Rubric for Superintendent Evaluation Pilot Interest Form

Developed in partnership with M.A.S.S. and M.A.S.C., the Indicator Rubric for Superintendent Evaluation is an evaluation tool intended to support a shared understanding of effective leadership practice between a superintendent and school committee members. 

About the Indicator Rubric for Superintendent Evaluation
Designed around the 21 Indicators from the Standards of Effective Administrative Leadership (603 CMR 35.04), the Indicator Rubric includes descriptions of a superintendent’s practice for each Indicator and articulates the specific responsibilities that a school committee may be expected to reasonably evaluate. This is a significant departure from the more detailed, element-level rubrics associated with other educator roles in the model system for educator evaluation. 

While this structural difference results in a shorter, less complex evaluation tool, it does not simplify the responsibilities of a superintendent. All 21 Indicators associated with the four Standards of Effective Administrative Leadership remain in place, and the superintendent is still expected to meet expectations associated with each Standard (typically assessed by focusing on one to two Indicators per Standard each year). Describing practice at the Indicator level rather than at the element level acknowledges the following unique components of an educator evaluation process conducted by a school committee:   

• The Role of the School Committee: The school committee’s role is governance, rather than management. A school committee thereby focuses on the what and the why (governance) of superintendent leadership, rather than the how (management). The Indicator Rubric does the same.
• The Composition of a School Committee: The school committee as “evaluator” is comprised of multiple individuals, rather than a single evaluator. This demands consensus building, a process made exponentially easier when focused around fewer descriptors of practice. 
• The Focus of a School Committee: School committee members, many of whom are often non-educators, focus primarily on the outcome of a superintendent’s work, rather than the details of implementation. The Indicator Rubric guides committee members to maintain this focus.  
• A Public Process. The superintendent’s evaluation is the only educator evaluation conducted in public. The Indicator Rubric includes the practices to which a committee can reasonably be expected to have access or insight, such that the public process of collecting and evaluating evidence may be conducted with transparency and integrity. 

2019-2020 Rubric Pilot
DESE is supporting a year-long pilot of the draft Indicator Rubric to evaluate its use and impact on the superintendent evaluation process. The objectives of the pilot include:

• Assess the implementation of the rubric by superintendents and school committees. Is it accessible and relevant to all involved?  
• Assess the impact of the rubric. Does it promote a comprehensive evaluation of superintendent practice? Does it support consistency and transparency in aspects of the evaluation process, including analyzing evidence, providing feedback, and using professional judgment to determine ratings?

At the conclusion of the pilot, DESE will evaluate pilot district feedback and make necessary updates or adjustments to the rubric.

Sign up to participate as a pilot district below.
Questions? Please contact Claire Abbott at cabbott@doe.mass.edu.