Southbridge School Committee Receives Required Training on Superintendent Evaluation Process

School Committee · Meeting of July 14, 2026

Southbridge School Committee holds training session on state-mandated superintendent evaluation. The six-member quorum, chaired by Stephanie Rivers, received a full presentation Tuesday from Tracy, a representative of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, covering the legally required five-step superintendent evaluation cycle established under the Act Relative to the Achievement Gap in 2011. The training covered goal-setting requirements — including mandatory district improvement, professional practice, and student learning goals — selection of indicators from the state rubric's four standards, mid-cycle formative review procedures, and the process for producing a composite evaluation document that represents the school committee as a single evaluating body.

Tracy noted that Southbridge's existing agreement with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, including its exit assurances, provides a ready framework for the committee's early superintendent goals. No votes were taken; Frank Kabinsky was the only member absent.

In the full story:

• Training Context and Why It Was Called
• The Legal Framework: What the 2011 Achievement Gap Act Changed
• The Five-Step Cycle
• The Composite Document — the Hardest Part
• Southbridge's Specific Situation — The Department Agreement
• Member Questions
• The complete report — 1,611 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of July 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.