Inside this issue
Educator Evaluation e-Newsletter
 Implementation Spotlight: Educator
Evaluation Spring Convening
 Upcoming Resources
 Breaking News: Student and Staff
Feedback
 Engaging Educators to Identify DDMs
 Mark Your Calendar
 District Evaluation System Reviews
 Question from the Field
June 2013
Implementation Spotlight: Educator Evaluation
Spring Convening: Connecting Policy, Practice, and
Practitioners
As part of our mission to create opportunities for educators to connect and share best
practices, ESE hosted a one-day convening in Sturbridge, MA on the new educator
evaluation system. On May 29th, more than 700 practitioners from school districts across
the Commonwealth came together to learn from and with their colleagues. Participants
included teachers, district and school leaders, local union leaders, and representatives
from educator preparation programs.
Commissioner Chester and Fitchburg Public Schools Superintendent Andre Ravenelle
provided opening remarks on the importance of this initiative to the state’s larger reform
efforts. Local district and union leaders also led 14 breakout sessions on emerging best
practices in implementing the new system.
Thank you to everyone who participated! We are grateful for the collaborative spirit on
display at the convening and the commitment to successfully implementing and sustaining
this critical initiative.
Materials from the event are available on our website at
http://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/resources/convening/2013spring.html.
Breaking News—Student and Staff Feedback
Incorporation Shifted to 2014-2015 School Year
In response to district requests for time to focus on implementation of the 5-step evaluation
cycle and to pilot District-Determined Measures during the 2013-2014 school year, ESE
has decided to further phase-in the educator evaluation framework by shifting the
incorporation of student and staff feedback as a source of evidence in the determination of
the Summative Performance Rating to the 2014-2015 school year.
ESE will use the additional year of planning to support districts in the 2014-2015
implementation of student and staff feedback by developing and executing:
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A plan for piloting/field testing model instruments
A plan for field engagement for both instrument and guidance development
An electronic platform for administering all model instruments, available to pilot
districts during the 2013-2014 school year and potentially statewide for the 20142015 school year.
A plan for the state to collect, analyze, and use data from the pilot to inform the
development of final model instruments
ESE will be hosting opportunities for interested educators to learn more about the project
and provide feedback on the pilot instruments during feedback workshops, the first set of
which will be held in September. If you are interested in participating in one of these
sessions, please email EducatorEvaluation@doe.mass.edu. Look for more detailed
information in the August Educator Evaluation e-Newsletter.
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Announcement
ESE will not be releasing a July
Educator Evaluation e-Newsletter.
Look for the next issue in August!
Upcoming Resources
S.M.A.R.T. Goal Exemplars
In response to the field’s request
for example S.M.A.R.T. goals,
ESE invited practitioners from
across the Commonwealth to
engage in two working sessions to
develop exemplars. The 65
educators included classroom
teachers from a variety of content
areas, specialized instructional
support personnel, and school
and district level administrators.
The educators worked in role-alike
groups to develop professional
practice and student learning
goals relevant to their roles and
responsibilities.
ESE will publish each exemplar
goal statement, as well as the
protocol used during the
workshops, on its website as a
resource for all educators to use.
These resources will be available
on the website in mid-August.
Updated Educator Evaluation
FAQs
In addition to releasing FAQs on
data reporting, ESE will be
updating its general Educator
Evaluation FAQs document. We
welcome you to submit questions
to be included as part of these
updates. Please email
EducatorEvaluation@doe.mass.edu
with your suggested questions.
Engaging Educators to Identify DDM Examples
Mark Your Calendar
ESE has partnered with WestEd, a nationally recognized non-profit research,
development, and service agency with a history of working with educators and school
leaders across the Commonwealth, to identify sample District-Determined Measures
(DDMs) for a wide array of grades/subject and courses districts can choose to use.
DDM Technical Assistance and
Networking Session
Earlier this month, WestEd began convening panels of expert educators from across the
Commonwealth at face-to-face meetings to discuss a series of high incidence
grades/subjects and courses for which the MA Curriculum Frameworks do not provide
grade-specific standards. Panelists identified core course objectives essential to these
courses which will directly inform ESE’s and WestEd’s efforts to identify appropriate
example DDMs.
Three locations:
Panelists’ work will be published on ESE’s website for public feedback from July 8th-12th.
More information about the grade/subjects and courses for which WestEd has convened
panels and the link to provide feedback on the identified core course objectives will be
found here in early July: http://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/ddm/.
To develop this set of example DDMs, we are seeking your help in recommending
assessments, measures of student learning, growth, or achievement that have been
piloted or are currently in use in your school district. We are interested in commercially
available assessments as well as locally-developed instruments for any grade/subject or
course.
