Career Management System

2026-2027 CMS Documents and Appraisal Calendar

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Beginning of Year (BOY) Step 1: Employee/Team Member Actions

BEGINNING OF YEAR PLANNING/GOAL SETTING CONFERENCE

In preparation for the planning/goal-setting conference, all team members should develop and submit approximately three job-specific goals which they will work toward achieving throughout the appraisal cycle. During the planning/goal-setting conference, appraisers must ensure that team members understand their job roles and responsibilities, goals, priorities, and expected professional standards of conduct.

During this planning/goal-setting conference, appraisers are also expected to ensure that their team members’ goals are aligned with the goals of their department and the district, whenever possible. This planning activity is critical for the success of the campuses, departments, and the district. When this activity is well executed by all appraisers and team members, team members can focus their time and resources on meeting strategically aligned priorities.

INDIVIDUAL WORK-SPECIFIC GOAL SETTING

Goals are the core job functions or projects that appraisers hold team members accountable for annually. During the fall Planning/Goal Setting Conference, team members, and evaluators conference to formally discuss these individual goals.

Each team member evaluated on the Career Management System is required to have 2-3 job-specific, measurable goals entered into the system. Goals should be rigorous yet attainable to challenge team members while aligning their work to the team, division, or district. Goals should meet the SMART goal criteria and must be entered online in Cornerstone. Resources on goal development can be found below.

Resource Links

CMS Guidance Creating Effective SMART Goals

SMART Goals

Guidance: Creating Effective SMART Goals

Individual, work-specific goals are a key component of performance appraisal in Dallas ISD.

Goals should signify the most important functions of an employee’s job and should answer the question, “What was I hired to do?”
Best practice is to establish two or three goals for each appraisal cycle.
Goals should include the most important, long-term, measurable work the employee is expected to achieve and should be within the employee’s primary control to drive the outcome.
Finally, an employee’s individual goals should align and contribute to the work of the team, department, or district.

Guiding Questions*

S	Specific	Goals should be straightforward and specific.
		How can the goal be worded so it is clear to anyone? Who has primary control or influence over the outcome?
M	Measurable	Setting measurements will help keep the goal on track.
		How is success defined? How can progress be measured?
A	Actionable	Outlining the steps needed to achieve the goal provides clarity.
		What tasks will indicate progress toward the goal?
R	Relevant	Aligning the goal to the work of the team builds commitment and underscores its priority.
		Why is this goal important? How is the goal tied to the work of the team, department, or District mission?
T	Timely	Establishing a time frame provides a target to work toward.
		What is the time frame? Is it realistic?

Beginning of Year (BOY) Step 2: Appraiser Actions

BEGINNING OF YEAR PLANNING/GOAL SETTING CONFERENCE

In preparation for the planning/goal-setting conference, all team members should develop and submit approximately three job-specific goals which they will work toward achieving throughout the appraisal cycle. During the planning/goal-setting conference, appraisers must ensure that team members understand their job roles and responsibilities, goals, priorities, and expected professional standards of conduct.

During this planning/goal-setting conference, appraisers are also expected to ensure that their team members’ goals are aligned with the goals of their department and the district, whenever possible. This planning activity is critical for the success of the campuses, departments, and the district. When this activity is well executed by all appraisers and team members, team members can focus their time and resources on meeting strategically aligned priorities.

Resource Link:

CMS Goal Setting Acknowledgement Appraiser Steps

Middle of Year (MOY) Step 1: Employee/Team Member Actions

MID-YEAR REVIEW CONFERENCE

During the Mid-year review conference, each team member completes a self-review, and the appraiser meets in person with each team member to assess areas of strength and growth. In addition, the appraiser will review, revise, and realign the team member’s goals with the needs and the goals of the district, their department, and campus. Team members should be prepared to present evidence supporting their work performance for the mid-year conference. If necessary, an intervention plan will be developed to address levels of performance that are not meeting expectations.

The mid-year conference includes the following activities:

A discussion and review of team member’s performance
Review of performance components where team member’s and appraiser’s perception of work performance or goal progress are not aligned
Review, revision, and realignment of the team member’s goals with the needs and goals of the district, department, or campus
Development of an Individual Improvement Plan if team member’s performance requires improvement*

*Note: If a team member’s work performance requires improvement, appraisers should conduct additional meetings between the Mid-year conference and End of year conference and should not wait until the End of year review conference to develop an Individual Improvement Plan.

Middle of Year (MOY) Step 2: Appraiser Actions

MID-YEAR REVIEW CONFERENCE

During the Mid-year review conference, each team member completes a self-review, and the appraiser meets in person with each team member to assess areas of strength and growth. In addition, the appraiser will review, revise, and realign the team member’s goals with the needs and the goals of the district, their department, and campus. Team members should be prepared to present evidence supporting their work performance for the mid-year conference. If necessary, an intervention plan will be developed to address levels of performance that are not meeting expectations.

The mid-year conference includes the following activities:

A discussion and review of team member’s performance
Review of performance components where team member’s and appraiser’s perception of work performance or goal progress are not aligned
Review, revision, and realignment of the team member’s goals with the needs and goals of the district, department, or campus
Development of an Individual Improvement Plan if a team member’s performance requires improvement*

*Note: If a team member’s work performance requires improvement, appraisers should conduct additional meetings between the Mid-year conference and End of year conference and should not wait until the End of year review conference to develop an Individual Improvement Plan.

End of Year (EOY) Appraiser Step

What if I disagree with my evaluation?

