State Model Evaluation System for Teachers

To support districts in their implementation of Senate Bill 10-191, CDE is creating a State Model Evaluation System for teachers. While not mandatory, this system provides an option that focuses on teachers' professional growth and aligns with State Board of Education rules.

Teacher Quality Standards

Teachers will be rated on Quality Standards that measure professional practice and student learning over time. Teachers will be evaluated on six Quality Standards:

• Half of the evaluation will be based on the five Quality Standards that measure professional practice: content knowledge, establish classroom environment, facilitate learning, reflect on practice and demonstrate leadership. The Quality Standards can be measured using the state-developed rubric that identifies the practices necessary to achieve the standards.
• The sixth Quality Standard, student growth, will account for the other half of the evaluation. The standard will be based on multiple measures of student growth or student learning over time, not a single assessment. Teachers must have a team attribution student growth score and at least one individual attribution student growth score. If a teacher teaches a subject that takes the statewide summative exam, it must be used as one of the multiple measures. To view resources and support about developing this portion of the evaluation, please visit our implementation resources page.

Rubric for Evaluating Colorado's Teachers (Updated May 2013)
*The Colorado State Model Evaluation System for teachers and principals was pilot tested during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years. The goal of the two-year pilot process was to gather critical feedback from educators and users of the system to improve the rubrics before statewide roll out. Twenty-seven CDE pilot districts as well as other districts piloted the system and have provided significant input into this recent rubric revision. The CDE Educator Effectiveness team is pleased to share the next iteration of this rubric.

The most significant changes made to the rubric as a result of such feedback are:

• Shortened by nine pages
• Elimination of redundancies
• Elimination or revision of:
  • Lengthy and complex professional practices
  • Most non-observable practices in Standards 1, 2, and 3
  • Professional practices that were identified as potentially biased or unfair
• Clarification in the scoring structure of the “not-evident” category (will be explained further in the user guides and recorded webinars to be posted in August 2013)

This version of the rubric is being shared at this time to allow Colorado educators an opportunity to see the direction the Educator Effectiveness unit is going and the nature of the changes made to date. It is possible that additional changes will be made during the summer as staff members meet with stakeholder groups during conferences and at other venues. The final rubric to be used by pilot, integration and other districts throughout the state during the 2013-14 school-year will be posted on this site by Aug. 15, 2013.
Click here to provide feedback on the Rubric for Evaluating Colorado's Teachers

Please note: the final version of the model system teacher rubric and the new excel e-rubric will be posted by Aug. 15, 2013.

2012-13 School Year Rubric and Resources

2012-2013 School Year Rubric for Evaluating Colorado's Teachers

User's Guide for Evaluating Colorado's Teachers; 2012-13 School-Year

Appendix C contains support resources that may be used, but are not required, to document teacher performance in the State Model Evaluation System. Appendix C: Blank Forms for Teachers includes the Teacher Evaluation Process Tracking Form, Rubric for Evaluating Colorado’s Teacher, Teacher Summary Evaluation Worksheet, Teacher Summary Evaluation Sheet, Goal-Setting Form for Colorado Teachers, the Mid-Year Performance Discussion and the Professional Growth Plan for Colorado Teachers is also provided as a separate document for ease of use by teachers and Principals.

Resources for Gathering Observable Evidence
Below are optional resources that educators may use to record evidence they gather when in the classroom for both formal and informal observations. These tools eliminate any of the non-observable items of the Colorado Teacher’s Rubric so that the observer can focus on those items likely to be observable in the classroom environment. Note: These optional resources are being made available per district requests, however, they are not required to be used with the Colorado State Model Evaluation System.

The first resource contains Standards 1-4 of the observable professional practices. The following resources focus on the observable professional practices for each standard. These allow for more focused attention to targeted areas.

Standards 1-4 – Evidence Gathering Tool
Standard 1 – Evidence Gathering Tool
Standard 2 – Evidence Gathering Tool
Standard 3 – Evidence Gathering Tool
Standard 4 – Evidence Gathering Tool

To ensure the integrity of the system, it is recommended that these observation tools then be synthesized and incorporated into the entire rubric.

Student Perception Survey (Colorado Legacy Foundation)
*This resource relates to measuring professional practices for teacher evaluations only
Colorado is developing and piloting a Student Perception Survey for three purposes. 1. Provide teachers with meaningful feedback about how their practice impacts student learning. 2. Use student voice and experience in a meaningful way that directly impacts teaching and learning. 3.Serve as an optional additional measure of educator effectiveness in accordance with S.B. 191. Colorado’s surveys are being developed by the Colorado Legacy Foundation (Note: You will be  leaving this website) and piloted in 18 districts across the state during the 2012-13 school year.