WestEd has developed an online survey that asks a few questions about the
assessments you are using and provides a simple tool for uploading copies of the
instruments:
https://www.smartsheet.com/b/form?EQBCT=52e3762ac7954f93aa40cc879bc38855.
District Evaluation System Reviews
Submission Requirements and Process
ESE is currently collecting teacher contract language and select rubrics via an online
questionnaire that incorporates a document upload tool. It also asks a series of
questions to determine whether the district is required to submit any rubrics to ESE. All
districts (RTTT and non-RTTT) and RTTT charter schools should complete the
questionnaire. RTTT districts will not need to upload materials unless the district made
changes to the teacher contract language or the previous agreement had an end date,
such as in the case of a one-year MOA. Similarly, RTTT charter schools will not need to
upload materials unless changes have been made to the evaluation system, in which
case the charter school will upload a document that outlines the new process such as
guidelines or a handbook.
Timeline
By September 1, 2013, the questionnaire should be completed and documents uploaded
by someone who is aware of what materials have previously been submitted to ESE for
review and who knows details about performance rubrics, including the kinds of
modifications made to the MA Model Rubrics if applicable. A copy of the questions will
be posted on the ESE website in early July. Please note that districts cannot complete
the online questionnaire until the teacher contract language has been ratified by the
school committee.
The questionnaire can be found here: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1288394/DistrictEvaluation-System-Questionnaire.
NOTE: Contract language that is adapted from the MA Model Contract Language for
Teachers must be submitted as a Word document with modifications visibly marked
using "Track Changes" or highlighting.
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Thursday, July 11th, 2013
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Eastern Massachusetts:
Norwell High School
Central Massachusetts:
Fitchburg State University
Western Massachusetts:
Holyoke High School
The purpose of this networking
session is to engage with
colleagues from other districts
around critical planning and
implementation questions related
to the piloting and eventual
implementation of DistrictDetermined Measures (DDMs);
ESE and national assessment and
evaluation experts will also be
available to provide support and
clarifying information to help
districts prepare to pilot DDMs in
2013-14. District teams engaged
in the work of identifying and
selecting DDMs and who have
participated in the DDM and
Assessment Literacy Webinar
Series are invited to send two
team members.
Space is limited. To register,
please visit:
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1
287293/Registration-DDMTechnical-Assistance-ampNetworking-Session-July-11th2013.
You can access and review
previous webinars and materials
on our website,
http://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/d
dm/webinar.html.
DDMs & Assessment Literacy
Webinar 4: Determining the
Best Approach to DistrictDetermined Measures
Thursday, July 18th
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Register here.
Questions from the Field
1. 1. Can our district request an exemption from reporting educator evaluation data to EPIMS this
year?
No. The state does not offer any exemptions from reporting data. If you are a RTTT district that did not implement, all
educators must be reported as “Not Evaluated.” There is, however, a small list of errors generated by the submission of
educator evaluation data to EPIMS for which ESE will approve an exception. Exceptions are reviewed and approved only in
response to EPIMS errors; exception requests are made by completing and submitting an “Implementation Exception
Request Template,” which has been sent to all EPIMS data contacts. Please contact EducatorEvaluation@doe.mass.edu
with additional questions.
2. What will I do without a July issue of the Educator Evaluation e-Newsletter?!?
Enjoy a good book or go to the beach! Although we will not be releasing a July newsletter, the Educator Evaluation team will
be in the office. As always, feel free to reach out to us with any questions. Have a wonderful summer!
Questions or Comments are always welcome at
EducatorEvaluation@doe.mass.edu
Contact the Educator Evaluation Team
Claire Abbott, Evaluation Training Program, Implementation Support (Currently, on maternity leave until mid-September)
Susan Berglund, Evaluation Liaison to Level 3 and Level 4 Districts
Kat Johnston, Communications, Peer Assistance & Review, Implementation Support
Simone Lynch, Assistant Director, Office of Educator Policy, Preparation and Leadership
Ron Noble, Project Co-Lead, Evaluation System Reviews, District-Determined Measures, Staff & Student Feedback
Samantha Warburton, Project Co-Lead, MA Model System, Evaluation Training, Implementation Support, Data Reporting
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is committed to preparing all students for success in the world that awaits them
after high school. Whether you are a student, parent, educator, community leader, taxpayer, or other stakeholder interested in education,
we invite you to join us in this endeavor.
We are guided by this mission...
"To strengthen the Commonwealth's public education system so that every student is prepared to succeed in postsecondary
education, compete in the global economy, and understand the rights and responsibilities of American citizens, and in so doing, to
close all proficiency gaps."
And by these goals...
 Strengthen curriculum, instruction, and assessment
 Improve educator effectiveness
 Turn around the lowest performing districts and schools
 Use data and technology to support student performance
To receive the monthly Educator Evaluation e-Newsletter in your inbox,
please subscribe at http://edeval-newsletter-signup.org.
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