Dive Brief:

• A new report by progressive think-tank the Center for American Progress applauds efforts by Massachusetts to revamp its teacher evaluation system.
• The Massachusetts Educator Evaluation Framework, the framework for which was established in 2011, is aimed at providing a growth-oriented perspective for the teachers and the administrators it holds accountable.
• Goal-setting, mentorship, regular observation, peer review, feedback and communication are cornerstones of the evaluation program.

Dive Insight:

"As federal policies shift to provide states and districts greater flexibility to craft their own evaluation systems, Massachusetts offers an interesting model," the report states. That's because there's no single set of strict standards, or one test, against which teachers are held. Instead, the growth-oriented mindset encourages school leaders to use their own judgment and incorporate a variety of elements into teacher evaluations for a more holistic approach. 

36 states embraced and defined teacher-measurement systems under the Obama administration's pre-ESSA education incentives, and it's unclear what, exactly, will happen to those efforts once the new Every Student Succeeds Act is fully implemented in 2017. Under ESSA, federal mandates defining teacher criteria and evaluations have been slashed, and individual states haven't yet come up with their own plans to determine how well teachers are serving students. California, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska and Vermont have already decided against using student data in teacher and principal evaluations.

Recommended Reading

The Center for American Progress: Educator Evaluation: A Case Study of Massachusetts’ Approach