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Differentiating Evaluations

Local Flexibility for Educator Evaluations. Educators Matter.

Questions to consider: 


What are some ways to differentiate evaluations based on educator groups, effectiveness ratings, and/or years of employment?

Has your district struggled to evaluate educators who do not quite fit within one of the State Model Evaluation System rubrics?

Did you know you can weight local quality standards to align with district values and priorities?



Explore answers to these questions and more!

Educator Effectiveness - Differentiating Icon

Districts and BOCES can create and/or utilize additional rubrics to evaluate licensed personnel who do not fit the expectations of the eleven State Model Evaluation System rubrics.


Districts can define formal/informal observation, timing, or duration of observations, and the use of pre/post conferences by educator group, effectiveness ratings, and/or years of employment. In addition, opportunities exist to leverage existing and new resources in support of effectively conducting observations in remote/virtual settings.


Feedback can be provided in a variety of ways, including informal observations or “walkthroughs”, instructional rounds, peer observations, and school- or district-based professional learning communities (PLCs) based on educator group, effectiveness ratings, and/or years of employment. Numerous opportunities arise for providing effective feedback in remote/virtual settings, with an emphasis on open communication between observer and educator.


This method of using the self-assessment as a jumping off point to the evaluator assessment may streamline the evaluation process by educator group, effectiveness ratings, and/or years of employment.


Peers and/or designees may be used to collect teacher performance data related to professional practice and to provide quality feedback based on expertise in a content area or for specific instructional practices by educator group, effectiveness ratings, and/or years of employment.


Peers may be used to observe and provide feedback to educators and information from these interactions may be used to contribute information toward teacher evaluations, should the evaluator choose to use it. They can also provide quality feedback based on expertise in a content area or for specific instructional practices.


Districts and BOCES can weight the quality standards to align to local values and priorities.