1. The Massachusetts Model System for Educator Evaluation S. M. A. R. T
The Massachusetts Model System for Educator Evaluation S.M.A.R.T. Goals and Educator Plan Development
August 2013
I. Welcome (3 minutes)
Slide 1 is the title slide.
During this slide, welcome participants and introduce yourself. 1
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 1

2. Collaboration and continuous learning are the focus.
Every educator is an active participant in the evaluation process.
Collaboration and continuous learning are the focus.
Every educator conducts an analysis of evidence of student learning, growth, and achievement.
Every educator conducts an assessment of practice against Performance Standards.
Every educator prepares to strategically identify professional practice and student learning goals.
Explain:
“Each step of the 5-Step Cycle of evaluation is connected; each step builds upon the work completed in the previous step. The Analysis, Goal Setting, and Plan Development step calls upon the thoughtful and comprehensive self-assessment process in Step 1. While the Educator Plan development relies on dialogue between the educator and evaluator, the initial phase of the cycle is educator driven.”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 2

3. Part 1: Analysis of Student Learning, Growth, and Achievement
Self-Assessment
Part 1: Analysis of Student Learning, Growth, and Achievement
Briefly summarize areas of strength and high-priority concerns for students under your responsibility for the upcoming school year. Cite evidence such as results from available assessments. This form should be individually submitted by educator, but Part 1 can also be used by individuals and/or teams who jointly review and analyze student data.
603 CMR (2)(a)1
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

4. Part 2: Assessment of Practice Against Performance Standards
Self-Assessment
Part 2: Assessment of Practice Against Performance Standards
Citing your district’s performance rubric, briefly summarize areas of strength and high-priority areas for growth. Areas may target specific Standards, Indicators, or Elements, or span multiple Indicators or Elements within or across Standards. The form should be individually submitted by educator, but Part 2 can also be used by teams in preparation for proposing team goals.
603 CMR (2)(a)2
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

5. Coherence Through Aligned Goals
Explain:
“The goal-setting process also promotes efforts to ensure that the goals build consistency and coherence across and within the schools and classrooms.
“One thing learned from successful early implementations of the 5-Step Cycle was the value of team goals. Team goals should be encouraged—they can be leveraged to promote the realization of school and district goals, while still meeting the needs of both educators and students.”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

6. S.M.A.R.T. Goals S = Specific and Strategic M = Measurable
A = Action Oriented
R = Rigorous, Realistic, and Results Focused (the 3 Rs)
T = Timed and Tracked
Explain:
“The acronym S.M.A.R.T. will guide you in crafting strong goals. As you can see on the slide, well-written goals should be specific and strategic, measurable, action oriented, rigorous, realistic, and results focused, and timed and tracked. The Massachusetts approach to S.M.A.R.T. goals focuses on ways to make the process even S.M.A.R.T.er, marrying goals with good action plans and benchmarks. We’ll get into all of this in just a bit, but first let’s gain some practice with S.M.A.R.T. and not-so-S.M.A.R.T. goals.”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

7. Making a S.M.A.R.T. Goal S.M.A.R.T.er
S.M.A.R.T. Goal Statement +
Key Action Steps
Benchmarks (Process and Outcome)
Explain:
“Developing the Educator Plan is a much simpler process when the goals are clear. In fact, the Educator Plan should comprise key action steps and benchmarks to determine progress toward the goals.
“Adding key action steps and benchmarks to a S.M.A.R.T. goal in order to track and measure progress is what we mean by making a goal S.M.A.R.T.er. Key action steps should be tightly linked to realistic attainment of the goal, and benchmarks should be identified to track progress (process benchmarks) and results (outcome benchmarks).”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

8. Educator Plan Development
Educator Plan Form
Student Learning Goal(s) and Professional Practice Goal(s) Planned Activity
Action
Supports/Resources From School/District
Timeline/Benchmark or Frequency
Explain:
“These action steps, needed supports, and benchmarks can be documented on the Educator Plan Form located within Part II: School-Level Planning and Implementation Guide, or a similar organizing tool.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

