The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
Educator Evaluation - Report on Implementation
Overview
Excellent teachers and leaders are key to strong student achievement, and we are committed to supporting the growth and development of every educator. To that end, in June 2011 the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted regulations creating a new framework for educator evaluation.
During the 2012-13 school year, 236 Race to the Top districts will begin implementing the educator evaluation regulations. These districts committed to evaluating at least 50 percent of their educators using the five-step evaluation cycle, culminating in a formative or summative rating of educator performance by the end of this school year. Additionally, districts will begin identifying and piloting local measures of student learning, growth, and achievement, to factor into educator evaluations no later than the 2013-14 school year.
Districts and teacher unions are engaged in collective bargaining over aspects of the evaluation system. DESE is monitoring their progress through surveys and through the submission of contracts, which districts are required to send to DESE for review. To date, DESE has received 95 collective bargaining agreements from districts. Your packet includes a complete list of these districts.
New Training Requirements
In June 2012, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed into law An Act Providing for the Implementation of Education Evaluation Systems in School Districts (Chapter 131 of the Acts of 2012), which was supported by both the Massachusetts Teachers Association and Stand for Children. The new law includes the following requirements:
- districts must provide DESE defined training for all evaluators and for all teachers and administrators;
- districts must develop and submit to DESE plans for funding the training;
- districts must publish their evaluation training schedules;
- DESE is to encourage districts to use federal and other funds appropriate for this purpose;
- DESE is to collect and report evaluation data, working with an advisory committee; and
- laws on layoffs and transfers are amended (effective September 1, 2016).
The new training and fiscal plan mandates take effect beginning in school year 2012-13 for Race to the Top districts and in 2013-14 for all other districts.
In August 2012, DESE released the Guide to Educator Evaluation Training Requirements. The Guide outlines the training and funding plan requirements that are mandated by the new law. The Guide also identifies available and planned materials and resources to support implementation of the new requirements. A copy of the Guide is enclosed for your information.
- Materials.
- Training for Evaluators and School/District Leaders: DESE has made available six training modules that together comprise the required training for evaluators. The materials include a PowerPoint presentation and detailed facilitator guide, which can be delivered by district professional development staff or a vendor.
- Training for Teachers: In light of the new legislation, DESE is developing a series of training workshops for teachers and all other educators who are not evaluators, designed to inform participants of the new framework and prepare them to engage in their own evaluations. An overview of the new workshops and an orientation session are currently available. DESE will have three additional one-hour work sessions by mid-October. These work sessions will engage educators in self-assessing, setting goals, and developing action plans to reach their goals.
Resources. DESE has allocated $3.5 million in RTTT funding to support implementation of the evaluation program over the next two years. The funding will be used to make available a cadre of trained vendors who are pre-approved to deliver training to districts and schools. DESE anticipates that districts will be able to access vendors at little to no cost. The list of vendors is available on the DESE website.
Measuring Impact on Student Learning
DESE is developing resources to support the rating of educator impact on student learning, growth, and achievement - which is a central component of the evaluation process. In August 2012 we published guidance through a document, entitled Rating Educator Impact on Student Learning Using District-Determined Measures of Student Learning. We are procuring a vendor to support the collection and review of student assessments currently used in districts and/or other states. We plan to make qualifying assessments available to districts statewide as "model assessments." Assessment and content experts will work with the vendor to identify areas of greatest need for modifying and developing additional assessments to support the requirement for multiple measures of student learning for every grade and subject. DESE anticipates making the first model assessments available by early summer 2013.
At our September meeting, I will provide the Board with an update on the implementation of the educator evaluation regulations.
Enclosures:
