The Milton Area School District volunteered to participate in a pilot project with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to develop statewide policy, tools and processes to evaluate teachers and principals in which student achievement is a significant factor affecting performance ratings. Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis announced that 104 K-12 entities, including nine career and technical centers, nine charter schools and nine intermediate units, signed-up to participate in the new teacher and principal evaluation pilot program. The initiative was funded by a Gates Momentum grant. During the 2011-12 school year, more than 120 school districts, charter schools, intermediate units, and career and technology centers participated in the second implementation phase of the new teacher evaluation tool. This included more than 650 supervisors and nearly 5,000 teachers in 366 school buildings participating in the pilot project.