9. Process and Outcome Benchmarks
Process benchmarks—monitor plan implementation
Set several dates to check in to determine if eight observations per week (on average) have been completed
Outcome benchmarks—monitor effectiveness of the plan
Mid year and end of year will have collected feedback via teachers regarding their perceived value of the process
Explain:
“You will notice that both types of benchmarks are included in the timeline/benchmark or frequency column of this plan—those are process benchmarks and outcome benchmarks.
“Process benchmarks are used to measure plan implementation, providing timelines for when certain aspects of the plan should be in place. They help you know that you’re on track and making progress.
“In the example, one process benchmark states: January 15/March 15/May 15—check in to determine if eight observations per week (on average) have been completed.
“Outcome benchmarks are used to measure if the plan has the intended results.
“In the example, one outcome benchmark states: January 1 and June 1—will have collected feedback via teachers regarding their perceived value of the process.”
“It is important for Educator Plans to include both types of benchmarks. The process benchmarks help the educator and evaluator monitor progress, so they know if they’re off course or need to make an adjustment, and the outcome benchmarks provide concrete evidence of success.
“I also want you to make a note of the supports and resources identified in this plan. The superintendent has committed to supporting collaborative work by multiple principals across schools toward this goal, indicating that (a) this could be a team goal shared by principals in the district, and (b) the superintendent could even be aligning her professional practice goal in support of this work by principals. These are important examples of coherence and alignment that successful districts are using to make the goal-setting process as meaningful as possible.”
Transition to a brief description of the four types of Educator Plans.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

10. Implementation Responsibility
Educator Responsibilities:
Identifying, collecting & organizing artifacts/evidence related to goal progress.
Documenting action steps completed.
Collecting and submitting common artifacts.
Collecting and submitting evidence related to Standards III and IV.
Evaluator Responsibilities:
Making resources and supports available.
Identifying common artifacts/evidence.
Observing practice and providing regular and specific feedback on performance.
Monitoring progress – including midpoint check-ins.
Explain:
“Regardless of what plan you’re on, educators and evaluators truly share implementation responsibility. Part of developing, refining, and finalizing goals and plans is collaborating around what will be most useful for the educator, what specific types of evidence are available to demonstrate progress, and how the evaluator can best support attainment of goals through existing resources, ongoing and upcoming professional development, and targeted and ongoing feedback.”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

11. Model Rubrics Teacher Rubric
Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISP) Rubric
School-Level Administrator (Principal) Rubric
District-Level Administrator (Superintendent) Rubric
Explain:
“The Massachusetts Model Rubrics were created to articulate the principles and criteria of effective practice (e.g., what educators need to know and be able to do). They also provide a road map designed to help identify and track patterns related to educator practice over time. These rubrics are not classroom observation tools. Observations—both within and outside the classroom, announced and unannounced—are only one source of many that yield evidence used to inform feedback and performance ratings. The rubrics will help educators and evaluators make sense of the many pieces of evidence they collect. Four different model rubrics are available.” [READ/REFER TO SLIDE 13]
“Let’s look at the basic structure of the Massachusetts Model Rubrics using the Teacher Rubric as our example.”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

