The pieces have fallen into place, allowing Maine to enter the much talked-about Race to the Top competition. Maine will have a shot at up to $75 million in federal money aimed at bankrolling education reforms. As I've noted before, it appears as if the list of the Pine Tree State's competitors is shrinking, improving the odds of an award.

The teacher evaluation panel charged with pre-approving evaluation models that incorporate student data this afternoon signed off on two pre-existing models, amending them to allow schools to add in student achievement data as a component.

The panel met its May 14 deadline, but by statute, the body still exists until July 1, 2011. The group is planning its next meeting for August, when it might refine the decisions made today or approve even more models that incorporate student achievement data.

As the group transitions to its next phase, there's some question about its purpose that was on display at today's meeting. Here's a sampling:

• The "looking out for you" role: Mark Gray, the executive director of the Maine Education Association, suggested that the evaluation panel's duty was to leave as little as possible up to the local school districts when it comes to the nuts and bolts of evaluating staff based on student performance. The panel's work would be a service to the local districts that, for example, don't have the resources to determine whether they're running into legal trouble. "Our intent was never to cut this loose and say to local school districts, 'Go ahead, you're on your own,'" Gray said. "School districts can be sued. We were going to prevent all of that by putting some safeguards around that to prevent school districts from getting into trouble."

• The quality assurance role: Linda Bleile, the Wiscasset Middle School principal and Maine Principals' Association president, suggested the group might act as a body that brings some uniformity to the way teachers and principals in Maine are evaluated, at least in those districts that incorporate student data into evaluations. "I think you have to have some commonality around what student achievement data is," she said.

• The boosting outcomes role: Carrie Thurston, the special education director in Unity-based RSU 3, wants to see results from the evaluation panel's work. That means identifying factors of an evaluation model that lead to improved student outcomes. The models in use throughout much of Maine, she noted, are "input" models. They identify factors that go into good teaching, and not necessarily factors that lead to improved student outcomes. "Just by layering on student achievement, is that going to wind up correlating to better outcomes for kids?" she asked.

• The statutorily defined role: By statute, the group is simply charged with vetting evaluation models with student achievement components that are acceptable for use by school districts in Maine. The group today, I suppose, did the bare minimum. Throughout the next year, we'll see how the group's role evolves.

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A note to readers: I'll be out of town the next few days and don't expect to be updating The Report Card. Look for the blog to resume on Tuesday, the 18th, or shortly thereafter.

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