Frequently Asked Questions

Section:

Regulations
DESE Supports & Engagement
1. Integration with other Initiatives
  1. Licensure and Professional Development
  2. MA Curriculum Frameworks
  3. Educator Preparation
  4. Other District Priorities
2. Model System
5-Step Cycle & Summative Performance Rating
Background and History
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II. ESE Supports & Engagement

Integration with other Initiatives
1. Licensure and Professional Development
  1. How are educator evaluation and professional development connected?
    
    Educator evaluation and professional development (PD) both serve to improve educator practice and student outcomes. The evaluation framework highlights PD needs and should be leveraged to identify patterns in PD needs within a school and across the district. For more information about how to align PD and educator evaluation, read the Quick Reference Guide .
  2. Do the Educator Plans required under 603 CMR 35.00 (Final Regulations on Evaluation of Educators) change the requirements for recertification under 603 CMR 44.00 (License Renewal)?
    
    No. However, certain activities undertaken pursuant to an Educator Plan may meet the requirements for Professional Development Points (PDPs) under the educator's Individual Professional Development Plan.
  3. Can Educator Plans also serve as Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDPs) for license renewal?
    
    Yes, the regulations for license renewal (603 CMR 44.04 (2)) do allow for these plans to be the same. Given the license renewal cycle is a five year period and multiple Evaluation Cycles will occur during that time, there can be some challenges to combining these plans. DESE has released several example forms to help bring these two plans into alignment, including a version of an Educator Plan form and an Educator Plan Addendum.
  4. Are districts required to align approval and endorsement of IPDPs with the Evaluation Cycle?
    
    No. However, in many cases it will make sense to do so. Where appropriate and possible, the two processes may be combined to reduce the administrative burden on both educators and administrators.
  5. How can the professional development activities in an Educator Plan count toward an Educator's IPDP?
    
    Though governed by two different statues both plans must be consistent with the educational needs of the school and district, be approved by the educator's supervisor, strengthen the educator's knowledge and skills, and enhance the educator's ability to promote student learning. The Educator Plan specifies the kinds of professional development activities educators will pursue to improve their performance and promote student learning.
    
    In many instances the professional development activities described in an Educator Plan will meet the requirements of 603 CMR 44.00 (License Renewal).
    
    DESE recommends educators and evaluators:
    - Use a goal setting and plan development conference at the beginning of the Evaluation Cycle to review and approve Individual Professional Development Plans and to conduct the bi-annual check-in and end of renewal cycle endorsement that are required under 603 CMR 44.00 during the Evaluation Cycle, if practicable.
    - Maintain a running record (by the educator) of the professional development activities undertaken pursuant to their Educator Plan under 603 CMR 35.00 to identify activities that meet the PDP requirements for license renewal under 603 CMR 44.00 and its accompanying guidelines . DESE's Educator Plan Form includes a column for educators to track activities eligible for PDPs. The Educator Plan Addendums are resources intended to guide conversations between educators and evaluators when completing Educator Plans.
  6. Can I receive and use PDPs for attaining the professional practice goal(s) or student learning goal(s) of my Educator Plan under 603 CMR 35.00?
    
    If the underlying activities required to meet those individual or team goals are consistent with 603 CMR 44.00 (License Renewal) and DESE's guidance on license renewal, you may receive PDPs for these activities.
  7. Are learning walks, lesson study, participation in a professional learning community (PLC), or other "embedded" forms of professional development acceptable if they are included in my Educator Plan?
    
    Yes, they are acceptable if they meet the requirements specified in regulations and are consistent with the goals of an educator's approved IPDP. The Department provides examples of a broad range of professional development activities in its Guidelines on Recertification . These include department-sponsored initiatives; initiatives sponsored by districts, Collaboratives, or registered PD providers; school-based activities; and educator designed PD.
2. MA Curriculum Frameworks
  1. How can educator evaluation support implementation of the MA Curriculum Frameworks?
    
    Educator evaluation should be leveraged to assess educators' skills for implementing the MA Curriculum Frameworks, which represent key content and skills students should learn. Read the Quick Reference Guide on Educator Evaluation & the MA Curriculum Frameworks to learn more about how these two initiatives can be aligned throughout the 5-Step Cycle of Evaluation.
3. Educator Preparation
  1. How is DESE aligning educator preparation experiences with expectations for teachers and principals?
    
    The Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) is the new performance assessment for teacher candidates that takes place during student teaching. K-12 educators, educator preparation faculty, and teacher candidates worked with DESE to create an assessment of teacher candidates aligned to the MA Educator Evaluation Framework. This alignment promotes a continuum of professional growth throughout an educator's career-from preparation to full teaching responsibilities-and establishes a common language for talking about educator practice.
    
    The CAP aligns expectations and process with the Educator Evaluation Framework by measuring candidates' practice on key Standards and Indicators , and by employing a 5-Step Cycle. The CAP Pilot took place during the 2015-16 academic year, and was fully implemented in 2016-17, replacing the Pre-service Performance Assessment (PPA). For more information, contact EducatorPreparation@mass.gov .
4. Other District Priorities
  1. Can districts customize the Educator Evaluation Framework to support district priorities?
    
    Yes. The Educator Evaluation Framework is most effective when aligned to locally identified priorities. Many districts go through a process of analyzing DESE's Model Rubrics and identifying particular elements or indicators that most fully represent district priorities. DESE has identified the inclusion of students with diverse learning needs as a statewide priority and has published, as a set of optional tools and resources, the Educator Effectiveness Guidebook for Inclusive Practice. Other resources that highlight districts' work aligning the Educator Evaluation Framework with locally identified priorities include this document chronicling the efforts of eight Massachusetts districts to support the capacity of their evaluators called On Track with Evaluator Capacity and the Transforming Educator Evaluation in Massachusetts (TEEM) videos.
  2. How can districts use data from the Massachusetts Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS) in educator evaluation?
    
    DESE released a three-page guidance document on how EWIS data can be used in the Educator Evaluation Cycle. For information about how to incorporate EWIS data in self-assessment, identifying a target population, and understanding classroom context, you can access the EWIS guidance . EWIS data is available in Edwin Analytics, which can be accessed via the Security Portal.

Last Updated: August 16, 2018