rating system on performance reviews

heights

I am looking for information regarding current thinking on employee performance evaluations - specifically on the rating system contained within performance evaluations. We currently have a rating system that asks managers to rate an employee on a particular competency (communications, for example) on a scale of one to five. We fully define what 1 means and what 5 means, with about one paragraph worth of explanation, but we do not define what the numbers in-between mean. I know other folks who have rating scales, which define all the ratings with a short word or two (for example, 1 means unsatisfactory, 2 means satisfactory, etc.)

What are you all doing? Or are you leaving ratings off altogether?

SMace

For non-exempt hourly we use 1-5. 3 is meets expectations. 4 is occasionally above exp. and 5 is consistently above exp. 2 is occ. below and 1 is consistently below. We have clear, concise paragraphs that explain what the expectations are.

Stephen