The following Q&A answers some of the most frequently asked questions about the teacher evaluation system for the 2024–25 school year. Be sure to check the Teacher Evaluation section of the UFT website for the UFT’s guide to the teacher evaluation system, Department of Education guidance documents and other valuable information. 

On what measures will I be evaluated as a teacher?

Measures of Student Learning (MOSL), based on student assessments, are combined with Measures of Teacher Practice (MOTP), based on observations of your teaching, to create an overall score and rating for each teacher.

What are Measures of Student Learning?

The MOSL score is based on assessments given at the grade or schoolwide level. At the start of the year, your principal and the UFT chapter leader will create a MOSL committee that will select the measures of student learning to be included in your evaluation. 

How does the school’s committee decide my MOSL? 

The committee selects assessments from a citywide menu of options for each grade and subject/course. State assessments are not required to be used as a measure, but they can be chosen. The committee will select how the results will be measured (growth model or goal setting) and apply the selections to individual teachers based on what they teach. See the DOE's MOSL selection guide »

What aspects of my teaching will be evaluated during an observation? 

Evaluators will base their ratings on eight components of the Danielson Framework for Teaching:

• 1a: Demonstrating knowledge of content and pedagogy.
• 1e: Designing coherent instruction.
• 2a: Creating an environment of respect and rapport.
• 2d: Managing student behavior.
• 3b: Using questioning and discussion techniques.
• 3c: Engaging students in learning.
• 3d: Using assessment in instruction.
• 4e: Growing and developing professionally.

Your final Measures of Teacher Practice score will be a weighted average of all component scores from the evaluator’s observations. Domains 2 and 3 will account for 85% of the score, with domains 1 and 4 accounting for the other 15%. 

How many times will I be observed this school year? 

If you are a tenured teacher, the number of observations your evaluator will conduct depends on your overall rating from previous school years:

• Highly Effective for the prior year: minimum of two informal observations.
• Effective in the prior year and Highly Effective, Effective or Satisfactory in the year before that: minimum of two informal observations.
• Effective in the prior year and Developing, Ineffective or Unsatisfactory in the year before that: minimum of three informal observations.
• Effective in the prior year and no rating in the year before that: minimum of two informal observations.
• Developing in the prior year: minimum of one formal and three informal observations.
• Ineffective in the prior year: minimum of one formal and four informal observations.
• No rating in the prior year: minimum of one formal and three informal observations.
• Tenured teachers rated as Satisfactory in the 2023–24 school year: minimum of two informal observations.

If you are a probationary teacher, you will receive a minimum of one formal and three informal observations. If you are a probationary teacher who was rated Ineffective in the previous school year, you’ll receive a minimum of one formal and four informal observations.

When should I expect to meet with my administrator regarding observations of my teaching performance? 

Your evaluator must conduct an Initial Planning Conference (IPC) with you between Thursday, Sept. 5, and Friday, Oct. 25, at a mutually agreed-upon time. This conference is an opportunity for you to discuss previous evaluations, current classes and plans for the upcoming school year. See the DOE's IPC toolkit »

Your evaluator must also conduct a summative conference with you between Friday, April 25, 2025, and Friday, June 20, 2025. This in-person conversation gives you a chance to talk about the year’s observations and answer any questions your evaluator has. See key dates regarding teacher observations and evaluation »

What is the difference between a formal and an informal observation? 

Formal observations last a full period, are scheduled by mutual agreement between you and your evaluator and involve individual pre- and post-observation conferences. Informal observations last a minimum of 15 minutes and may be unannounced. Informal observations do not require pre- and post-observation conferences.

Can my administrator observe my class whenever they want without advance notice? 

Yes, an administrator may observe a classroom at any time. Informal observations do not need to be scheduled in advance with teacher knowledge. However, any observation that will count toward a teacher’s evaluation must be conducted after the Initial Planning Conference.

Do I need to have a printed lesson plan ready if my principal shows up to observe my teaching? 

An evaluator cannot demand that a teacher provide a hard copy of the day’s lesson plan on the spot. When observing a lesson, a supervisor has the right to see the plan of the lesson being taught. The supervisor may take a photo of the plan or ask that the teacher provide the plan at a later time. However, schools cannot require teachers to make and maintain a copy of each of their lesson plans for every class in the event of an unannounced visit.

When will my classroom observations take place? What is the time frame for evaluation? 

Administrators can observe teachers for evaluative purposes any time after the Initial Planning Conference through Friday, June 6, 2025. In addition, half the required minimum number of observations must take place in the fall term, which ends on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, and half in the spring. You should not be observed during the spring window until you receive the final required evaluator form for all required observations during the fall window. See key dates regarding teacher observations and evaluation »

How is my final rating determined? 

The ratings you received through classroom observations will be combined into an MOTP rating of either Highly Effective, Effective, Developing or Ineffective. Then, student learning measures will be combined into a MOSL rating of either Highly Effective, Effective, Developing or Ineffective. Using a matrix (see the chart on this page), your MOTP and MOSL scores will be combined into an overall rating of Highly Effective, Effective, Developing or Ineffective. See the DOE's ratings guide »