Performance Evaluation Process

LC State Staff Performance Evaluations – Step-by-Step Guide

Who this applies to: Professional staff (PSO) and Classified staff (CSO)
How often: Once a year
When evaluations are due to HRS: January 31

The process starts with the employee doing a self-evaluation, then the employee and their supervisor finalize it together and send it to Human Resource Services.

Step 1 – Know which form you should use

If you are unsure, your supervisor will tell you which form applies to you:

Both forms use the same 4-point performance rating scale:

  1. Exemplary Performance – Consistently goes above and beyond expectations
  2. Solid Sustained – Strong, reliable performance above expectations
  3. Achieves – Consistently meets job expectations
  4. Does Not Achieve – Does not consistently meet expectations; improvement needed


Step 2 – You complete your self-evaluation (Sections I, II, III)

Open your evaluation form and fill out:

  • Section I – Basic information about you and your position
  • Section II – Your ratings and comments on key performance areas
  • Section III – Your goals, training needs, and objectives for the coming year

Be honest and specific. Think about your accomplishments, challenges, and what you’d like to work on next year.

Step 3 – Email the Word document to your supervisor

When you’ve finished your self-evaluation, email the document to your supervisor using the following steps:

  1. In Word, click File > Share > Email > Send as Attachment
  2. Email the entire Word document to your immediate supervisor

Step 4 – Your supervisor reviews your self-evaluation

Your supervisor will:

  • Review what you wrote in Sections II and III
  • Consider your performance over the last year, your job duties, and feedback they’ve given you and have been given by others during the year

Step 5 – Your supervisor completes Section IV

Your supervisor then fills out Section IV, which includes:

  • Their ratings using the same 4-point scale
  • Comments about your performance
  • Any additional expectations moving forward

They’ll use your self-evaluation plus their own observations to complete this section.

Step 6 – You and your supervisor meet to discuss the evaluation

Your supervisor will schedule a meeting with you to:

  • Review your ratings and comments
  • Go over their ratings and comments in Section IV
  • Talk about your strengths, areas for improvement, and support you may need
  • Finalize your goals and objectives for the coming year in Section III

This is meant to be a conversation. Ask questions, clarify anything that’s unclear, and make sure you leave knowing what’s expected for the next year.

Step 7 – Supervisor converts the evaluation to a PDF and signs it

After the meeting, your supervisor will:

  1. Open the completed Word evaluation
  2. Convert it to a PDF: File > Save as Adobe PDF
  3. Digitally sign the PDF

Then they will email the signed PDF to you.

Step 8 – You add any comments and sign the PDF

If you want to add comments:

  1. Open the PDF
  2. Click Tools > Comment > T (Add text comment)
  3. Type your comments in the “Employee Comments” section

Then digitally sign the PDF:

  • If you have the full version of Adobe:
    • Go to Tools > Certificates > Digitally Sign
  • If you have Adobe Reader:
    • Go to Tools > Fill & Sign or choose Fill & Sign from the right pane

Save the signed PDF when you’re done.

Note: Your signature means you’ve seen and discussed the evaluation. It doesn’t mean you agree with every part of it.

Step 9 – You send the final evaluation to HRS (and your supervisor)

Once the PDF is signed:

  • Email the completed, signed PDF to Human Resource Services at hr@lcsc.edu
  • Email a copy to your immediate supervisor

This must be done on or before January 31.

Step 10 – You and your supervisor review and sign your job description ** make sure it is on the updated job description template found on the HRS Forms website**

As a final step each year, you and your supervisor will:

  1. Review your job description to make sure it still accurately reflects your duties
  2. Sign and date the job description
  3. Email the signed job description to hr@lcsc.edu

This helps keep your job description current and aligned with your evaluation.

Step 11 – Keep the conversation going during the year

After the evaluation is complete:

  • Use your objectives and feedback as a roadmap for the year
  • Check in with your supervisor periodically to see how you’re doing
  • Ask for help, clarification, or training if you need it—before the next evaluation rolls around