12. Massachusetts Teacher Rubric
Standard I: Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment
Indicator A
Element 1
Performance Descriptors
UnsatisfactoryNeeds ImprovementProficientExemplary
Element 2
Indicator B
Point to the “Standard” bar on Slide 14 and explain:
“There are four performance Standards for teachers: Standard 1: Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment Standard 2: Teaching All Students ; Standard 3: Family and Community Engagement ; and Standard 4: Professional Culture. The Standards are broad categories of knowledge and skills related to effective practice. Delineated under each Standard are Indicators and elements.”
 Point to the “Indicator” bars on the slide and explain:“Indicators describe specific knowledge, skills, and behaviors for each Standard. For example, in Standard I there are three Indicators: curriculum and planning, assessment, and analysis.”
 Point to the “element” bars on the slide and explain: “Elements are subcategories of knowledge, skills, and behaviors specific to each Indicator that provide the basis for examining evidence of performance.”
 Point out the “performance descriptors” boxes and explain: “Performance Descriptors, delineated for each element, are observable and measurable descriptions of teacher knowledge, skills, and behaviors aligned to each element across four specific levels of performance: Unsatisfactory, Needs Improvement, Proficient and Exemplary.”
Learning Activity 1: What Does Effective Practice Look Like? (25 minutes)
The purpose of this activity is for participants to become more familiar with the rubric by identifying knowledge, skills, and behaviors that they think would be included under either Standard I or II.
Begin this activity by advancing to Slide 15 so that participants can see the information about the activity as you are explaining it.
Element 1
Performance Descriptors
UnsatisfactoryNeeds ImprovementProficientExemplary
Element 2
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

13. Four Performance Standards
Teachers
Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment
Teaching All Students
Family and Community Engagement
Professional Culture
To transition to Slide 16, explain:
“The four performance Standards in the Teacher Rubric reflect research of what constitutes effective teaching practice and provide us with a common understanding, terminology, and structure to organize evidence. Fewer than 20 percent of districts nationally are currently using performance rubrics as part of their teacher evaluation system, but this activity has already given us the beginnings of a shared understanding about effective practice.”
Explain:
“Four performance Standards anchor the Model Rubrics for all educators in Massachusetts, including administrators. The Standards were developed by the Task Force and are clearly defined in the regulations. You saw this table in Module 1: Overview. Notice once again the close alignment of the Standards between administrators and teachers, underscoring the common overarching goals shared by all educators.
“Remember that Massachusetts views educator evaluation as one component of a larger system focused on developing educator expertise over time. As an integral part of the five steps of the evaluation cycle, the Model Rubrics were designed to reflect and support the same principles associated with Massachusetts educator preparation, supervision of student teaching, teacher recruitment and hiring, mentoring, peer coaching, and professional development.”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

14. Standard Indicator Elements
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

15. Performance Descriptors
Standard
Indicator
Elements
Performance Descriptors
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

16. Massachusetts Teacher Performance Rubric
Standards:
Broad categories of knowledge and skills
Indicators:
Specific knowledge, skills, and behaviors for each standard
Elements:
Subcategories of knowledge, skills, and behaviors for each indicator
Performance Descriptors:
Unsatisfactory – Needs Improvement – Proficient – Exemplary
Learning Content 2: Unpacking the Teacher Performance Rubric (5 minutes)
Explain:
“We have examined the structure of the Massachusetts Model Rubrics and discussed what effective practice looks like for two of the Standards, but description at the Standard level isn’t enough detail to support growth and development of all teachers. So, we’ve built out the Standards with Indicators, elements, and descriptors of performance at four levels. We are now going to dig deeper into the Model Teacher Rubric and unpack more of the structural elements. Please look at Handout 1: Teacher Rubric at a Glance.
 “Under each Standard are capital letters, which represent the Indicators. There are 16 Indicators for the Teacher Rubric. Under each Indicator is at least one element: 1, 2, 3, etc. Altogether, there are 33 elements for teachers.
 “When you look at the Teacher Rubric at a Glance, what three words immediately come to mind? Take a quick moment to jot them down. ” [TAKE RESPONSE FROM PARTICIPANTS]
“Teacher performance rubrics can be __________________ [INSERT THEIR WORDS, i.e., overwhelming, logical, etc.]. Because they are designed to capture critical aspects of a complex craft, they need to be comprehensive and detailed. The best way to develop an understanding of rubrics is to begin by unpacking one Standard at a time.
“Our next step is to conduct an ‘unpacking’ exercise step by step so that you can start familiarizing yourself with the rubric’s structure and content. This exercise is not unlike the process you might go through during Step 1 of the five-step-evaluation cycle: your self-assessment. Knowing where to start can be a challenge, so we’re going to take it one piece at a time.”
Learning Activity 2: Unpacking the Teacher Performance Rubric—A Team Deep Dive (35 minutes)
The purpose of this activity is for participants to understand one Indicator and realize the work necessary to fully understand the Teacher Rubric. Before moving on to Slide 18, explain:
“The first thing we’re going to do is examine what is meant by Proficient performance. What do you think of when you hear Proficient?”
[RECORD their response on a blank sheet of chart paper]
[CLICK to move to Slide 18 and display definition]
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

