Managing Evaluation Periods

Evaluation periods define the timeframes for performance reviews in your organization. You can edit period details, activate periods for current use, and organize multiple periods to align with your review cycles.

Role requirement: System Administrator role

Editing Period Details

You can modify evaluation period information at any time:

1. Navigate to System Admin → Subdivisions → Evaluation Periods
2. Locate the period you want to edit
3. Click the Edit button next to the period
4. Update the fields as needed:
   • Name: Change the period identifier
   • Term: Modify the term number for multi-term periods
   • Start Date: Adjust the beginning date
   • End Date: Adjust the ending date
5. Click Save to apply changes

Changes to evaluation periods will affect how performance reviews are organized and filtered in reports.

Activating and Deactivating Periods

Only one evaluation period should be active at a time. The active period determines which timeframe new performance reviews are assigned to:

Setting an Active Period

1. Navigate to System Admin → Subdivisions → Evaluation Periods
2. Find the period you want to activate
3. Click Edit next to that period
4. Check the Active checkbox
5. Click Save

The system will automatically deactivate other periods when you activate a new one.

Deactivating a Period

1. Navigate to System Admin → Subdivisions → Evaluation Periods
2. Find the currently active period
3. Click Edit next to that period
4. Uncheck the Active checkbox
5. Click Save

When no period is active, you'll need to activate one before conducting new performance reviews.

Managing Multiple Periods

Organizations typically maintain several evaluation periods to track performance reviews across different school years or terms:

Creating Additional Periods

You can create multiple periods for different timeframes:

1. Plan periods to align with your review schedule
2. Create periods before they begin
3. Use consistent naming conventions (e.g., "2024-2025 School Year")
4. Set appropriate start and end dates

Organizing Periods

Consider these approaches for organizing evaluation periods:

• Annual Periods: Create one period per school year
• Term-Based Periods: Create multiple periods per year with term numbers
• Semester Periods: Create fall and spring periods

Transitioning Between Periods

When moving from one evaluation period to another:

1. Complete all performance reviews in the current period
2. Create the new evaluation period
3. Activate the new period
4. Begin conducting reviews in the new timeframe

Best Practices for Period Timing

Planning Ahead

Create evaluation periods before you need them:

• Set up the next school year's period in advance
• Plan period dates to align with your evaluation calendar
• Consider any gaps or overlaps between periods

Consistent Scheduling

Maintain regular evaluation cycles:

• Use the same date ranges each year when possible
• Align periods with natural breaks in the school calendar
• Consider state requirements or district mandates

Period Duration

Most organizations use these timeframes:

• Full Year: September to June or July to June
• School Year: August/September to May/June
• Semester: Fall (August-December) and Spring (January-May)

Deleting Periods

You can remove evaluation periods that are no longer needed:

1. Navigate to System Admin → Subdivisions → Evaluation Periods
2. Find the period you want to delete
3. Click Delete next to that period
4. Confirm the deletion

Important: Deleting an evaluation period will affect existing performance reviews associated with that period. Only delete periods that have no associated reviews or when you're certain you want to remove the historical data.

Before Deleting

Consider these factors before removing an evaluation period:

• Are there completed performance reviews in this period?
• Do you need the historical data for reporting?
• Will deletion affect compliance or record-keeping requirements?

If you need to preserve data but remove the period from active use, deactivate it instead of deleting it.