The Principal
The principal provides the school with leadership in academic and student issues. He or she shall be under the direct supervision of the Executive Director. The majority of the principal’s time shall be spent on curriculum and staff development through formal and informal activities establishing clear lines of communication regarding the school rules, accomplishments, practices, and policies with parents, students, and teachers. The principal is responsible for management of their staff, maintenance of the facility and equipment, administration of the educational program, control of the students attending the school, management of the school’s budget, and communication between the school and the community.
Evaluation of the Principal
The principal shall receive at least one written evaluation to be completed no later than June 1st for each annual contract year of employment. The principal evaluation shall use multiple measures that are research based and aligned to the State minimum standards based on the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards and include proof of proficiency in conducting teacher evaluations using the State’s adopted model, the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching Second Edition.
The process of developing criteria and procedures for principal evaluations will allow opportunities for input from stakeholders, including the Board, administrators, teachers, and parents/guardians.
Evaluation Objectives
The Charter School’s Principal Evaluation Program is designed to:
1. Maintain or improve the principal's job satisfaction and morale by letting him or her know that the Executive Director is interested in his or her job progress and personal development;
2. Serve as a systematic guide for planning the principal's further training and professional development;
3. Assure considered opinion of the principal's performance and focus maximum attention on achievement of assigned duties;
4. Assist in determining and recording special talents, skills, and capabilities that might otherwise not be noticed or recognized;
5. Assist in planning personnel moves and placements that will best utilize the principal's capabilities;
6. Provide an opportunity for the principal to discuss job problems and interests with the Executive Director; and
7. Assemble substantiating data for use as a guide, although not necessarily the sole governing factor, for such purposes as wage adjustments, promotions, disciplinary action, and termination.
Responsibility
The Executive Director shall have the responsibility for administrating and monitoring the Charter School’s Principal Evaluation Program and will ensure the fairness and efficiency of its execution, including:
1. Creating and implementing a plan for ongoing training and professional development and the funding thereof for the principal in the Charter School’s Performance Evaluation Program, including evaluation standards, forms, procedures, and processes and a plan for collecting and using data gathered from evaluation;
2. Creating a plan for ongoing review of the Charter School’s Principal Evaluation Program that includes stakeholder input from teachers, Board Members, administrators, parents/guardians, and other interested parties;
3. Creating a procedure for remediation for the principal if he or she receives an evaluation indicating that remediation would be an appropriate course of action;
4. Creating an individualized evaluation rating system for how principal evaluations will be used to identify proficiency and record growth over time with a minimum of four rankings used to differentiate performance of principals including:
A. Unsatisfactory being equal to a rating of 1;
B. Basic being equal to a rating of 2;
C. Proficient being equal to a rating of 3; and
D. Distinguished being equal to a rating of 4.
5. Completing Principal Evaluation annually, ensuring proper safeguards, and filing the completed evaluation.
The individuals assigned this responsibility shall have received training in administrator evaluations based on the statewide framework for evaluations.
Written Evaluation
A written summative evaluation will be completed for the principal by the Executive Director no later than June 1st for each annual contract year of employment. A copy will be given to the principal. The original will be retained by the Executive Director. The evaluation shall be reviewed annually and revised as necessary to indicate any significant changes in duties or responsibilities. The evaluation is designed to increase planning and relate performance to assigned responsibilities through joint understanding between the Executive Director and the principal as to the job description and major performance objectives.
The evaluation will identify the sources of data used in conducting the evaluation. Proficiency in conducting observations and evaluating effective teacher performance shall be included as one source of data.
Evaluation Measures and Criteria
Professional Practice: The principal must receive an evaluation in which a majority of the summative evaluation results are based on Professional Practice. All measures within the Professional Practice portion of the evaluation must be aligned, at a minimum, to the following Domains and Components based upon the Idaho Standards for Effective Principals.
Domain 1:
School Climate: The principal promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional development. The principal articulates and promotes high expectations for teaching and learning while responding to diverse community interests and needs.
1. School Culture: The principal establishes a safe, collaborative, and supportive culture ensuring all students are successfully prepared to meet the requirements for tomorrow’s careers and life endeavors;
2. Communication: The principal is proactive in communicating the vision and goals of the Charter School, the plans for the future, and the successes and challenges to all stakeholders; and
3. Advocacy: The principal advocates for education, the Charter School, teachers, parents, and students and engenders school support and involvement.
Domain 2:
Collaborative Leadership: The principal promotes the success of all students by ensuring management of the organization, operations, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment. In collaboration with others, he or she uses appropriate data to establish rigorous, concrete goals in the context of student achievement and instructional programs. The principal uses research and/or best practices in student achievement, instructional programs, and improving the education program.
