School Quality Evaluation and Professional Learning

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NYC School Quality Rubric

The NYC School Quality Rubric is a research-based tool designed to support school improvement efforts in New York City Public Schools. The Rubric was originally released in 2009 as the Quality Review Rubric and has been enhanced based on current research and stakeholder input to align with the expectations of the New York State Next Generation Learning Standards and the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CRSE) Framework and reflects NYC Public Schools’ commitment to improving learning results for all students by creating well developed, culturally responsive-sustaining, equitable systems of support for achieving dramatic gains in student outcomes. The Rubric drives school improvement by helping schools and districts develop a common language, reflect on and assess shared practices, and plan for the future.

The Rubric is comprised of 10 Quality Indicators and 30 sub-indicators. The 10 Quality Indicators fall within three categories: the Instructional Core (1.1 Curriculum, 1.2 Pedagogy, 2.2 Assessment), School Culture (1.4 Positive Learning Environment, 3.4 High Expectations), and Systems for Improvement (1.3 Leveraging Resources, 3.1 Goals and Action Plans, 4.1 Teacher Support and Supervision, 4.2 Teacher Teams and Leadership Development, 5.1 Monitoring and Revising Systems).

For an overview of the recent enhancements to the NYC School Quality Rubric, watch this 15-minute video which is accompanied by a notecatcher to capture your thoughts and wonderings. This video was originally created for professional learning sessions for school teams, but it can be utilized as a standalone resource to better understand the NYC School Quality Rubric.

NYC School Quality Rubric Resources

  • NYC School Quality Rubric The 2024-2025 NYC School Quality Rubric has been enhanced with input from a variety of stakeholders to surface culturally responsive and sustaining educational practices and their impact on teaching and learning.
  • NYC School Quality Rubric Big Ideas This document captures the essential components for each indicator and sub-indicator of the 2024-2025 NYC School Quality Rubric.
  • School Quality Expectations This document outlines a set of expectations for Well Developed practices found within the 10 indicators from the 2024-2025 NYC School Quality Rubric.
  • NYC School Quality Rubric Video This video unpacks the NYC School Quality Rubric conceptual framework, reviews Practice and Impact, and explores the enhancements made to Rubric language.
  • NYC School Quality Rubric Video Notecatcher This document is a supporting resource for the NYC School Quality Rubric Video.

Quality Reviews

Since 2005, NYCPS has conducted Quality Reviews of schools as part of multiple measures of school quality. The Quality Review (QR) is a process rooted in the NYC School Quality Rubric to evaluate how well schools are organized to support student learning and teacher practice. The Quality Review process was developed to assist NYC Public Schools in raising student achievement by looking behind a school’s performance statistics to ensure that the school is engaged in effective methods of accelerating student learning.

For the 2024-2025school year, school leaders have the opportunity to participate in an optional 2024-2025 Quality Review experience. School leaders who are interested in participating in this QR opportunity should complete this form by April 1. Reviews will be conducted between November 4 and May 30. School leaders can identify a preferred timeframe and dates to avoid in the form. Earlier submission provides more flexibility when scheduling.  

 The 2024 –2025 QR is modified to focus on the Instructional Core Quality Indicators: Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment and is a one-day review. Experienced educators conduct a one-day school visit observing classrooms and speaking with school leaders, teachers, and students, to inform feedback and ratings across all nine sub-indicators of the Instructional Core in the NYC School Quality Rubric. The school visit culminates with school-specific feedback and ratings that reflects a rubric-based assessment of experiences and evidence gathered during the review for the school community to use as a tool to support school improvement. Feedback and ratings are not published nor connected to the PPO process and/or MOLP evaluations, which assess principal practice. Schools that have made progress can opt to have their 24-25 ratings replace current Quality Review ratings and have their report published.

General Review Resources 

Review Resources for Schools 

  • 2024-2025 Quality Review Guide for School Leaders The guide for school leaders serves as an overview of the Quality Review process focusing on the Instructional Core and outlines the stages of the process in detail: pre-review work, school visit, the Quality Review Report, Culminating Conference, and post-review work.
  • Self-Evaluation Form An editable Word version of the 2024-2025 Self-Evaluation Form that school leaders submit prior to the school visit. This document serves to capture the school leader’s and school community’s evaluation of school practices and the impact of those practices. It is an entry point to understanding key practices, decisions, goals, and impact that are not captured elsewhere.
  • Report Template This template is used for the Quality Review Report.
  • Appeal Request Form An editable Word version of the revised 2024-2025 Quality Review Appeal Request Form. If a school leader decides to appeal any sub-indicator rating, they must submit a completed appeal form within 10 school days after the school visit.

Review Resources for Reviewers

  • Record Book The 2024-2025 Record Book is an evidence-gathering tool for reviewers that includes guiding questions for each sub-indicator of the NYC School Quality Rubric.  

  • Classroom Visitation Tool This tool is used by reviewers to document findings and evidence during classroom visits. 

 

 

 

 

 

Professional Learning

NYC School Quality Rubric Professional Learning Opportunities: School leaders and staff are being offered opportunities to engage in professional learning sessions designed to deepen their understanding of the NYC School Quality Rubric. The sessions center on collaboratively unpacking the Rubric enhancements, with a spotlight on the integration of the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework, making connections between Rubric indicators, and identifying trends, patterns, and high-leverage shifts to support school improvement. Indicator-focused sessions will be held from 9:30–11:30 a.m. on:

  • 1.1 Curriculum – October 17, 2024 and January 9, 2025 
  • 1.2 Pedagogy – October 23, 2024 and January 16, 2025 
  • 2.2 Assessment – October 29, 2024 and January 23, 2025.

The deadline to register is October 7. Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) credit is available.  

 

The Reflection and Action Planning Module is a self-guided, four-part learning activity that provides school leaders and their teams the opportunity to explore the NYC School Quality Rubric, and the enhancements that align with the expectations of the New York State Next Generation Learning Standards and the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CRSE) Framework at their school sites. For more information see Professional Learning Resources below. 

This module was designed to deepen understanding of the indicators and how school communities can leverage the Rubric to make adjustments that increase the coherence of policies and practices across the school that support the school’s Instructional Focus. The module provides a cycle of learning and facilitation guides that aim to support schools in leveraging the Rubric to examine how well their school is organized to improve learning results for all students. Taken together, these four activities comprise an inquiry cycle (see NYC School Quality Rubric Indicator 4.2). As a culminating activity, school communities engaged in rubric-aligned action planning to support the school’s Instructional Focus.

Professional Learning Resources

NYC School Quality Rubric Professional Learning

Reflection and Action Planning Module

Reflection and Action Planning Activity Guides

Reflection and Action Planning Graphic Organizers and Resource