At its recent meeting, the State Board of Education heard an update from Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) staff on the department’s continuing efforts to implement a new system for evaluation for principals and nonteaching professionals. Under the system, “principals” include building principals, assistant principals, vice principals or a director of vocational education. “Nonteaching professional employees” include educational specialists, professional employees holding certificates who are not assigned classroom teacher or principal positions and administrative and supervisory employees.

PDE is preparing to publish in the Pennsylvania Bulletin its rating tool in the coming weeks. The tool will include the educator rating form and instructions, and will be included under the Chapter 19 regulations that were established last year for the evaluation of classroom teachers. Act 82 of 2012 requires PDE to create and publish the rating tool by June 30, 2013. According to PDE, the rating form will function as the framework for the evaluation process. Final approval of the tool will be completed on a fast-track course that exempts it from the regulatory review requirements and review by the state attorney general. However, the document must be approved by the governor’s office of general counsel, budget office and policy office prior to publication.

Source: PSBA Legislative Report, May 19, 2014.