Educator Evaluation Systems 2023-2024

A Guide for the 2023-2024 School Year

Welcome to the 2023-2024 academic year!  

Information in this document is intended to help educators plan for 2023-2024 evaluations.  When the term educator is used, it is intended to include teachers, school counselors and administrators. 

This document should be considered informational only and should not be construed as supplanting existing collective bargaining agreement language or the Ohio Revised Code. 

Educator Evaluation Systems- 2023-2024

All evaluation systems (OTES 2.0, OPES 2.0, and OSCES) are fully implemented in 2023-2024. This includes the use of high-quality student data for teacher and principal evaluations and student metrics for school counselor evaluations. 

COMPLEtion deadlines

Evaluation deadlines for teachers, school counselors and administrators remain unchanged. Subject to each specific collective bargaining agreement, if the employee is a teacher, the district will have until May 1 to complete the teacher evaluation and must provide a written report of the results of the evaluation to the teacher by May 10.

If the employee is an administrator, in any school year that the employee’s contract of employment is not due to expire, at least one evaluation shall be completed in that year. A written copy of the evaluation shall be provided to the employee no later than the end of the employee’s contract year as defined by the employee’s annual salary notice. In any school year that the employee’s contract of employment is due to expire, at least a preliminary evaluation and at least a final evaluation shall be completed in that year. A written copy of the preliminary evaluation shall be provided to the employee at least sixty days prior to any action by the board on the employee’s contract of employment. This written copy of the first formal observation, signed by the evaluator, shall serve as the preliminary evaluation to meet the requirements of Ohio law. A written copy of the evaluation shall be provided to the employee at least five days prior to the board’s acting to renew or not renew the contract. 

IMPACT OF NOT COMPLETING Evaluations ON EDUCATOR CONTRACTS 

The impact is a local determination. The district should work with its legal counsel and may collaborate with bargaining organizations to determine contract status. A teacher for whom an evaluation is not completed is afforded rights established under Ohio law (Section 3319.111). Likewise, districts also should be mindful that administrators who do not receive completed evaluations are afforded rights under Ohio law (Section 3319.02).

If an educator’s evaluation was not completed the prior year, that educator will be on a full evaluation cycle for the current year, including when any exemption is utilized within OhioES (See this FAQ for list of exemptions.). 

OTES 2.0 

OTES 2.0 is fully implemented by all districts in 2023-2024. For information about OTES 2.0 trainings and credentialing, please see the Credentialed Evaluators web page.

High-quality student data (HQSD) must be included in teacher evaluations in 2023-2024 and all components of the Teacher Performance Evaluation Rubric may be evaluated.

The component “Evidence of Student Learning” on the Teacher Performance Evaluation Rubric will be evaluated.  

The teacher evaluation will use at least two measures of district-determined HQSD to provide evidence of student learning attributable to the teacher being evaluated. When applicable to the grade level or subject area taught by a teacher, HQSD shall include the value-added progress dimension and the teacher shall use at least one other measure of HQSD to demonstrate student learning. HQSD may be used as evidence in any component of the evaluation where applicable. 

There has always been some flexibility allowed when implementing OTES. For instance, schools have flexibility in defining what an observation or walkthrough might look like in their own unique education setting. Additionally, there is no requirement for a rating on each component on the OTES 2.0 rubric. The Department encourages teachers and evaluators to collaborate on the use of flexibility options. All educators should clearly understand any local flexibility provided and how the evaluation process will work in each school's unique education setting. To help guide these conversations, the Department has posted a document titled “Impact of Education Settings on Teacher Evaluations”. 

To be considered complete, all required components of the evaluation must be completed. The following components are standard for a complete evaluation, but additional requirements set forth in law or contained in a collective bargaining agreement may be necessary for some evaluations. 

Full Evaluation Cycle includes components that must be met annually for teachers on a full evaluation cycle. These required components include:   

  • Professional Growth Plan or Improvement Plan;   
  • Formal Holistic Observation followed by conference;   
  • At least two classroom walkthroughs;   
  • Formal Focused observation with emphasis on focus area(s) 
  • Final Summative Conference.  

Less Frequent Evaluation Cycle is an option that is available to districts. This cycle requires full evaluation of teachers rated skilled every two years and full evaluation of teachers rated accomplished every three years. In a year the teacher is not fully evaluated, the less frequent evaluation required components include:   

  • Professional Growth Plan;   
  • One observation;   
  • One conference with discussion of progress on Professional Growth Plan. 

NOTE: Rating carried forward must be completed within OhioES or the educator will need a full evaluation the following year. Directions for completing a rating carried forward in OhioES are at this link

A school or district retains the option, subject to a collective bargaining agreement, to move a teacher on the less frequent evaluation cycle to a full evaluation cycle. Districts have discretion to place any teacher on an Improvement Plan at any time based on deficiencies in any individual component of the evaluation system. However, the notice requirements for being placed on an Improvement Plan, the components of the plan and the implementation process for the plan may be subject to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement.

OPES 2.0

OPES 2.0 will be fully implemented by all districts in 2023-2024. As such, all principal/assistant principal evaluators must have a valid OPES 2.0 credential to be able to conduct OPES 2.0 evaluations. 

For information about OPES 2.0 trainings and credentialing, please see the Credentialed Evaluators web page.  

HQSD must be included in administrator evaluations in 2023-2024.  

The administrator evaluation will use at least two measures of district-determined high-quality student data to provide evidence of student learning attributable to the administrator being evaluated. When applicable, high-quality student data shall include the value-added progress dimension and at least one other measure of high-quality student data to demonstrate student learning. The two pieces of high-quality student data may be used as evidence in any component of the evaluation, where applicable. 

Essential components of the annual evaluation: 

  • Professional Growth/Improvement Plan 
  • Two formal observations 
  • Walkthroughs 
  • Final summative conference
There is a new role in OhioES, leadership- non principal/AP. The purpose of this role is to provide districts the option to evaluate educators, such as instructional coaches, ESC consultants, central office personnel, etc., using OPES 2.0 when job responsibilities align with the majority of the OPES rubric

OSCES

Each school counselor is evaluated based upon multiple factors including performance on all areas identified by the standards and the ability to produce positive student outcomes using metrics in order to determine the  final summative rating of effectiveness according to ODE requirements. The choice of metrics for student outcomes will be determined locally. 

Student metrics must be used in school counselor evaluations for the 2023-2024 school year.  Reminder, for school counselors with a rating carried forward, the metric of student outcomes must be rated skilled or higher to remain eligible.

A school or district retains the option, subject to a collective bargaining agreement, to move a school counselor on the less frequent evaluation cycle to a full evaluation cycle. Districts have discretion to place any school counselor on an Improvement Plan at any time based on deficiencies in any individual component of the evaluation system. However, the notice requirements for being placed on an Improvement Plan, the components of the plan and the implementation process for the plan may be subject to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement.

For information about OSCES trainings and credentialing, please see the Credentialed Evaluators web page.  

OhioES  

Districts are to use this required system for reporting educator evaluations. Log in to OhioES at this link

OhioES will open for LEA setup on August 2. Please complete LEA setup by Friday, October 6.   

OhioES will remain open until June 15, 2024, to enter and finalize evaluation data. As a reminder, all evaluations must either be completed or closed with an exemption. 

historical evaluation data 

Historical evaluation data has been transferred from eTPES and is accessible in OhioES. 

For questions or concerns, please contact the Office of Educator Effectiveness by emailing evaluation@SBOE.ohio.gov

Last Modified: 11/3/2023 10:22:36 AM