - June 14). It’s a time to celebrate successes and provide the information your team members need to understand growth areas for the future.   Please follow the steps below to complete EOY evaluations.

Employee Next Steps

1. Connect with your evaluator to establish a timeline for completing and submitting your self-reflection.
2. Draft EOY self-reflection using your LIFT Tracker.
   • Provide evidence and feedback for each competency group and for each goal
   • Rate each competency group and each goal based on the preponderance of evidence using the LIFT Rating Scale
3. Submit EOY self-reflection using the link located in the EOY Eval tab in the LIFT Tracker.
   
   • Once submitted, a copy of the evaluation will automatically be emailed to your manager and to you.
4. Engage in the EOY conversation with your manager to discuss your evaluation.

Manager Next Steps

1. Review the LIFT EOY slide deck 
2. Schedule time to host EOY conversations.
   • Backwards plan to host EOY conversations and be able to submit EOY evaluations by June 14th.
3. Invite and encourage your direct reports to draft a self-reflection using their LIFT Tracker.
   • Be sure team members submit their self-reflection using the link in the EOY tab.  Once submitted, a copy of the self-reflection will automatically be emailed to the team member and to you.
4. Draft EOY evaluations using your direct report’s LIFT Tracker and ask your direct reports if they would like you to share it with them 24 hours prior to the EOY conversation to allow time for them to review it.
   • Provide evidence and feedback for each competency group and for each goal
   • Rate each competency group and each goal based on the preponderance of evidence using the LIFT Rating Scale
5. Meet for the EOY conversation to discuss the evaluation. Make adjustments if needed.
6. Submit EOY evaluations using the link located in the EOY Eval tab in the LIFT Tracker by June 14.
   • Once submitted, a copy of the evaluation will automatically be emailed to the team member and to you.

The LIFT Mid-Year (MY) performance conversation window for the 2023-24 SY is Jan 8 - Feb 16.  In preparation for MY conversations, LIFT eligible team members are asked to complete a self-reflection. Self-reflections enable team members to honestly self-assess progress on goals, areas of strength and areas of growth with opportunities to improve so team members can participate more constructively in the MY evaluation conversation. 

Team Member Next Steps: 

• Review the LIFT Mid-Year Slide Deck
• Draft your self-reflection using the MY Eval tab in your LIFT Tracker.
• Submit your self-reflection using the link in the MY tab in your LIFT Tracker
  • Once submitted, a copy of the evaluation will automatically be emailed to you and your manager.
• Meet for the MY conversation to discuss the evaluation: progress made on goals including  areas of strength and areas for growth for each LIFT competency group. 

Evaluator/Manager Next Steps:

• Schedule time to host MY conversations
• Review the LIFT Mid-Year Slide Deck
• Invite and encourage your direct reports to draft a self-reflection using their LIFT Tracker.
• Draft MY evaluations using your direct report’s LIFT Tracker and ask your direct reports if they would like you to share it with them 24 hours prior to the MY conversation to allow time for them to review it.
• Meet for the MY conversation to discuss the evaluation.  Make adjustments if needed.
• Submit MY Manager Evaluations using the link in the MY tab in the LIFT Tracker

During the 2022-2023 school year, we saw a significant increase in the number of employees not receiving evaluations. Because the purpose of evaluation is to provide feedback and meaningful conversations that allow employees to improve in service to our students, we are putting guardrails in place to reinforce the importance of completing employee evaluations and improve overall implementation of our evaluation systems. 

What’s New?  Starting with the 2023-24 school year:

1. LIFT evaluators who do not complete end-of-year evaluations for their employees will receive no higher than Approaching on the People and Culture competency.   Please review Guardrails for Ensuring Effective Evaluation Implementation for details and to see similar changes to other performance frameworks.  
2. The LIFT end-of-year performance evaluation will utilize a NEW streamlined LIFT Rating Scale. The scale has changed from a 5 point scale to a 4 point scale to align with all other DPS performance frameworks and is to be applied directly to the LIFT competency groups and goals.  
3. LIFT has launched a Fairness Guide that includes the processes that DPS is committed to following when LIFT evaluations are conducted for team members. It also includes best practices that work toward improving the quality of feedback that employees receive.

If you have not attended a New to LIFT session to learn about the LIFT growth and performance system, please sign up in Learning Space.