17. Proficient
“Proficient is the expected, rigorous level of performance for educators. It is the demanding but attainable level of performance for most educators.”
“The Proficient performance descriptors represent the expected Standard—the bar we expect all experienced teachers to demonstrate over time.”
Instruct school teams that they will now have the opportunity to begin looking at the performance descriptors for a particular Indicator and corresponding elements found in Standards I and II, starting with Proficient.
Ask participants to count off from 1–7 until every individual has been assigned a number.
Place the numbered tabletop cards at each table, and instruct participants to temporarily “re-sort” into these new “teams,” with the 1’s gathering together, the 2’s gathering together, and so on.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

18. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

19. Examining Proficient Practice
Example: Standard II: Teaching All Students
Indicator IIA. Instruction: Uses instructional practices that reflect high expectations regarding content and quality of effort and work; engage all students; and are personalized to accommodate diverse learning styles, needs, interests, and levels of readiness.
Element II A-2. Student Engagement
Proficient: Consistently uses instructional practices that are likely to motivate and engage most students during the lesson.
Once participants are in their new teams, walk them through the example on Slide 20.
Explain:
“If we look at Standard III: Family and Community Engagement, Indicator III A: Engagement, and Element III A-1: Parent and Family Engagement, the Proficient performance descriptor says …” [READ FROM SLIDE]
“Looking at Proficient is only Part 1 of this activity. Once teams are through Part 1, I will give instructions for Part 2.”
Instruct teams to create a chart paper with the following table:
Top row: Standard/Indicator name, followed by the prompt, “The Proficient teacher… “[fill in the blank with a description what this Indicator should look like at the Proficient level, in your own words]. Below the first row, construct three columns labeled “Unsatisfactory,” “Needs Improvement,” and “Exemplary.” [Participants complete each column with key words from each elements descriptors associated with that performance level.] Note: the facilitator should create a sample blank chart paper in advance to show participants.
Use the guiding questions on Slide 20 to frame their discussions on the Proficient level of performance captured by the elements under their Indicator.
Teams have 12 minutes for Part 1 of this activity.
Common facilitation challenges and solutions:
The size of the overall group makes dividing into seven teams difficult. The group may be too small (12 people or less) or too large (more than 40).
If too small—assign partners and/or focus on Standard 2 only.
If too large—duplicate the chart papers and teams. (i.e., two groups of three will work on each Standard/Indicator, so at the end you will have two charts about each).
Guiding questions:
What does Proficient performance look like? What, exactly, would you expect a teacher to be doing?
Using your own words, describe Proficient performance for your Indicator, as demonstrated across the elements.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

20. Examining Key Expectations for Performance Across Levels
1. Read across the rows for each element.
2. Highlight the key descriptions of performance at each level.
3. Look down the column (across elements) and circle the key words or ideas that best summarize each of the four performance levels.
Call the group’s attention back to the front/center of the room.
Explain:
“The next part of this activity is designed to help you pivot off what you know about Proficient performance for your specific Standard and Indicator. We’ll look next at the other performance levels to understand them and also contrast them with Proficient. Your task is to highlight … [READ INSTRUCTIONS ON THE SLIDE]
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

