Penfield is continuing its commitment to strengthening professional practice through the transition to New York State’s new Standards-based Educator Evaluation and Professional Support (STEPS) System. Adopted in June 2024 as part of APPR law 3012-e, this new system centers the New York State Teaching Standards within educator evaluations and is built to foster authentic growth, reflection, and ongoing improvement. The law requires all schools adopt a STEPS plan by June 30 of the 2031–32 school year. This work is being led by Sheena Conway, Executive Director for Humanities and Innovative Learning, and Kevin Marriott, Director of Professional Learning.

Key elements of the STEPS system include:

• Use of multiple measures (portfolios, surveys, projects, etc.) to assess educator performance across the NYS Teaching Standards.
• Annual evaluation cycles for probationary teachers and annual or multi-year cycles for tenured teachers.
• Greater local flexibility: Schools are no longer required to use student assessment data and may select or design a rubric aligned to the NYS Teaching Standards.
• Personalized Support Plans for educators rated at Levels 1 or 2.
• Alignment of each district’s Professional Learning Plan (PLP) with the requirements outlined in the new STEPS plan.

To support a thoughtful and collaborative transition, the District has been working closely with both the Penfield Education Association (PEA) and the Penfield Administrative Council (PAC) through our Teacher Evaluation Review Team (TERT) and Principal Evaluation Review Team (PERT). 

Conway said that these teams are carefully reviewing the major changes in the new law, assessing the strengths of Penfield’s current system, and identifying opportunities to enhance our work by integrating new, growth-focused processes and practices

During District meetings, the review team focused on:

• An in-depth look at the new STEPS law and the NYS Teaching Standards
• Connections to the NYS Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework
• A review of Penfield’s existing APPR plan
• A proposed roadmap for STEPS implementation
• A District needs assessment to guide next steps

This collaborative work underscores Penfield’s shared commitment to building an evaluation and support system that strengthens teaching, encourages reflection, and fosters the professional growth of every educator. 

“The District will continue to share periodic updates with the community as we work together to develop a new evaluation system that benefits all stakeholders,” Conway said.