Introduction to the
Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF)

Introduction to the Nevada Educator Performance Framework

In 2011, legislation passed that required the development of a statewide performance evaluation system for teachers and school administrators. The Teachers and Leaders Council (TLC) was created to develop the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF). The first task of the Council was to establish guiding beliefs and goals for this evaluation system, now known as the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (outlined below). The NEPF was not fully implemented until 2015, and it has undergone a series of changes every year primarily as a result of legislation. 

TLC Beliefs

To promote educator effectiveness and ensure all students attain essential skills to graduate high school ready for college and career success:

• All educators* (see definition in the Glossary) can improve through effective, targeted professional development, as identified through the evaluation process and connected to district improvement plans and goals designed to inform and transform practice;

• An effective evaluation system must include clear expectations for both professional practice and student growth as well as fair, meaningful, and timely feedback;

• A consistent and supportive teacher and administrator evaluation system includes opportunities for self-reflection and continuous, measurable feedback to improve the performance of students, teachers, administrators, and the system; and

• The evaluation system must be part of a larger professional growth system that consistently evolves and improves to support the teachers and administrators that it serves.

Evaluation System Goals

The Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) Goals:

Goal 1:    Foster student learning and growth

Goal 2:    Improve educators’ effective instructional practices

Goal 3:    Inform human capital decisions based on a professional growth system

Goal 4:    Engage stakeholders in the continuous improvement and monitoring of a professional growth system

The system based on these guiding beliefs and goals, the foundation on which the NEPF was created, should ensure that educators: 

• Positively impact the achievement of students in Nevada;

• Grow professionally through targeted, sustained professional development and other supports;

• Monitor student growth, identify and develop quality instructional practices, and share effective educational methods with colleagues;

• Reflect upon practice and take ownership of their professional growth; and

• Participate in constructive dialogue and obtain specific, supportive feedback from evaluators.

Overview of the Nevada Educator Performance Framework

The NEPF for Teachers assesses teacher performance across the two overarching categories of Educational Practice and Student Performance. The two domains that comprise Educational Practice are Instructional Practice and Professional Responsibilities. Each domain is weighted differently as recommended by the TLC and approved by the State Board of Education (see the current year's Protocols for the current year's domain weights). The teacher domains were determined as a result of a rigorous national review of existing standards, including but not limited to the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC), the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), and examples from other states. The performance Indicators for each Standard and the corresponding rubrics were developed by Dr. Margaret Heritage and her team at the University of California, Los Angeles National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST).  The Standards demonstrate how to cultivate student success by building students’ 21st-century skills so they graduate college and career-ready. The rubrics and associated performance levels to assess the Indicators were designed to look at teacher and student behavior, focusing on outcomes versus processes. 

This course focuses specifically on the Instructional Practice Domain.

Please see the Nevada Department of Education’s Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) webpage for current tools, protocols, and resources.