May 2011

Dear Rhode Islanders,

As the school year comes to a close, RIDE is in the final stages of completing the revisions to the Rhode Island Educator Evaluation Model Guide. This guide to evaluating school administrators and teachers presents a detailed description of the RI model which was developed with the input of educators from across the state.

As you know, RIDE was prepared to begin the training of hundreds of evaluators from your districts this week. We made the difficult decision to delay the start of this training because we are committed to creating the strongest, most viable educator evaluator system possible. We believe that a system of evaluation developed in conjunction with the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers Innovation Consortium (RIIC) – one that includes both the important work developed by RIDE with input from educators from around the state, and the work of the RIIC – is that system.

We are working diligently with the Innovation Consortium to create one statewide educator evaluation system based on the substance and content of the RI Model and the elements of the RIIC model. The new system would provide districts the flexibility and autonomy to select options that best meet their evaluation needs at the local level.

I want to assure you that we remain firm in our plan to roll out an educator evaluation system, beginning in the 2011-2012 school year with gradual implementation. We believe this effort to work with RIIC is critical to achieving our ultimate goal of ensuring our students have an effective teacher in every classroom and an effective leader in every school.

We look forward to your continued involvement as we move ahead toward the implementation phase of this important initiative.

Sincerely,

Deborah A. Gist

Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education