1. Shared Leadership: The principal fosters shared leadership that takes advantage of individual expertise, strengths, and talents, and cultivates professional growth;
2. Priority Management: The principal organizes time and delegates responsibilities to balance administrative/managerial, educational, and community leadership priorities;
3. Transparency: The principal seeks input from stakeholders and takes all perspectives into consideration when making decisions;
4. Leadership Renewal: The principal strives to continuously improve leadership skills through professional development, self-reflection, and utilization of input from others; and
5. Accountability: The principal establishes high standards for professional, legal, ethical, and fiscal accountability for self and others.
Domain 3:
Instructional Leadership: The principal promotes the success of all students by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community. The principal provides leadership for major initiatives and change efforts and uses research and/or best practices in improving the education program.
1. Innovation: The principal seeks and implements innovative and effective solutions that comply with general and special education law;
2. Instructional Vision: The principal ensures that instruction is guided by a shared, research-based instructional vision that articulates what students do to effectively learn;
3. High Expectations: The principal sets high expectation for all students academically, behaviorally, and in all aspects of student well-being;
4. Continuous Improvement of Instruction: The principal has proof of proficiency in assessing teacher performance based upon the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching Second Edition and aligns resources, policies, and procedures toward continuous improvement of instructional practice guided by the instructional vision;
5. Evaluation: The principal uses teacher/principal evaluation and other formative feedback mechanisms to continuously improve teacher/principal effectiveness; and
6. Recruitment and Retention: The principal recruits and maintains a high quality staff.
The evaluation will also include at least one of the following as a measure to inform the Professional Practice portion:
1. Input received from parents or guardians;
2. Input received from students;
3. Input received from teachers; and/or
4. Portfolios.
The Charter School has chosen all of the above as its measures to inform the Professional Practice portion. The Board shall determine the manner and weight of parental input, student input, teacher input, and/or portfolios on the evaluation.
Student Achievement: Part of the evaluation must be based on multiple objective measures of growth in measurable student achievement as defined in Section 33-1001, Idaho Code. This portion of the evaluation may be calculated using current and/or the immediate past year’s data and may use one or both years of data. Growth in student achievement may be considered as an optional measure for all other school-based and Charter School-based administrators, as determined by the Board.
Proof of Proficiency in Teacher Evaluations
Proof of proficiency in evaluating teacher performance shall be required of all individuals assigned the responsibility for appraising, observing, or evaluating certificated personnel performance. The individuals assigned this responsibility shall have received training in administrator evaluations based on the statewide framework for evaluations.
Communicating Evaluation Results
Each evaluation shall include a meeting between the Executive Director and principal wherein the Executive Director will:
1. Discuss the evaluation with the principal, emphasizing strong and weak points in job performance. Commend the principal for a job well done if applicable and discuss specific corrective action if warranted. Recommendations should specifically state methods to correct weaknesses. Set mutual goals for the principal to reach before the next performance evaluation.
2. Allow the principal to make any written comments he or she desires. Inform the principal that he or she may turn in a written rebuttal/appeal of any portion of the evaluation within seven days and outline the process for rebuttal/appeal. Have the principal sign the evaluation indicating that he or she has been given a copy.
Rebuttal/Appeal
Within seven days from the date of the evaluation meeting with the Executive Director the principal may file a written rebuttal/appeal of any portion of the evaluation. The written rebuttal/appeal shall state the specific content of the evaluation with which the principal disagrees, a statement of the reason(s) for disagreement, and the amendment to the evaluation requested.
If a written rebuttal/appeal is received by the Executive Director within seven days, the Executive Director shall provide the principal with a written response within ten working days either amending the evaluation as requested by the principal or stating the reason(s) why the Executive Director will not be amending the evaluation as requested.
If the Executive Director chooses to amend the evaluation as requested by the principal then the amended copy of the evaluation will be provided to, and signed by, the principal and retained in the principal’s personnel file.
If the Executive Director chooses not to amend the evaluation as requested by the principal then the evaluation along with the written rebuttal/appeal, and the Executive Director’s response, if any, will be retained in the principal’s personnel file.
Action
Each evaluation will include identification of the actions, if any, available to the Charter School as a result of the evaluation as well as the procedure(s) for implementing each action. Available actions include, but are not limited to, recommendations for renewal of employment, non-renewal of employment, probation, and others as determined. Should any action be taken as a result of an evaluation to not renew the principal’s contract the Charter School will comply with the requirements and procedures established by State law.
Records
Permanent records of each principal evaluation will be maintained in the principal’s personnel file. All evaluation records, including rebuttal/appeal documentation, will be kept confidential within the parameters identified in State and federal law regarding the right to privacy.
Reporting
Any subsequent changes to the Charter School’s evaluation plan shall be resubmitted to the State Department of Education for approval. The Charter School shall report the rankings of individual principal evaluations annually to the State Department of Education.
Legal Reference:
I.D.A.P.A. 08.02.04.300 Public Charter School Responsibilities
Policy History
Adopted on: May 17, 2021
Revised on:
Reviewed on: