- Standards: Performance standards encompass the broadly defined knowledge, skill and behavioral expectations for educators described in the four standards of professional practice for teachers and administrators.
- Indicators: Indicators articulate the knowledge, skills, and behaviors by which the educator will be judged to inform a performance rating on each standard. Each standard has at least one indicator; the number of indicators depends on the complexity of the standard.
- Descriptors: Descriptors define the individual elements of each of the indicators.
- Benchmarks: Benchmarks describe the acceptable demonstration of knowledge, skill or behavior necessary to achieve a performance rating. For each indicator, there are four benchmarks – one describing performance at each performance rating – EXEMPLARY, PROFICIENT, NEEDS IMPROVEMENT, UNSATISFACTORY.
Educator Evaluation

The Massachusetts educator evaluation system, adopted in 2011 by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, establishes standards and requirements for teachers and administrators. In 2017, the board made a major change to the evaluation system — eliminating a separate Student Impact Rating based on District-Determined Measures and instead requiring that student learning measures be included in the Summative Evaluation.
The core of the evaluation system is a five-step cycle.
The Five-Step Cycle
The educator evaluation system establishes standards for teachers and administrators and requires the following steps.
- Self-Assessment
- Goal Setting and Plan Development
- Plan Implementation
- Formative Assessment
- Summative Evaluation
Self-Assessment
Step One: Self-Assessment
The entry point of the evaluation cycle is the self-assessment using the standards and indicators of effective professional practice from the appropriate rubric.
The focus of the self-assessment should include:
- Assessing the educator’s practice against performance standards;
- Analyzing previous evidence of learning, growth, and achievement of students under the educator’s responsibility;
- Determining the academic, social, behavioral and/or emotional needs of students under the educator’s responsibility;
- Proposing at least two goals:
- The Professional Practice Goal to improve or enhance professional practice.
- The Student Learning Goal to improve or enhance student learning, growth and achievement.
The educator uses the appropriate rubric to assess his/her performance against the four standards and indicators to determine areas of strength and areas needing improvement and/or enhancement.
Worksheet Guidance, Templates and DESE Self-Assessment Form
Rubrics
Types
Types of rubrics include: Teacher, Specialized Instructional Support Personnel/Caseload Educator and Administrator.
Standards
The educator considers evidence related to four standards and assesses his or her practice using the appropriate professional practice rubric.
Teacher, Specialized Instructional Support Personnel/Caseload Educator Administrator Curriculum, Planning and Assessment Instructional Leadership Teaching All Students Management & Operations Family & Community Engagement Family & Community Engagement Professional Culture Professional Culture Elements of Professional Practice Rubrics