If you lead a district, teacher evaluation is one of the few things you cannot design purely around your own philosophy. It sits inside a legal framework, and that framework is set at the state level. This is why teacher evaluation requirements by state look so different: what is mandatory in one state is a local choice in the next, and a leader who moves across a state line often has to relearn the rules from scratch.
This guide is deliberately high level. It will not tell you the exact number of standards, the precise rating labels, or the specific statute in any single state, because those details change and getting them slightly wrong helps no one. What it will do is give you an honest map of the recurring patterns across state teacher evaluation systems, so you know what questions to ask, and then point you to the per-state guide where the specifics live. For the authoritative details on any single state, always follow the link to that state's guide.
How to use this guide
Read the patterns below to understand the landscape, then jump straight to your state's guide for the model, measures, ratings, and cadence that actually apply to you. Treat this page as the map, and the state guides as the territory.
Why requirements differ from state to state
In the United States, public education is primarily a state responsibility. Each state runs its own education agency, sets its own teacher licensing rules, and defines its own expectations for how teachers are observed, rated, and supported. There is no single national teacher evaluation system, which means the answer to almost any evaluation question begins with "it depends on your state."
Layered on top of that, states have made different policy choices over time. Some built detailed statewide systems and require every district to use them. Others wrote broad expectations and left the design work to local districts. Waves of reform, revision, and rollback have moved individual states in different directions, so two neighbors can end up with very different requirements. The result is a patchwork, and the only reliable way through it is to read the rules for your specific state rather than assume the one next door is the same.
The rest of this guide describes the patterns that recur across that patchwork, so you can place your own state within them.
Who sets the rules: statewide mandate or local control
The single biggest difference between states is where the authority sits. Broadly, state teacher evaluation systems fall along a spectrum between two ends, and most states land somewhere in between rather than fully at one pole.
Some states adopt a single evaluation model and require districts to use it, often with common observation instruments, defined components, and shared rating rules. This makes expectations consistent across the state and simplifies reporting, but leaves districts less room to tailor.
Other states set broad guidelines, minimum requirements, or an approved list, then let each district choose or design a system that fits. This gives districts flexibility, but puts more responsibility on local leaders to build something rigorous and defensible.
Knowing where your state sits on this spectrum tells you how much is decided for you and how much is yours to design. It is the first thing to confirm in your own state's guide, because everything else, from the framework to the cadence, follows from it.
Common observation frameworks recur
While the systems differ, the underlying observation frameworks are not all unique. A handful of well-known instructional frameworks appear again and again across states, sometimes adopted as-is, sometimes adapted, and sometimes offered as one option on an approved list. Alongside these, many states have built their own state-specific models designed around their local standards and priorities.
Two consequences follow. First, if you know the family your state's framework belongs to, a lot of the structure will feel familiar even after a move. Second, the label on the framework matters less than how your state defines its components, what evidence counts, and how it is scored. Because those details vary and shift over time, this guide does not restate any one framework's structure. Your state's guide names the specific framework it uses and how it is applied.
Most systems combine observation with a growth measure
Across many states, a teacher's evaluation is not based on classroom observation alone. It is common to combine what an evaluator sees during observations with some measure of student learning or growth, and sometimes with additional inputs such as professional goals, student or family feedback, or professional responsibilities. The intent is to look at practice and outcomes together rather than either in isolation.
How much weight each part carries, and exactly which growth measures are allowed, is one of the most-debated and most-revised areas of evaluation policy. States differ widely here, and the mix has shifted over the years. Rather than cite any particular weighting, treat this as a question to answer per state: what does your state count, and how much does each piece matter. A well-designed local process, such as setting student learning objectives and revisiting them across the year, often lives inside this part of the system.
For how growth goals and student learning objectives fit into an evaluation cycle in practice, see evaluations. For the exact measures your state allows, consult your state's guide.
Rating labels and cadence vary
Two more things differ from state to state in ways that catch leaders off guard. The first is the summative rating scale. States use different numbers of performance levels and different names for them, so a rating that means one thing in your state may not translate directly to another. When you compare across states, do not assume the labels line up.
The second is cadence. How often a teacher is formally evaluated, and how many observations feed into it, varies by state and frequently by career stage or prior performance. It is common for newer or lower-rated teachers to be evaluated more often than veteran, high-performing teachers, but the specific cycles, required number of observations, and timelines are set by each state. These are exactly the operational details you need to plan a year of observations, and exactly the details this guide leaves to your state's guide.
Because these logistics drive scheduling, staffing, and workload, they are worth confirming early. Once you know your state's cadence, you can build a realistic observation calendar rather than discovering the requirements mid-year.
Find your state's guide
The specifics live in the per-state guides. Start with yours below, or browse the full index for all 50 states plus D.C.
Popular state guides
Do not see your state? The full states index covers all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Looking for license renewal and professional development rules instead of evaluation? See PD and license renewal requirements by state.
Evaluation is the entry point, not the end
Whatever your state requires, it helps to remember what evaluation is for. Compliance is the floor, not the goal. The reason to observe teachers, rate them fairly, and pair that with a growth measure is to know your people well enough to support them, and to turn what you learn into coaching, professional development, and recognition that actually helps them grow.
That is where the requirements stop being a burden and start being useful. An evaluation that feeds nothing is paperwork. An evaluation that feeds a real support system is the front door to a teacher's whole experience, from the day they are hired to the day they are thriving.
This is the view EX in Education is built around. Configure evaluation to match your state's model, whatever it is, and connect it to coaching, goals, PD, and recognition so the data you gather to stay compliant becomes the fuel for keeping and growing great teachers.
Frequently asked questions
Do all states use the same teacher evaluation system?
No. Teacher evaluation is governed at the state level, so requirements differ from one state to the next. Some states adopt a single statewide model that every district uses, while others set broad guidelines and let districts choose or design their own systems within them. To see how a particular state works, use that state's guide.
What frameworks do states use for teacher evaluation?
A handful of observation frameworks recur across many states, along with numerous state-specific models built for local standards. Different states adopt, adapt, or require different frameworks, and some let districts pick from an approved list. Because the details vary, check your state's guide for the framework it uses.
Is teacher evaluation set by the state or the district?
It is usually both. States set the legal requirements and the guardrails, and in many states districts make choices within those guardrails, such as selecting a model, setting cadence, or defining local measures. The balance between state mandate and local control is itself one of the biggest differences between states.
How often are teachers evaluated?
Evaluation cadence varies by state and often by a teacher's career stage or prior rating. It is common for newer or lower-rated teachers to be evaluated more frequently than experienced, high-performing teachers, but the specific cycles differ. Check your state's guide for its required frequency.