In 2024, the Guidelines for the Candidate Assessment of Performance were updated in alignment with revisions to the Standards of Effective Practice and the Guidelines for the Professional Standards for Teachers . Please visit the PST and CAP page for additional information and resources related to these updates.
The 2019 CAP Guidelines and resources linked below may be used through the 2024-2025 school year.
The following resources provide an overview of the 2019 Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP).
CAP Supervisor Modules These online modules for Program Supervisors and Supervising Practitioners provide an introductory overview of CAP, structured around the 5-Step Cycle. Supervisors can progress through the modules sequentially or narrow in on an area in which they have questions and return to it anytime throughout the CAP cycle.
CAP Overview Webinar Recording This webinar was delivered to sponsoring organizations across the Commonwealth in order to provide foundational information regarding the CAP Guidelines.
CAP Flyover Prezi Video This presentation is a recording of our CAP "Flyover" Prezi, which provides an overview of the goals, content, and process of CAP.
The following documents provide brief overviews of key topics in CAP.
Quick Reference Guide: CAP Data Collection
Quick Reference Guide: 5-Step Cycle
Quick Reference Guide: CAP Rubric
Quick Reference Guide: CAP Triad
This Implementation Brief addresses how educator preparation providers and districts can identify and support high-quality SPs by establishing clear expectations for the role, working with district partners to strategically select and place candidates with high-quality SPs, and creating opportunities to develop and recognize SPs as teacher educators.
Implementation Brief: Selecting and Supporting Supervising Practitioners
DESE developed a series of Skill Development Workshops to support effective implementation of CAP. Using the materials provided, educator preparation programs may choose to facilitate these workshops as part of the training they provide to their program supervisors and supervising practitioners.
This workshop is intended to help organizations build supervisor capacity for delivering high-quality, targeted, and actionable feedback that is grounded in effectively applying the rubric to the evidence collected throughout practicum. The workshop also contains activities designed to help support calibration conversations among supervisors. This workshop includes activities that involve conducting simulated formative and summative assessments. In order to provide an authentic experience to participants, programs will have to gather evidence samples to include in the handouts packet before running the workshop. See page 1 of the Facilitator's Guide for more information.
Using the Rubric Workshop PowerPoint
Using the Rubric Workshop Facilitator's Guide
Using the Rubric Workshop Handout Packet
Observations & Feedback Workshop PowerPoint
Observations & Feedback Workshop Facilitator's Guide
Observations & Feedback Workshop Handout Packet
This workshop is intended to help organizations support supervisors with an orientation to the process of preparing for and conducting a pre-observation meeting, collecting evidence during an observation, and providing feedback to a teacher candidate during a post-observation meeting.
Using the Model Observation Protocol: Powerpoint
Using the Model Observation Protocol: Facilitator's Guide
This workshop is intended to help organizations support supervisors to calibrate their perceptions of effective instructional practice related to the CAP elements.
Calibrating on Practice: Facilitator's Guide
This workshop is intended to help organizations support supervisors to calibrate their perceptions of effective instructional practice and high-quality feedback related to the CAP elements.
Calibrating on Feedback: Facilitator's Guide
This workshop is intended to help organizations support supervisors to implement the CAP with an opportunity to refine their understanding of high-quality feedback to teacher candidates.
Feedback on Feedback: Powerpoint
Feedback on Feedback: Facilitator's Guide
Based on feedback and questions from the field, we created student feedback surveys that are more specific to CAP. In addition to modifying the DESE model feedback instruments for CAP-specific purposes, we have also created new mini forms that target the Essential Elements.
The CAP Student Feedback Survey Advisory provides further information, including suggestions for which form is most appropriate to use based on the practicum setting.
We plan to revise the surveys to align with the updated Guidelines for the Professional Standards for Teachers. Before we begin this project, we are hoping to better understand how the field uses the instruments as well as perceptions of their strengths and areas for improvement.
Complete this brief survey to share your feedback about the current instruments and inform updates!
The table below includes links to K–2 discussion prompts and surveys for grades 3–12, aligned to the 2019 CAP Guidelines.
