How often do teachers get evaluated in Illinois?

Non-tenured teachers receive a full summative evaluation every year, including two formal observations and one informal observation. Tenured teachers rated Proficient or Excellent must be formally evaluated at least once every three years.

How are Illinois teachers rated?

PERA evaluations rate teachers as Excellent, Proficient, Needs Improvement, or Unsatisfactory.

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AI-Powered Observations for Illinois Principals

Illinois evaluates teachers using Danielson FFT (2013) and Danielson FFT (2022).

Generate Danielson-aligned feedback from your observation notes in seconds - built for Illinois principals meeting PERA evaluation requirements.

Education in Illinois

Education Landscape

Illinois is one of the largest state education systems in the country, with approximately 852 school districts, over 135,000 teachers, and roughly 1.85 million students. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) oversees educator evaluation policy under the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA), which requires every district to implement a research-based observation framework and a four-tier rating system of Excellent, Proficient, Needs Improvement, and Unsatisfactory.

Observation Requirements

Under PERA, non-tenured (probationary) teachers must receive a full summative evaluation every year, including two formal observations and one informal observation. Formal observations must last a minimum of 45 minutes or span a complete lesson. Tenured teachers rated Proficient or Excellent must be formally evaluated at least once every three years, with an informal observation at least every two years. Teachers rated Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory must be evaluated in the following year.

State policy facts verified 2026-06-01 against the official source. View the official policy

Framework Spotlight

Supported Frameworks in Illinois

Danielson Framework for Teaching (2013)

Developed by Charlotte Danielson, the Framework for Teaching is one of the most widely used teacher observation frameworks in the United States. It defines effective teaching through four domains and ...

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Danielson Framework for Teaching (2022)

The 2022 revision of the Danielson Framework for Teaching updates the classic four-domain structure with a stronger emphasis on equity, student agency, and culturally responsive practice. It retains t...

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Illinois's Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) requires every district to adopt a research-based instructional framework for teacher evaluation, and the Danielson Framework for Teaching is the most widely used across the state. Observation Copilot is an Official Partner of the Danielson Group, so your feedback maps directly to FFT domains, components, and performance levels - ready for your post-observation conference.

Why Observation Copilot

Built for Illinois School Leaders

Danielson FFT Aligned for PERA

Observation Copilot automatically organizes your notes by Danielson domains - Planning and Preparation, Classroom Environment, Instruction, and Professional Responsibilities - so your write-ups align with your district's PERA-approved framework.

Same-Day Feedback for Teachers

Illinois principals using Copilot deliver post-observation feedback within hours instead of weeks, keeping conferences timely and evidence-rich.

Built for Illinois Evaluation Cycles

Whether you're conducting three observations for a non-tenured teacher or a triennial evaluation for a tenured educator, Copilot adapts to your PERA observation schedule.

How Observation Copilot Helps