21. Horizontal and Vertical Analysis: Example I-B
Indicator I-B. Assessment: Uses a variety of informal and formal methods of assessments to measure student learning, growth,
and understanding to develop differentiated and enhanced learning experiences and improve future instruction.
Horizontal and Vertical Analysis: Example I-B
I-B.
Elements
Unsatisfactory
Needs Improvement
Proficient
Exemplary
I-B-1.
Variety of Assessment Methods
Administers only the assessments required by the school and/or measures only point-in-time student achievement.
May administer some informal and/or formal assessments to measure student learning but rarely measures student progress toward achieving state/local standards.
Designs and administers a variety of informal and formal methods and assessments, including common interim assessments, to measure each student’s learning, growth, and progress toward achieving state/local standards.
Uses an integrated, comprehensive system of informal and formal assessments, including common interim assessments, to measure student learning, growth, and progress toward achieving state/local standards. Is able to model this element.
I-B-2.
Adjustment to Practice
Makes few adjustments to practice based on formal and informal assessments.
May organize and analyze some assessment results but only occasionally adjusts practice or modifies future instruction based on the findings.
Organizes and analyzes results from a variety of assessments to determine progress toward intended outcomes and uses these findings to adjust practice and identify and/or implement appropriate differentiated interventions and enhancements for students.
Organizes and analyzes results from a comprehensive system of assessments to determine progress toward intended outcomes and frequently uses these findings to adjust practice and identify and/or implement appropriate differentiated interventions and enhancements for individuals and groups of students and appropriate modifications of lessons and units. Is able to model this element.
Explain:
“For example, let’s look at Standard 3, Indicator B about collaboration with families. This Standard is about how teachers collaborate with families to support student learning at home and school. We can see what it means to be Proficient. Now let’s look at the key descriptors for Unsatisfactory, Needs Improvement, and Exemplary.
 [POINT OUT BOLD/HIGHLIGHTED WORDS ON THE SCREEN]
 “Is it clear what it takes to be Proficient? Is it clear what it means to be at another level? Now let’s look down the columns at the key words related to each performance level.
 “What is the theme of Unsatisfactory? What is the theme of Exemplary? What is the theme of Needs Improvement? What is the theme of Proficient?
REFER/RETURN TO Slide 21.
Explain: “Take the next 12 minutes to complete your chart paper with key words, which is Part 2 of this unpacking activity.”
Teams will have 12 minutes for the activity. Tell them when four minutes have passed (eight minutes left), eight minutes have passed (four minutes left), and when there is one minute remaining in the activity. At the four-minute mark, encourage participants to work as teams on Step 2 of the activity. After eight minutes, they should be moving on to Step 3. At the one-minute warning, they should be wrapping up their discussion.
As teams complete their chart papers, they should post them on the walls in Standard/Indicator order.
Common facilitation challenges and solutions:
Teams may get stuck on one performance level.
Prompt participants through the level they are on, and help them move on to the next level.
Teams move too quickly through the activity.
Prompt participants to go back and discuss the key words they circled.
Ask them to discuss how expectations for performance scaffold across the performance descriptors.
Call the group’s attention to the front/center of the room.
“All of the teams have done some hard work to unpack these two Standards. As you make your way back to your original seat, let’s do a gallery walk for four to five minutes and look at everyone’s work. As you review the charts, look for what’s common, what’s different, and what key words stand out. Go!”
When four to five minutes have elapsed and participants are back in their seats, lead a whole-group discussion about how the behaviors associated with each element change across the performance levels.
Ask the whole group:
“What did you notice as you completed this activity? What differences did you see across the levels? What key words did you circle?”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

