Principal Standards and Appraisal
The Commissioner of Education has been charged with the task of revising the system for appraising and providing professional development to principals and for aligning that system with the standards for certifying and preparing new principals. The Texas Education Agency has initiated a multi-year project to systematically review, revise, and align all state policies and guidelines affecting the principalship in Texas, from initial training through continuous improvement.
Texas Policies for High-Quality Principals
Our vision…
Where are we going?
All principals in the state of Texas will be highly effective leaders resulting in high levels of learning and achievement for all students.
Our mission…
How will we get there?
We will review and revise all of the state-level policies and procedures that affect standards for preparing, certifying, and assessing new principals and for appraising and providing on-going professional development for current principals. We want all of the policies and procedures:
to be aligned and internally consistent
to reflect best practices in the field of principal preparation, appraisal, and support
to ensure that they result in highly effective school principals
We value…
• Collaboration
We will seek guidance and input from all stakeholders through all aspects of the process.
• Transparency
We will publicize our work at every stage of development through a wide variety of methods to ensure that all stakeholders are fully informed.
• Planning with the end in mind
We will conduct all of our work and make all of our decisions within the context of our end goal: high levels of learning and achievement for all students in Texas.
• Learning from research and the experiences of others
We will base our work on national research and the experiences of other states and organizations that have engaged in similar initiatives.
Our plan…
What specific steps will we take to achieve our mission and realize our vision?
The Commissioner established a steering committee of representative stakeholders which began by reviewing, modifying, and approving a strategic plan for the process. TEA staff will use input from the steering committee as well as other stakeholders2 to develop the new policies and guidelines as the work progresses. The plan identifies seven core objectives through at least 2015.
Why have we begun this project?
• National research4 has indicated that the principal’s leadership accounts for at least 25% of a school’s impact on student achievement. Factoring in the role of the principal in developing the capacity of the school’s teachers, other studies indicate that the impact may be even greater.
• Organizations and coalitions interested in principal preparation have published numerous research articles4 about the changes in the way we need to think about the preparation and continuous improvement of school leaders, moving away from the traditional classroom-based models to preparation and improvement processes that require more applied, authentic, experiential learning experiences with support from experienced, highly-qualified coaches and mentors.
• Senate Bill 1383 (passed in 2011 and now codified as TEC 21.3541 outside source) directs the Commissioner of Education to establish and administer a new comprehensive appraisal and professional development system for public school principals. This bill also requires the Commissioner to establish school leadership standards and indicators of successful school leadership to align with training, appraisal, and professional development. Since the law also requires that only private funds be used to accomplish the task, the George W. Bush Institute’s Alliance to Reform Education Leadership of Education (outside source) (AREL) is providing logistical support for the development process.
For more information…
- Stay tuned to updates to this website.
- Sign up for the Listserve - "Principal Standards and Appraisal" at Mailing List Administration
- Contact Janice Lopez, TEA Director of Certification and Standards
Principal Policies Steering Committee Communication Plan
- Provide information to state stakeholders about PPSC goals, processes, plans, and progress
- Provide clear, accessible, and consistent information to all relevant parties.
- Communicate the complexity of the underlying issues and the need for alignment among state policies for the competency framework, standards for principal preparation programs, assessment of principals for certification, principal appraisal, and on-going professional development.
- Encourage input from and involvement of all concerned with frequent, accessible avenues for constructive feedback.
- Demonstrate the commitment of TEA and the PPSC to listening to and learning from all.
- Gather information about the needs of specific stakeholders.
- Develop and maintain support, trust, and credibility for TEA, the PPSC, and PPSC writing committees
- Demonstrate TEA and PPSC competence and understanding of the issues.
- Infuse both realistic expectations and objectivity into the conversation.
- Provide opportunities to help shape the outcomes.
- Encourage readiness for change, a shift in the organizational culture, and new attitudes toward principal preparation, appraisal, and professional development
- Convince district leaders of the long-term benefits from the anticipated changes.
- Convince preparation program leaders of the long-term benefits from the anticipated changes.
- Demonstrate support for the roles and challenges of those who will have to implement the changes.
Page last modified on 10/12/2012.