Indicator Rubric for Superintendent Evaluation
Massachusetts superintendent evaluation rubric is built around the 21 indicators from the state’s Standards of Effective Administrative Leadership, designed specifically for school committees. Developed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, this rubric provides descriptions of superintendent practice for each indicator and articulates the specific responsibilities that a school committee may be expected to reasonably evaluate.
The Massachusetts model is a significant departure from the more detailed element-level rubrics associated with other educator roles in the state’s evaluation system. Rather than applying a classroom-derived framework to district leadership, this instrument is calibrated specifically for the scope and complexity of the superintendent role. It recognizes that school committee members are not instructional experts and that a superintendent evaluation should focus on the leadership practices most directly connected to governance, strategic direction, and district outcomes.
The 21 indicators span the full range of superintendent responsibilities, including:
Each indicator is supported by descriptive language that helps school committees distinguish between levels of performance and ground their assessments in observable evidence. This supports consistent, evidence-based evaluations aligned with state requirements rather than subjective ratings.
The rubric is designed for use in Massachusetts districts as part of the state's educator evaluation framework but is widely applicable in any context where a school committee seeks a structured, legally compliant approach to superintendent evaluation. DESE provides supporting guidance and resources to help school committees implement the instrument effectively and use the evaluation process to strengthen the board-superintendent relationship.
DESE provides Massachusetts school committees with implementation guidance and training resources to support effective use of the rubric. For school committees seeking a legally compliant, professionally credible instrument calibrated specifically for the superintendent role in Massachusetts, this rubric provides an authoritative and practically useful foundation.
This rubric is applicable for the following roles: Superintendent