22. What does this look like?
Products of Practice Related to Standards
Multiple Measures of Student Learning
Other Evidence Related to Standards
Artifacts
Teacher-developed unit assessments
Grade-level meeting notes
Parent/teacher communication log
PLC meeting notes
Observations
Notes/feedback from short, frequent observations (inside/outside classrooms)
Notes and feedback from announced observations
Student work (quizzes, homework, presentations, etc.)
Portfolios
Performance assessments (including arts, vocational, health and wellness)
Interim assessments
State or district assessments
Student and staff feedback (2013–14 school year)
Explain:
“So what does this look like? Here you can see examples of evidence sources for each category. Under Products of Practice, artifacts could include anything from grade-level meeting notes to parent/teacher communication logs, depending on the kind of evidence an educator needs. Notes from short, unannounced observations as well as formal, announced observations also fall under this category.
“The second category of evidence—Measures of Student Learning—could include a wide variety of measures, from student work to portfolios to performance assessments. Again, when thinking about how to track progress related to a student learning goal, the measures of student performance could take many forms.
“And finally, the third category, Other Evidence, includes evidence from student feedback and staff feedback surveys, which aren’t required until the 2013–14 school year.
“This may feel overwhelming or look like a lot to do. It’s important to keep one thing in mind. First, no single artifact or measure should be produced solely for the purpose of your evaluation—it should represent practices or activities that you already do in your daily work.”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

23. Implementation Responsibility
Educator responsibilities:
Identifying, collecting, and organizing artifacts/evidence related to goal progress
Documenting action steps completed
Collecting and submitting common artifacts
Collecting and submitting evidence related to Standards III and IV
Evaluator responsibilities:
Making resources and supports available
Identifying common artifacts/evidence
Observing practice and providing regular and specific feedback on performance
Monitoring progress—including midpoint check-ins
Organizing and analyzing evidence over time
Explain: “Depending on the type of evidence—whether it’s an artifact from a classroom lesson, student data, or notes from an observation—the educator or the evaluator will be responsible for its collection and organization. For the most part, the educator will collect most of the evidence over the course of the year, and the evaluator will be primarily responsible for organizing and analyzing evidence.
“Here you can see the division of responsibilities for identifying, collecting, and organizing evidence. Educators are responsible for identifying, collecting, and organizing artifacts and other sources of evidence that demonstrate progress related to their goals and for providing evidence that action steps from their Educator Plan have been completed. Educators also need to collect examples of any common artifacts that all educators might be asked to collect. You will have some time at the end of this session to think about what common artifacts you might ask all educators to submit at your school. Let’s take an example. If you were part of a high school participating in the Wraparound Zone Initiative, you might have every teacher submit a lesson or unit plan that demonstrates their use of local civic, educational, or business partnerships to link the curriculum to the world beyond high school. The identification of common artifacts can help cultivate a shared sense of responsibility throughout a school while simultaneously moving the school forward in the same direction. Finally, educators are responsible for collecting evidence showing how they are progressing toward Standards III and IV, which tend to be less ‘observable’ than Standards I and II. Evaluators are responsible for letting educators know what resources and supports are available. They also need to identify common artifacts that all educators need to submit. Evaluators also need to observe practice on a regular basis, provide timely and specific feedback on performance, and monitor educator progress. At the conclusion of an evaluation cycle, evaluators review and analyze the body of evidence as it relates to goal progress and performance within the four standards of practice.”
Transition: “Identifying, gathering, and submitting evidence from multiple sources is a critical component of the new evaluation process and a marked departure from previous evaluation systems that typically relied on single observations for an entire rating. By documenting and analyzing practice from multiple angles and over an extended period of time, educators and evaluators develop a more complete picture of performance, which leads to a more accurate and informed evaluation.”
Facilitation note: Learning Activity 1: Evidence or Judgment? (10 minutes)
Purpose and intended outcomes: Both educators and evaluators will be responsible for summarizing artifacts into evidence statements. The purpose of this activity is for participants to have practice identifying facts and opinions about evidence and revising opinion statements into more factual ones. Opinion statements often appear in evaluation feedback, and this activity will help participants avoid those kinds of statements.
Activity detail: The facilitator will need three pieces of chart paper as participants share their information—one should be labeled Facts, one labeled Opinions, and one labeled Revised Statements on which to revise the opinion statements. Writing down responses will help ensure that participants are able to check their responses and understand how to change an opinion statement into one that is more factual. Participants will need Handout 2. Make sure there are enough highlighters on the tables so that each participant can have one.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