First submit rebuttal comments on your evaluation acknowledgment. Employees are encouraged to discuss their concerns and grievances with their supervisor, principal, or other appropriate administrator. When informal discussions fail to resolve the concern or dispute, the employee may contact the Employee Relations Department at employeerelations@dallasisd.org or (972) 925-4026. The grievance must be submitted within 15 days of receiving the evaluation.

Grievance: Board Policy DGBA outlines the process for filing a grievance.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (All Users)

Where do I log in to access Cornerstone?

The Cornerstone web platform can be accessed here, or by clicking the link above that reads: Dallasisd.csod.com/samldefault.aspx. For best results, please use Chrome or Firefox.

What is my username and password to access Cornerstone?

Your Dallas ISD EAD username and password. If you have technical issues logging into the system, please contact the IT department at 972-925-5630.

What staff members are evaluated on CMS?

Campus-based administrative & support roles
Instructional support roles
Central professional and support staff
Classified positions
Teaching roles not eligible for TEI

Examples: Driver, Coordinator, Office Manager, Speech Therapist, Teacher Assistant, and Technician

What are the components of CMS?

The CMS appraisal consists of two components:

Goals: Accomplishment of 2-3 SMART goals, to be tracked and accomplished between August and June or (end of contract date)
Performance Rubric Competencies: Evaluation of a set of competencies from four domains: Shaping Culture, Developing Talent, Driving Impact, and Engaging Stakeholders

What are my key dates for CMS?

The CMS annual appraisal cycle includes three phases:

Phase 1: Beginning of Year Planning/Goal-Setting Conference (August - October)
Phase 2: Mid-Year Review (January - February)
Phase 3: End of Year Review (May - June)

Where can I get more information about CMS?

On this website you will find the Career Management System Guidebook, supporting documents, and Quick Reference Guides.

How do I enter my goals in CMS?

All CMS users are assigned a Goal-Setting Task in CMS in August for goal entry. In the bottom left corner of the Cornerstone Welcome screen, please select “Complete Goal-Setting and Online Goal Entry” under My Performance Review Tasks to complete this task.

How do I access my previous year’s CMS review?

From the Employee Excellence homepage, select “Performance” and “Performance Reviews.” Your completed review is accessible under “My Personal Reviews” and can be downloaded and saved as a pdf file or printed.

Frequently Asked Questions (Mid-Year Review)

What are the required steps in the Mid-Year Review process?

The Mid-Year Review is comprised of the Employee Self-Review, Manager/Appraiser Review, and the Mid-Year Review Conference. Please see the Guidebook for information about the CMS Annual appraisal cycle.

My employee is new to the district or position. Should I complete a Mid-Year or End of Year Review?

All employees hired before April 1st should complete a goal-setting task. A Mid-Year Review will not be assigned. Only employees hired before April 1st will be assigned an End of Year Review task. The Mid-year review task is assigned to all active team members prior to winter break, regardless of the start date (Aug-Dec).

I am being rated under the Leader of Other rubric, but I do not formally manage others. How should I rate indicators that do not apply to me?

Job title and position determine employee placement on the Dallas ISD Performance Rubric. In cases where a position may manage a program or initiative rather than direct reports, your appraiser will select "Not Applicable (N/A)" on the rating scale for applicable indicators. Indicators marked N/A will not count toward the overall score in the End of Year Review.

How can I access my completed review?

Log in to the Cornerstone platform here .

Employees may access or download completed review tasks, then select PERFORMANCE > PERFORMANCE REVIEWS > MY PERSONAL REVIEWS from the welcome page. Click on the text to access the completed review task.

Managers/Appraisers may access or download completed review tasks for direct reports by selecting PERFORMANCE > PERFORMANCE REVIEWS > MY ASSIGNED REVIEWS and selecting "show completed/expired tasks."

Frequently Asked Questions (Managers/Appraisers)

How do I assign goals to my direct reports?

Managers and Appraisers may assign goals to their direct reports by selecting home and navigating to Universal Profile. At the top right click the three dots, then click on create goal. Update the dates and choose assignments. Employees will acknowledge any assigned goals by completing the goal-setting task.

I am an appraiser/manager, and my list of direct reports is not correct. How can I change this?

Cornerstone feeds from Oracle. To make an update to assigned appraisers, please use the DISD Online Evaluation Supervisor function in Oracle. Follow the instructions linked here. If you are not listed in Oracle as your direct reports supervisor, please contact your staffing specialist.

How can I review my direct reports goals in Cornerstone?

Once the goal-setting task is completed by your direct report, the task will automatically be routed to you for review and approval. You will receive an email when a direct report submits the tasks.

To review your team goals, you may access or download completed review tasks for direct reports by selecting PERFORMANCE > PERFORMANCE REVIEWS > MY ASSIGNED REVIEWS and selecting "show completed/expired tasks." You can search by the name or goal as the key word.

Where can I find a performance improvement plan for one of my direct reports?

If deemed necessary, an appraiser should develop an Individual Intervention Plan for any employee in need of additional support and development. The Individual Intervention Plan template is available here.

Can I request training for my department or staff?

Trainings for individual departments or teams may be requested by contacting us at careermanagement@dallasisd.org.

Leadership Development Webinars

Professional Learning Webinars for Central Staff Leaders

HCM’s Employee Experience team offers a series of virtual learning webinars designed for aspiring central staff leaders. These self-paced webinars can be completed on your schedule, any time.

Follow the link below for the full course list and take your first step toward leading more effectively.

Professional Learning Webinars