Parents, students and other teachers will be given the opportunity to evaluate about a third of Vicksburg Warren School District teachers on new forms this year.

The school board Thursday night approved the purchase of the feedback forms from Iowa State University. The forms will be sent out in December to parents and students for about 200 teachers.

“Our purpose in this is to improve the instructional program,” Superintendent Donald Oakes said.

Every year, one-third of teachers will be evaluated using the feedback forms. The first batch will be selected at random, Oakes said. The forms cost $3,650.

Parents will be asked to evaluate teachers in various areas including communication, classroom environment, curriculum and homework. The forms then go to Iowa for scoring and then back to the district and the teacher’s employment file.

“I think this is a very good step in the right direction,” Oakes said. “We’re trying to hold people accountable.”

Last school year, feedback forms were sent to parents for every teacher in the district as a pilot program. The results were not included in teacher files, but were reviewed by principals.

In other matters the board:

Accepted donations of $13,000 from International Paper, $800 from Anderson-Tully and $500 from the Optimist Club of Vicksburg.

Authorized the district to advertise for bids on athletic equipment for the next school year.