All school and school district administrators must receive an annual evaluation. Individuals serving in the role of superintendent or its equivalent shall be evaluated by the local board of trustees. Individuals serving in the capacity of a school district superintendent shall be evaluated based on the school district evaluation policy for superintendents. For principal and other school level administrator evaluations, each school district board of trustees will develop and adopt policies for performance evaluation using multiple measures in which criteria and procedures for the evaluation of administratively certificated personnel serving as school principal or other school level administrators are research based and aligned to the standards and requirements outlined in Subsections 121.01 through 121.07 of this rule. For Special Education Directors, standards aligned with the profession's national standards may replace those outlined in Subsection 121.01. The process of developing criteria and procedures for administrator evaluations will allow opportunities for input from those affected by the evaluation; i.e., trustees, administrators, teachers and parents. The evaluation policy will be a matter of public record and communicated to the principal for whom it is written. (3-15-22)
01.
Standards. Each district principal and school level administrator evaluation model shall be aligned to 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 framework for evaluations, the state evaluation framework. Proof of training in evaluating teacher performance shall be required of all individuals assigned the responsibility for observing or evaluating certificated personnel performance. Principal evaluation standards shall additionally address the following domains and components: (3-15-22)
a. Domain 1: School Climate - An educational leader 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. An educational leader articulates and promotes high expectations for teaching and learning while responding to diverse community interest and needs. (3-15-22)
i. School Culture - 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. (3-15-22)
ii. Communication - Principal is proactive in communicating the vision and goals of the school or district, the plans for the future, and the successes and challenges to all stakeholders. (3-15-22)
iii. Advocacy - Principal advocates for education, the district and school, teachers, parents, and students that engenders school support and involvement. (3-15-22)
b. Domain 2: Collaborative Leadership - An educational leader 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, uses appropriate data to establish rigorous, concrete goals in the context of student achievement and instructional programs. The educational leader uses research and/or best practices in improving the education program. (3-15-22)
i. Shared Leadership - Principal fosters shared leadership that takes advantage of individual expertise, strengths, and talents, and cultivates professional growth. (3-15-22)
ii. Priority Management - Principal organizes time and delegates responsibilities to balance administrative/managerial, educational, and community leadership priorities. (3-15-22)
iii. Transparency - Principal seeks input from stakeholders and takes all perspectives into consideration when making decisions. (3-15-22)
iv. Leadership Renewal - Principal strives to continuously improve leadership skills through, professional development, self-reflection, and utilization of input from others. (3-15-22)
v. Accountability - Principal establishes high standards for professional, legal, ethical, and fiscal accountability for self and others. (3-15-22)
c. Domain 3: Instructional Leadership - An educational leader 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 educational leader provides leadership for major initiatives and change efforts and uses research and/or best practices in improving the education program. (3-15-22)
i. Innovation - Principal seeks and implements innovative and effective solutions that comply with general and special education law. (3-15-22)
ii. Instructional Vision - Principal insures that instruction is guided by a shared, research-based instructional vision that articulates what students do to effectively learn. (3-15-22)
iii. High Expectations - Principal sets high expectation for all students academically, behaviorally, and in all aspects of student well-being. (3-15-22)
iv. Continuous Improvement of Instruction - Principal has proof of proficiency in assessing teacher performance based upon the state evaluation framework. Aligns resources, policies, and procedures toward continuous improvement of instructional practice guided by the instructional vision. (3-15-22)
v. Evaluation - Principal uses teacher/principal evaluation and other formative feedback mechanisms to continuously improve teacher/principal effectiveness. (3-15-22)
vi. Recruitment and Retention -Principal recruits and maintains a high quality staff. (3-15-22)
02.
Professional Practice. All principals must receive an evaluation in which a majority of the summative evaluation results are based on Professional Practice. All measures included within the Professional Practice portion of the evaluation must be aligned to the Domains and Components listed in Subsection 121.01.a. through 121.01.c. of this rule. As a measure to inform the Professional Practice portion of each evaluation, district evaluation models shall also include at least one (1) of the following: (3-15-22)
a. Parent/guardian input; (3-15-22)
b. Teacher input; (3-15-22)
c. Student input; and/or (3-15-22)
d. Portfolios. (3-15-22)
03.
Student Achievement. All administrators must receive an evaluation in which part of the summative evaluation results are based in part on 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 (1) or both years data. Growth in student achievement may be considered as an optional measure for all other school based and district based administrators, as determined by the local board of trustees. (3-15-22)
04.
Evaluation Policy - Content. For evaluations conducted on or after July 1, 2014, local school district policies will include, at a minimum, the following information: (3-15-22)
a. Evaluation criteria -- statements of the criteria upon which administrators will be evaluated. (3-15-22)
b. Evaluator -- identification of the individuals responsible for observing or evaluating school level administrator performance. The individuals assigned this responsibility shall have received training in administrator evaluations based on the statewide framework for evaluations. (3-15-22)
c. Communication of results -- the method by which principals are informed of the results of evaluation. (3-15-22)
d. Personnel actions -- the action, available to the school district as a result of the evaluation, and the procedures for implementing these actions; e.g., job status change. (3-15-22)
e. Appeal -- the procedure available to the individual for appeal or rebuttal when disagreement exists regarding the results of an evaluations. (3-15-22)
f. Individualizing principal evaluation rating system -- a plan for how evaluations will be used to identify proficiency and record growth over time. Districts shall have an individualized principal evaluation rating system with a minimum of three ratings used to differentiate performance of principals including: (3-15-22)
i. Unsatisfactory being equal to "1"; (3-15-22)
ii. Basic being equal to "2"; and (3-15-22)
iii. Proficient being equal to "3". (3-15-22)
iv. A fourth evaluation rating of Distinguished, being equal to "4," may be used in addition to the three (3) minimum ratings at the discretion of the school district or charter school. (3-15-22)
g. A plan for including stakeholders including, but not limited to, teachers, board members, administrators, and parents in the development and ongoing review of their principal evaluation plan. (3-15-22)
05.
Evaluation Policy - Frequency of Evaluation. The evaluation policy should include a provision for evaluating all administrators on a fair and consistent basis. All administrators shall be evaluated at least once annually no later than June 1 of each year. (3-15-22)
06.
Evaluation Policy - Personnel Records. Permanent records of each principal evaluation will be maintained in the employee's personnel file. All evaluation records will be kept confidential within the parameters identified in federal and state regulations regarding the right to privacy (Section 33-518, Idaho Code). Local school districts shall report the ratings of individual certificated personnel evaluations to the State Department of Education annually for State and Federal reporting purposes. The State Department of Education shall ensure that the privacy of all certificated personnel is protected by not releasing statistical data of evaluation ratings in local school districts in accordance with the approved policies of the Idaho State Board of Education Data Management Council. (3-15-22)
07.
Evaluation System Approval. Each school district board of trustees will develop and adopt policies for principal performance evaluation in which criteria and procedures for the evaluation are research based and aligned with state standards. By July 1, 2014, an evaluation plan which incorporates all of the above elements shall be submitted to the State Department of Education for approval. Once approved, subsequent changes made in the evaluation system shall be resubmitted for approval. (3-15-22)