24. Artifact Cover Page Learning Content 2 (15 minutes) Explain:
“In the last activity, you used one of the tools ESE developed to help educators and evaluators keep track of observational evidence: the Observation Evidence Collection form. The Observation Evidence Collection tool provides evaluators with a place to record factual notes during an observation and identify evidence of practice based on these notes that relate to specific goals or Standards. There is also a place for evaluators to construct targeted feedback based on what they observed.
“The Artifact Cover Page is another tool you can use for collecting and organizing evidence—in this case, from artifact. You can see a small version of the form on this slide. For a closer view, turn to Handout 3. The cover page is intended to help educators communicate how a particular artifact demonstrates evidence of practice related to a goal or a particular Standard. Attaching this cover page to an artifact helps evaluators quickly identify the artifact’s purpose.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

25. Importance of Strategically Collecting Artifacts
Explain:
“We have discussed the tools and processes that an evaluator and educator might use as evidence is collected about practice. Now we are going to discuss what you can do back at your school to ensure that educators and evaluators don’t just collect everything under the sun but, rather, a strategic sample of high-quality artifacts that contain valuable evidence. One pitfall we often see is educators building binders full of artifacts that could fill a wheelbarrow, or the flip side—educators who collect next to nothing, preferring to jot something down on the back of a napkin just prior to their evaluation. Either scenario is inevitably the product of lack of clear expectations. We want to help you and your educators avoid these pitfalls and spend time wisely collecting artifacts in a strategic way.”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

26. Importance of Strategically Collecting Artifacts
Artifacts should be a sample that demonstrates educator performance and impact:
Aligned with educator goals, the Model System Teacher Rubric, or school goals
Number of artifacts to collect varies by educator
Artifacts can provide evidence of more than one Standard or Indicator
Explain:
“‘The collection of artifacts must be seen as an opportunity to select a sample of artifacts and other data that fairly represents performance and impact. It is not intended to be a record of all that the educator has done in a year. It needs to be focused on the educator’s goals, high priority Standards and Indicators, and any critical school priorities not addressed by the professional practice and student learning goals.
“There is no set number of artifacts required to be submitted, and, in fact, the number of artifacts to collect will vary by educator depending on their goals and the action steps in their plan. Whether an educator identifies 8, 10, or even 12 artifacts, the key is to ensure a balanced representation of performance.”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

27. Strategies for Collecting Artifacts
Identify common artifacts that all or most educators will be expected to collect (e.g., lesson plans)
Share examples of high-quality, valuable evidence during faculty or team meetings:
Might include showing sample artifacts that provide evidence of more than one Standard or Indicator
Explain:
“As a school leadership team, you can utilize some strategies to promote effective, focused evidence collection in your school.
“Evaluators and school leadership teams can identify common artifacts that all or most educators will be expected to collect, and communicate that expectation to your entire school staff. Common artifacts can be used to promote schoolwide goals that are aligned to school improvement plans, as well as team goals, thereby building coherence and a shared sense of accountability throughout the building.
“In addition, faculty and team time should be devoted periodically to showcasing examples of well-chosen samples and their thoughtful analysis of impact. These examples might include artifacts that show evidence of multiple Standards or Indicators.”
Transition: “At this point, we’ve talked about the importance of being strategic in collecting specific artifacts that align to your goals and/or Standards, and identifying a sample of artifacts that are representative of practice, as opposed to collecting everything you do as an educator. Now we are going to practice this process to see what it means to be strategic and selective—how do you translate multiple artifacts into valuable sources of evidence?”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

