DESE made some edits to model educator evaluation rubrics in August. Here is what you need to do now.

On August 10, 2018, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education posted updates to model educator evaluation rubric

  • DESE FAQs explain there is no requirement to use of the updated rubric or reconsider the rubric districts are currently using.
  • DESE does not have the authority to require a district to use any particular rubric.
  • The district’s selection of a rubric used in the teacher evaluation system is a mandatory subject of collective bargaining. State law says the procedures of the evaluation system must be bargained by school districts and teacher unions, and it does not give DESE approval authority over the negotiated result.
  • Although DESE’s regulations established a “review” process that the DESE implemented when the evaluation regulations were first approved, it is not planning to “review” changes to the evaluation systems agreed to at the local level.

Complete educator evaluation regulations are available here.

So what are the changes?

  1. Revises the description of exemplary replacing “is able to model this practice” with “models this practice for others.”
  2. Adds social and emotional learning language to several indicators
  3. Combines indicators in standards I, II, and III
  4. Adds a placeholder for a “Student Learning Indicator” to Standard II based on changes to evaluation regulations approved in February 2017. The Student Learning Indicator replaced the Student Impact Rating based on District-Determined Measures (DDMs). However, the updated model rubric does not include descriptors for this indicator since the indicators are based on student behavior and the DESE has not provided guidance on the implementation of the Student Learning Indicator to date. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Contact your local president if you have any questions about changes in your local evaluation rubric.

P.S. Don’t forget your shared responsibility and pass this post along to your fellow MTA members!

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