The Uintah County School District board unanimously adopted a new teacher-evaluation and professional-growth framework known as TREE on June 18, following two pilot years and districtwide review.

District leaders said the framework replaces the older JPAS system and is intended to focus evaluations on instruction and student learning rather than a checklist of items. The board approved the framework as part of the business meeting consent calendar with a unanimous vote.

Superintendent Dr. Rick Woodford told the board the district began work on a replacement when Jordan School District announced it would phase out JPAS support. "We had to do something different," Woodford said, describing an internal review, two pilot years in selected schools and a districtwide pilot in 2023-24 that led to refinements.

District Human Resources Director Dr. Leese led the implementation work and told the board the district surveyed 141 educators and convened focus groups. She said responses showed a large majority of teachers consider the framework relevant and feel confident using it, and that instructional coaches are largely viewed as helpful. The district will bring a companion evaluation policy to the board in August that formalizes how the framework is used for required educator plans and observations.

School leaders highlighted that the framework emphasizes frequent, short classroom observations with timely feedback and instructional coaching. The district reported about 1,700 short observations this year under TREE, up from roughly 300 scheduled observations under the old system; district leaders said the increase reflects unscheduled 15- to 20-minute visits plus coaching follow-up. Board members and administrators acknowledged teachers' feedback asking for more in-person feedback conversations and some special-education adjustments; the administration said it will refine training and guidance for observers and consider supplemental guidance for special education settings.

District officials tied TREE to student outcomes: the superintendent noted that the two pilot years align with a period of measurable academic gains across multiple grades and assessments. He said the district will continue to study implementation details and inter-rater consistency and will return to the board with the formal evaluation policy in August.

The board vote to adopt TREE was unanimous. The district will continue coaching supports and training for principals to improve feedback quality and reliability as implementation expands next school year.