K–2 Discussion Prompts & Administration Protocol
Grades 3–5: Standard Form
Grades 3–5: Short Form
Grades 3–5: Mini-Form
Grades 3–5: Administration Protocol
Grades 3–5: Standard Form — Chinese
Grades 3–5: Standard Form — Haitian Creole
Grades 3–5: Standard Form — Portuguese
Grades 3–5: Standard Form — Spanish
Grades 3–5: Standard Form — Vietnamese
Grades 6–12: Standard Form
Grades 6–12: Short Form
Grades 6–12: Mini-Form
Grades 6–12: Administration Protocol
Grades 6–12: Standard Form — Chinese
Grades 6–12: Standard Form — Haitian Creole
Grades 6–12: Standard Form — Portuguese
Grades 6–12: Standard Form — Spanish
Grades 6–12: Standard Form — Vietnamese
To aid supervisors in conducting observations and contributing impactful feedback to candidates, DESE recommends its "What to Look For" guides that describe what to expect in a classroom at a particular grade level in a specific subject area. This includes the knowledge and skills students should be learning and using (as reflected in state learning standards) on the front page and examples of student and teacher behaviors aligned to the Standards of Effective Practice used in the state evaluation framework on the back page.
When printing the guides, please be sure that Fit to Page or Scale to Fit is selected from the print options.
What To Look For ELA Kindergarten
What To Look For Math Kindergarten
What To Look For Science Kindergarten
What To Look For ELA Grade 1
What To Look For Math Grade 1
What To Look For Science Grade 1
What To Look For ELA Grade 2
What To Look For Math Grade 2
What To Look For Science Grade 2
What To Look For ELA Grade 3
What To Look For Math Grade 3
What To Look For Science Grade 3
What To Look For ELA Grade 4
What To Look For Math Grade 4
What To Look For Science Grade 4
What To Look For ELA Grade 5
What To Look For Math Grade 5
What To Look For Science Grade 5
What To Look For ELA Grade 6
What To Look For Math Grade 6
What To Look For Science Grade 6
What To Look For ELA Grade 7
What To Look For Math Grade 7
What To Look For Science Grade 7
What To Look For ELA Grade 8
What To Look For Math Grade 8
What To Look For Science Grade 8
What To Look For ELA Grades 9–10
What To Look For Math Model Algebra 1
What To Look For Science High School Biology
What To Look For ELA Grades 11–12
What To Look For Math Model Algebra 2
What To Look For Science High School Chemistry
What To Look For Math Model Geometry
What To Look For Science High School Earth and Space Science
What To Look For Science High School Physics
What To Look For Science High School Technology Engineering
Your feedback regarding these guides is welcomed and appreciated. Please send your comments to instructionalsupport@doe.mass.edu .
The CAP File Review Tool is intended to be used by organizations as a diagnostic tool to assess the nature and quality of evidence documented, the alignment and quality of feedback provided to teacher candidates, and the overall completeness of required forms included in the CAP files. Data generated by the Tool are intended to provide organizations a starting point for discussion about the nature and quality of the evidence and feedback in their candidate files and to support on-going improvements in CAP implementation.
CAP File Review Tool
CAP File Review Tool: User Manual
Protocol: Using Measures of Student LearningThis protocol is a step-by-step guide that CAP supervisors and teacher candidates can use together to identify, implement, and analyze a measure of student learning.
Crosswalk of CAP's Seven Essential Elements to PST IndicatorsThis crosswalk aligns each CAP element to the PST Indicators that teacher candidates must “demonstrate” by the conclusion of the preparatory experience. Proficiency in each element indicates that the candidate is demonstrating the relevant PST Indicators.
Increase in Professional Development Points (PDPs) for Supervising Practitioners, 12/24/2015
CAP Fall Pilot Feedback Summary
Commonalities and Differences in the Roles of Supervising Practitioners and Mentors, 2/16/2016
Update on the development of the new Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) Memo, 5/14/2015
Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) 2015-16 Pilot Information to Districts Memo, 9/8/2015
Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) Training Resources Memo, 9/10/2015
Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) Office Hour Takeaways Memo, 11/23/2015
Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) Updates Memo, 11/24/2015
Last Updated: February 14, 2025