Educator Evaluation Specialist

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 320,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 40,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

Located within the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Talent Office, the Educator Effectiveness team is responsible for managing the performance evaluation process for a wide range of CPS positions, including central office roles, teachers and principals. In close partnership with other CPS departments, this team produces materials and training in an effort to implement evaluation as a coaching exercise rather than a compliance mandate.

The Educator Evaluation Specialist (EES) will be responsible for building and enhancing systems and structures to continuously improve the evaluation experience for CPS teachers, Principals, and Assistant Principals (APs) through evaluation programs including REACH (Recognizing Educators Advancing Chicago) and the Reflect and Learn System (RLS). This position will report to the Director of Teacher and Principal Evaluation.

The Educator Evaluation Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• In collaboration with the Director of Teacher and Principal Evaluation, systematically collaborate with the Office of Network Support, Office of Teaching and Learning, Network Chiefs and other relevant departments to ensure professional learning and system support are responsive to leaders' needs.
• Collaborate with Central Office teams on the development of professional learning to support school leaders in providing effective feedback on instructional practices and identifying training opportunities to close skills gaps for those being evaluated
• Plan and facilitate REACH-related professional development (e.g. visiting teachers, consulting educators, etc.), including including sessions for Network Chiefs, Principals, and APs.
• Develop and implement procedures to ensure the availability of a qualified pool of ISBE-certified teacher evaluators, including Principals and Assistant Principals, to carry out an equitable, efficient REACH process at CPS -
• Conduct an ongoing review of evaluators' credentials, providing support related to maintaining valid Teacher Evaluator Certification, and assisting new leaders with obtaining this required credential
• Facilitate Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)-approved Illinois Administrator Academy (IAA) courses, in partnership with colleagues in the Office of Teaching and Learning, to support the achievement of recertification credit hours/requirements
• Develop and implement a series of calibration sessions for REACH evaluators to ensure consistent standards are applied across the district
• Engage in REACH-related calibration activities with school leaders, in person and virtually via e-calibration and/or evidence review
• Design and create resources to assist evaluators in gathering evidence efficiently and in a manner that supports productive coaching conversations with colleagues
• Conduct REACH evaluations as designated by the Director of Teacher and Principal Evaluation
• Create and maintain efficient communication platforms and routines between stakeholders in the evaluation process.
• Support the creation of training materials to outline best practices in human capital management.
• Support the management of the annual performance-based human capital decisions (ie: teacher renewals), tenure progression/acquisition reviews and related educator notifications
• As feedback and input is received from principals, collaborate with the RLS team to communicate challenges identified and opportunities for improving end-user experience through adjustments/enhancements within the Reflect and Learn system
• In collaboration with the Evaluation Manager and Director of Teacher and Principal Evaluation, develop and implement protocols for systematic review of the evaluation data
• Utilize the data reporting systems to build differentiated support options for school and department leaders
• Other duties as assigned

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Educator Evaluation Specialist must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Education or a related field from an accredited college or university
• Valid teaching certificate issued by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) with Teacher Evaluator Certification, required
• Designation as a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT), preferred
• Master's degree, preferred

Experience Required:

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in K-12 education, including the following, is required:
• Minimum of three (3) years of classroom teaching experience
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience evaluating the performance of educational/instructional staff, including teachers
• Experience working collaboratively with school leaders
• Experience working with data, including managing collection, analysis and the creation of reports
• Experience designing and facilitating professional development for multiple audiences including school leaders, educators and other district staff

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Working knowledge of (or ability to quickly learn) how to navigate and utilize the Reflect and Learn System
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with a variety of stakeholders to ensure engagement drives support for the experiences of school leaders from diverse backgrounds
• Ability to work in cross-functional teams with personnel from a variety of departments while managing multiple priorities and adapting to shifting departmental needs
• Capable of coaching leaders and leading professional learning; strong understanding of adult learning theory and strong professional learning facilitation skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to practice clear, consistent communication, adjusting style in response to the needs of different audiences
• Ability to articulate a vision, set high standards, and effectively guide schools and principals in the realization of expectations set
• Demonstrate high levels of integrity, honesty, credibility, and the courage to make difficult yet necessary decisions
• Effective strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to establish long-term vision and goals, and align/manage activities toward goal fulfillment
• High levels of attention to detail; ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps
• Capable of maintaining flexibility of schedule as required to support professional learning sessions
• Proficiency with Excel, Office Suite, Google Suite, and other programs/platforms

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. "Up-to-date" on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.