Comprehensive Principal Evaluation !Systems!

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National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality!

Chicago, January 26, 2012!!

Nancy M. Sanders, Ph.D.!Principal Evaluation Project!

CA CC at WestEd!Nsanders.edpolicy@gmail.com!

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Integrated Leadership Development Initiative!

!ILDI is a collaborative of agencies and organizations focused on an expressed need in California – a strong, comprehensive school and district leadership development system. !

ILDI Members!

• California Department of Education !!• County Offices of Education!• Commission on Teacher Credentialing!• Public and Private Universities!• Association of California School Administrators !!• Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning!• REL-West at WestEd!!• California Comprehensive Center at WestEd!!!!!!

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ILDI Mission!

To collaboratively guide and support leader development and improve conditions of leadership through !•  articulation!•  professional development !•  quality review!•  policy assessment and recommendations!•  resource sharing and development !

Current Landscape in California!

•  Variety of expectations for principals !

•  Wide range of principal learning and support needs!

•  Complex set of leadership development issues and perspectives!

•  Large collection of reports and recommendations!

!! !… and a big opportunity to pull together ! ! ! ! ! !information and partners to take action.!

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Need for Leadership Development!

•  The pool of potential leadership is shrinking. The number of 33-44 year olds in the workforce, the “key leader age,” is expected to drop by 15 percent over the next decade. !

 !•  Due to increased retirements and projected

student growth (California), by 2018, some areas will need up to 62% more principals.!

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Need for Principals!

•  10% of the teachers in one urban district who are eligible for principal positions would consider applying (similarly noted in WA, IL, NY studies).!

•  Finding principals for high schools, low-performing schools, and special population sites (e.g., court schools, continuation high schools) is seen as …problematic. !

Basic Assumptions!

•  The California Professional Standards for Education Leaders (CPSEL) define quality leadership. !

•  Descriptions of Practice (DOP) guide observable performance.!

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Basic Assumptions!

•  Aligned, coherent policies and practices  !

»  improve conditions for leadership !

»  enhance recruitment, preparation, development, and retention of effective principals!

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Workforce Development Plan!

Workforce Development Plan describes approaches across a continuum of career stages:!

1.  recruitment (aspiring)!2.  preparation (candidate)!3.  induction (novice)!4.  continuous improvement (developing)!5. ! accomplished practice (expert)!

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The Principal Evaluation Project!

Goal: Improve how we assess principal effectiveness.!

Constituent Questions!

•  Is it research-based?!

•  What are other people doing?!

•  Do you have examples of what to do and how to do it?!

•  How do we know it works?!

•  Can you help me?!

Starting Points!

•  Little available research !

•  Absence of examples and options!

•  Emerging practices in early stages!

•  New reports with thoughtful suggestions!

•  Absence of a structure to share evaluation development and strategies!

Platform and Phases!

Phase I—Survey the Terrain!

Establish a Content Base!

•  Literature Review!

•  Key System Components!

•  Policy Review!

•  Shelf-Ready Instruments !

•  State Examples!

Phase II – Investigate the Options!

Current Principal Evaluation Practices in Districts Reported to be Effective!

•  Interview district and school leaders!

•  Collect examples – policies, documents!

•  Summarize patterns!

•  Develop practical cases and/or working models!

Phase III – Provide Resources and Assistance!

Resource Dissemination and Implementation Assistance!•  Assess and organize collected samples!•  Design additional materials and examples, if needed!•  Develop and promote web-based dissemination

process!•  Organize online peer communities!•  Identify and coordinate regional training and support !

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The Policies and Practices of Principal Evaluation: A Review of the Literature!

§  Original Research Studies!! !(n = 28, 42%)!

§  Professional Literature !! (n = 40, 58%)

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Themes in Research!

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Implementation (n = 15, 53%)

Instrumentation (n = 7, 25%)

Portfolio-based evaluation (n = 3, 11%)

Research Highlights!

•  Most district-developed evaluation systems lack validity and reliability evidence!

•  Mixed alignment between evaluation systems and professional standards!

•  Principal perceptions of political influences!

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Recommendations in Literature!

•  Evaluation should stimulate professional development!

•  Should be aligned with school/student outcomes!

•  Evaluation should account for context!•  Use multiple methods and measures!•  Principals should participate in evaluation

processes!

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Key Features of a Comprehensive Evaluation System!

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About the Features!

Key Features address!

•  Why evaluate?!

•  What to evaluate?!

•  How to evaluate? !

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Sources and Resources for Key Features!

The features and questions are drawn from…!

•  A comprehensive literature review!

•  Promising practices!»  experts and educators!

•  Professional standards!»  leadership, professional learning, educator ! ! !!evaluation, measurement !

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Why Evaluate?!

1.  Clear Purpose - Why does the district evaluate principals?!

2.  Mission Alignment - the evaluation system advances the school and district mission – to improve teaching and learning !

Why Evaluate?!

3.  Professional Growth - promotes and supports the professional learning and development of the principal!

4.  District Policy - the district’s organizational structures, policies, and procedures guide and support the evaluation system!

What to Evaluate?!

5.  Clear Expectations - are communicated clearly, consistently to principals !!

6.  Leadership Research and Standards - frame the evaluation system!

7.  Principal Participation - in setting and prioritizing their goals related to district and school goals!

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How to Evaluate?!

8.  Multiple Forms of Data - evidence is included from a variety of sources and comes from a range of people who work with the principal!

9.  Technically Sound Information - ensures that the processes, data, decisions and outcomes are valid, reliable, and fair!

10.  Ongoing Processes - provide opportunities to gather and review evidence through regular interactions between the evaluator and principal!

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How to Evaluate?!

11.  Adaptable Procedures - are sufficiently flexible and adaptable to adjust to variable contexts, needs and circumstances faced by principals!

12.  Evaluator training - the system requires and provides ongoing training for evaluators and principals!

13.  System Review and Accountability - requires regular review and revision of the evaluation system’s purposes, components, processes and outcomes!

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Next Steps!

•  Descriptions, Questions and Resources for Key Features!

•  District Self-Assessment Continuum or Rubric!

•  Briefings: Multiple Measures for Principal Evaluation!

•  Continue district interviews and cases!•  Add resources to website!

For more information on the Principal Evaluation Project !

Karen Kearney, Director, Leadership Initiative at WestEd &!

Project Manager, Effective Principals. kkearne@wested.org!

!Resources available at!

www.schoolsmovingup.net/effectiveprincipals!

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Using Key Features!

•  Identify a district or state that you know and complete the description on the rating continuum. !

•  What evidence and information did you consider in selecting the rating?!

Feedback on Key Features!

Consider the types of questions and information constituents request.!

How might the Key Features help?!»  Do the Key Features and the rating scale contribute to

understanding these basic concepts in principal evaluation? !

»  Do these resources support learning and district capacity to engage in developing or adopting principal evaluation components, such as the Practical Guide?!

»  What changes are needed?!

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