In 2012, Maine joined the majority of states in the effort to upgrade professional quality through better performance evaluation of teachers and principals. The Legislature, in passing LD 1858, required all districts to develop Professional Evaluation and Professional Growth (PEPG) systems, part of the federal government’s Race to the Top. All districts were to create their own systems and pilot them in 2015-16. This year, some districts are implementing these systems while others are taking a second year of pilot-testing. read more Maine Schools in Focus: Improving Educator Effectiveness—Useful Feedback Key to Maine’s PEPG Initiative