The Promise and Pitfalls

of Superintendent Evaluation

© Iowa Association of School Boards

At the Board Table Discussion Tool

Team IASBHarry Heiligenthal

Leadership Services Directoremail hheiligenthal@ia-sb.orgdirect (515) 247-7062

Mary Jane VensBoard Development Directoremail mvens@ia-sb.orgdirect (515) 247-7023

1-800-795-4272 www.ia-sb.org

OverviewThis discussion guide is divided into three parts:1. Reading a scenario in which a board

struggles with superintendent evaluation.

2. Identifying the pitfalls which keep this board from realizing the benefits of superintendent evaluation.

3. Developing some basic principles for superintendent evaluation that will help ensure the board’s effectiveness, as well as that of the superintendent.

Superintendent Evaluation

One of the most important responsibilities of a school board is the fair and formative evaluation of the superintendent. This is a responsibility that holds great promise for school boards. If the board keeps the superintendent’s role as a system leader in mind and is clear on how the superintendent, like the system, can constantly grow and improve… wonderful things can, and do, happen!

1. Scenario

Read the ScenarioLet’s begin by reading through a scenario. Remind your public that this scenario is not your board.This is Dreamfield.As you read through the scenario, be on the lookout for pitfalls the Dreamfield board might be falling into as a board. For example, one pitfall could be “failing to obey the law.”

See handout p. 3-4

2. Identify the Pitfalls

ReflectionPlease identify at least three or four major pitfalls this board might be slipping into. (As suggested, one pitfall might be “Failure to Obey the Law.”) Talk about why these might be pitfalls. What is the board doing that may impede its progress toward effective superintendent evaluation? When you have identified three pitfalls, please click forward for some pitfalls identified by IASB staff.

See handout p. 5

Pitfall One

Failure to Obey the Law

Click here for an explanation.

Explanation1. The board did not secure the

superintendent’s written permission or post the evaluation as a closed session on the tentative agenda at least 24 hours in advance.

2. A board member wants to discuss the performance of principals. The board has told the public they are in closed session to evaluate the superintendent.

Explanation, continued

3. The board needs to use an evaluation instrument which considers the ISSL standards; they cannot just ignore the instrument.  

Pitfall Two

Failure to identify clear goals and indicators of progress well in advance of the evaluation, under which the superintendent will be evaluated.

Click here for an explanation.

Explanation

The board must have clarity about what the superintendent’s “job” is. The superintendent and board must agree upon clear goals for the superintendent and allow time for progress toward those goals. The board must be clear about the superintendent’s priority work, which will be important in making progress toward the district’s mission, vision and goals.

Explanation, continued

If the board does its work well, identifies clearly what it will take to move toward the district ‘s vision and understands goal work, the superintendent will have much better clarity on his priority work, as well.

Pitfall Three

Assuming that the evaluation is mainly just about extending or terminating the contract.

Click here for an explanation.

ExplanationThe board has an ethical responsibility to provide formal feedback through the formative evaluation process that helps the superintendent identify what he/she has been doing well, and he/she might need improvement or growth. This allows the board to determine ways in which they can provide resources/support for that improvement/growth to happen.

Pitfall Four

Delegating evaluation to a single board member.

Click here for an explanation.

ExplanationSuperintendent evaluation is the responsibility of the board as a whole. It is important for the superintendent and the whole board to engage in positive discussion during the evaluation process. It will take skillful processing, but this can help the board come to clear, common points of agreement and avoid the superintendent’s feeling she/he is trying to “individually satisfy” five or seven directors.

3. Developing Basic Principles

What Can We Do Well?

Having discussed the pitfalls, let’s concentrate on what we can do well as a board to engage in effective superintendent evaluation.

See handout p. 2

Please ask yourselves:1. What should we resolve to do

when evaluating our superintendent?

2. What kind of thought and preparation will this require? For example, a principle might be: “The board will review and abide by the law in relation to superintendent evaluation.”

See handout p. 2

Next steps1. See if you can think of some

important principles.

2. When you have determined three or four, click through the next few slides for some sample principles identified by IASB staff.

See handout p. 2

Review and Abide by the LawThe board will review and abide by the law in relation to superintendent evaluation.

The board will consider this review of the law as part of its annual preparation for superintendent evaluation.

See handout p. 2

Resources

Sample evaluation: http://tinyurl.com/aufkwx8

Iowa Code 279.14 on Superintendent Evaluation: http://tinyurl.com/bhtu2yp

See handout p. 2

Get Clear on SuperintendentGoalsThe board will get clear on superintendent goals and on what can be seen as progress toward those goals.

This “getting clear” will happen through discussion prior to the evaluation. It is important to validate that the board is united around what it will be evaluating.

See handout p. 2

Get Clear on ISSL StandardsThe board will spend time throughout the year considering the ISSL standards and what they mean. The board will review the standards and consider what it expects in terms of the superintendent’s work. This will not be an evaluation, but rather a learning dialogue. The law requires the use of these standards.

See handout p. 2

Get Clear on ISSL Standards,continuedThe standards must be understood by the board, taking time to consider what they mean and the behaviors or practices to support each.

See handout p. 2

Make the Evaluation Process Ongoing

A board that devotes meeting agenda time during the year to hear progress reports on goals and discuss the information with the superintendent is a board that models continuous improvement.

See handout p. 2

Make the Evaluation Process Ongoing, continuedThis practice:• Provides the opportunity for

the superintendent to make adjustments/corrections during the year.

• Decreases the chances of the superintendent’s summary evaluation containing “surprises.”

See handout p. 2

Focus the evaluationWe will focus our evaluation on identifying ways to support growth and improvement.

This is what our evaluation process is all about. It is about identifying - with the superintendent -ways that improvement can be made and what supports and resources will sustain that improvement.

See handout p. 2

Recognize Professional KnowledgeThe board will recognize and use the superintendent’s professional knowledge to enrich the evaluation dialogue.

Working together, the board and superintendent team can figure out how the superintendent’s leadership can be best directed in your school district.

See handout p. 2

Recognize Professional Knowledge, continuedAsk the superintendent good, focused questions. Go back to the district goals. How can the superintendent best lead to reach those goals? Where does the superintendent believe his/her focus should be? What do the ISSL standards mean for this superintendent in this particular situation?

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Conclusion

Obviously, the Dreamfield board could profit from discussing some of these principles, but any board, no matter how well it is currently evaluating the superintendent, could profit from this type of dialogue.

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Conclusion

A good process can always be improved. Proper planning can prevent a great deal of “grief” for school boards. More importantly, it can turn a requirement into a catalyst for school improvement.

See handout p. 2

Conclusion, continued

See the Superintendent Evaluation section of the IASB website for additional resources and information on superintendent evaluation.

See handout p. 2

Resources

Vision & Voice forPublic Education