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Educator Evaluation Systems

Information for districts, the general public, and interested parties who wish to learn more about Teacher and Principal Evaluation at the local, state, and national levels.

The California Department of Education provides these links as information only.

Educator Evaluation Systems

Educator evaluation alone is an ineffective approach to significantly improving the quality of all teachers and leaders. Who is recruited into the profession and how they are prepared are just as essential as how we develop, support, and retain educators once they enter the classroom or begin serving in the administrator role. To ensure educational equity, such an approach must include educator evaluation systems designed to help all teachers and leaders develop and improve throughout their careers. The following links are resources that discuss the topic of educator evaluations.

National Resources

Center on Great Teachers and Leaders External link opens in new window or tab.
The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) is based at American Institutes for Research and funded through a cooperative agreement by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Formerly called the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, the GTL Center supports state education leaders in their efforts to grow, respect, and retain great teachers and leaders for all students.

  • Student Learning Objectives Resource Library External link opens in new window or tab.
    Student learning objectives (SLOs) are emerging as one measure to assess teachers' contributions to student growth in educator evaluation systems. To support states and districts in developing and implementing SLOs, the GTL Center has created a searchable collection of SLO resources.

The MET project External link opens in new window or tab.
The MET Project is a research partnership of academics, teachers, and education organizations committed to investigating better ways to identify and develop effective teaching. Funding comes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

California Resources

  • California Standards for the Teaching Profession External link opens in new window or tab. (PDF)
    Establish expectations for effective educators and help to focus the content of professional learning and development on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that educators need to increase capacity and improve their performance.
  • Continuum of Teaching Practice: California’s Continuum of Teaching Practice External link opens in new window or tab. (PDF)
    Based on foundational work of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), the California Department of Education (CDE) and the New Teacher Center (NTC) over the past 15 years, the 2010 Continuum of Teaching Practice is aligned with the California Standards for the Teaching Profession. It builds on California’s pre-service Teaching Performance Expectations and sets forth a description of teaching that respects the diverse ways teachers pursue excellence in teaching and learning.
  • Greatness by Design (PDF)
    The California Department of Education (CDE) and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) convened the California Educator Excellence Task Force, which published the report, Greatness by Design: Supporting Outstanding Teaching to Sustain a Golden State (GbD). The recommendations in this report call for the development of a coherent and stable system of professional learning, a critical factor in improving educator capacity so that all students learn and thrive.

Additional Information

Questions:   Teacher and Leader Policy Office | TLPO@cde.ca.gov | 916-445-7331
Last Reviewed: Wednesday, June 12, 2024