0.5 Goduto, l., babo, g., & Leake, d. (october 2011). a proposed  (Page 2/6)

The following proposal relies on comprehensive feedback and recognizes as leaders move through various stages in their career, the distinctiveness of the evaluation process should be modified to acknowledge where one falls in his/her professional trajectory (Brown-Sims, 2010). For example, while all leaders, novice, mid, and senior career , should demonstrate appropriate impact on student performance, a novice leader would be limited in generating longitudinal evidence when compared with his/her senior counterpart. As a result, a performance based school leader evaluation should consist of the following components:

• Self Assessment aligned with NJ Standards for School Leaders
• Structured Interview and Document Review
• Review of School Performance Data
• E-Portfolio consisting of Artifacts and Supportive Documentation
• Feedback from Shadow Observation

Proposed evaluation categories

Self assessment

The New Jersey Standards for School Leaders can be transformed into performance criteria and ultimately used as a guide in constructing a self-assessment instrument. In the context of the proposed evaluation framework, school leaders would assess their own work and their thought processes while completing their work. The goal of the self-assessment is to enhance self-awareness through the lenses of the NJ Standards for School Leaders. If behavior, as Tusin (1999) believes, is a function of self-concept, the more leaders know about themselves, the more apt we are to better understand one’s professional performance. The concept of self is indeed crucial to a basic understanding of how one functions as a leader. Gecas (1985) believe that identity “gives structure and content to the self-concept, and anchors the self to social systems” (p.739). On the basis of such self-awareness (and hopefully understanding), leaders will make more conscious choices that are aligned with the dispositions as articulated in the NJ Standards for School Leaders. When used in this manner, the self-assessment becomes both an assessment and a learning tool. A self-assessment can broadly address two basic categories : trait approach and results approach .

The trait approach would require the leader to complete a self-assessment measuring personal characteristics of leadership. Ideally, the questionnaire should be completed by the leader and 5-10 other co-workers who are familiar with the leader. The results of the self assessment is ultimately compared, analyzed and discussed with reference to the perceptions of the co-workers.

The results approach requires the leader to compare his/her performance to goals and objectives that were developed by the district. Using a narrative format, the leader can discuss to what extent he/she feels the goals and objectives were reached. Artifacts and other documentation should be required to supplement comments regarding goals and objectives.

Structured interview/document review

Principal Evaluation is most effective when it is a reciprocal process; one that seeks to engage those who evaluate and those being evaluated in a process in where both are active participants (Reeves, 2009). The structured interview and document review aspect of principal evaluation is therefore designed to be a vital feature of an interactive review process. It will require that an evaluation panel be established prior to the start of the evaluation process. The panel composition will be determined by local constituents, but should include members at the district and school level with expertise leadership practice. The process is set in motion with the evaluation panel and the principal to be evaluated engaging in a dialogue of how the evaluation process is to be conducted, making the criteria explicit to all participants (Green, 2004a). It will include discussion on the specifics of the evaluation process and a review of the principal’s standards based self-assessment. All pertinent documents, procedures and evaluation instruments used in the process will be reviewed along with each phase of the evaluation process, giving the principal an opportunity to clarify and fully comprehend the expectations of his/her performance as a building leader. The evaluation process and instruments will provide the needed framework for expectations of principal performance (Catano&Stronge, 2007). The evaluation panel will review the self assessment document prepared by the principal and respond to the strengths and weaknesses perceived by the assessed candidate and address the areas of development in the evaluation plan of goals for improvement. The evaluation panel and principal will discuss the multiple data sources and data collection procedures that will be used to generate a holistic view of professional practice and performance. This aspect requires that standards guide the professional practice which is essential for a mutual understanding of expectations (Stufflebeam&Nevo, 1993). Next, mutually agreed upon goals are to be established which considers the candidate’s level experience, the context of the school community, and the identified needs of the candidate and the school district. The principal and evaluation panel will agree on the evidence necessary to complete the evaluation process and measure the principal’s level of performance as well as discuss the system that will be used to gather, organize, and present this evidence. This phase of the evaluation process will commence at the start of the school year. The evaluation panel will reconvene at the end of the school year to review all data sources collected and formally assess the candidate’s performance with the candidate’s active participation.