28. Identifying Evidence in Artifacts
Within your grade level/department teams, divide into pairs.
Each pair will do the following:
Review one set of artifacts.
Complete the Artifact Cover Page for those two artifacts.
Consider these questions:
After reviewing these artifacts, what else might you want to know about Tom’s practice?
What would you want to ask this teacher?
Explain: “You may have noticed something missing on the Artifact Cover Pages—the evidence statements. In this activity, you will review the artifact and identify the evidence relevant to that Indicator. Your task will be to identify evidence statements from the artifacts that align with the Standards and Indicators already mentioned on the Artifact Cover Page. For example, if you see Standard I, Indicator C: Analysis identified in the right-hand column, you might find evidence of data analysis in the document. Then you would write an evidence statement about it in the evidence space—for example, ‘Change in student scores between unit assessments is noted at the bottom of each column.’ You might also notice that just below the space where you can write your evidence is a note about how to indicate evidence related to the teacher’s goals—you can simply place a star or asterisk next to that evidence statement. So if/where you see evidence in these artifacts related to Tom’s goals on ELL student achievement and instruction, go ahead and star that evidence.
Okay, let’s get going. The Teacher Rubric At-a-Glance is included as Handout 8 in your packet. You can use that as a resource, as well as the full Model System Teacher Rubric on your table. Do you have any questions?” Answer any participant questions.
“Within your school team, please divide into pairs. Divide the three sets of artifacts among the pairs at your table. You will have about 15 minutes to examine the artifacts and synthesize the most relevant factual evidence statements from each one into evidence statements and record them on the cover pages. As you are doing this, also consider the two questions on Slide 19—what else do you want to know after looking at the artifacts? Based on what these artifacts demonstrate, what feedback or questions would you want to ask Tom Wilson that might serve as a starting point for further conversation between educators and evaluators? Using Post-it Notes placed on the pages, you can jot down any questions you have on the artifacts themselves or on the Artifact Cover Page.”
After 15 minutes, get participants’ attention to proceed to the debrief.
Common facilitation challenges and solutions:
A school team might not have enough people (six) to review all of the documents as pairs or may have too many people (more than six) to pair up and review the documents.
If there are fewer than six participants in a school team, have them pair up and choose a set to review. It is not essential for all of the artifacts to be reviewed by each team.
If there are more than six participants in a school team, more than one pair can review a set.
Participants may have difficulty identifying evidence statements for each artifact.
Prompt participants to read through the Model System Teacher Rubric for the Standard and Indicator listed on the Artifact Cover Page. Ask them to identify what factual statements about the educator’s progress toward that standard they can make, based on the artifact.
Guiding questions: After reviewing these artifacts, what else would you want to know from Tom? What kind of questions or feedback would you want to respond with?
Learning Wrap-Up/Debrief 2 (15 minutes)
Explain:
“Let’s briefly review each set of artifacts and share the useful evidence that could be gleaned from each artifact review.”
Ask: “Would a group that looked at Set A be willing to briefly describe the artifacts to us and share their evidence statements?” Allow one group to answer.
Ask: “Would a different pair that looked at Set A have anything to add? Allow another group to answer.
Ask: “Did any other group that looked at Set A identify any questions for this teacher on their Post-it Notes?” Allow any other groups who are interested to answer.
“Now we are going to move on to Set B, a different pair of documents for this same teacher.” Proceed through this set of three questions until all three sets of artifacts have been discussed by the group. Optional activity for the facilitator: You may wish to create a list of artifact types (by set) and/or record participants’ answers during the discussion. One chart paper for each artifact set is recommended.
Transition: “These example artifacts demonstrate how a single artifact can show evidence of practice in more than one Standard and/or Indicator. You have had some practice in how to create factual evidence statements based on artifacts and use the Artifact Cover Page. With our discussion, we also saw how artifacts could raise questions about educator practice that serve as a starting point for further conversation between educators and evaluators. It’s time to start thinking about how you will share this set of tools and the evidence collection process with your school staff.”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

29. To Recap… Three categories of evidence:
Multiple measures of student learning, growth, and achievement
Judgments based on observations and artifacts of professional practice
Additional evidence relevant to standards
Explain:
“Let’s take a moment to recap what we’ve learned about evidence. First, remember that the regulations call for multiple sources of evidence. Second, both educators and evaluators play a key role in collecting and organizing evidence throughout the implementation of the Educator Plan.”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education