Appraisal of Principals and Tumuaki Webinar 2b - Inquiry Into Practice Naumai Haere mai. Ko Kerry Mitchell ahau. Thank you for taking the time to view and participate in this webinar. This webinar is designed to be used by Board representatives who could not attend Workshop 2 of Appraisal of Principals. This webinar has been developed to support Principals and their Board chairperson to: develop, refine and engage in a Performance Review/ Aappraisal system that fosters learning undertake evidence-based leadership inquiries as a central component of Performance Review/ Appraisal have a shared understanding that the Performance Review/ Appraisal process supports the Principal in their role as Principal. Appraisal of Principals and Tumuaki Webinar 2b - Inquiry Into Practice

Setting goals/objectives (Strategic and annual) What we will cover Strengthening our understanding and practices in Professional Inquiry into Practice Setting goals/objectives (Strategic and annual) Looking at trends over time Overlaying our schooling improvement journey, my Inquiry into Practice and my Appraisal Today we will examine an example of an inquiry and how that example demonstrates a strong evaluative process based on: Clarity of focus (what we want to achieve) Clearly defined strategies for change The importance of using data and evidence over time How we as principals can use evidence we gather as part of our school’s improvement journey.

What you need Resource Booklet for this webinar The Principal’s Performance Agreement Effective School Evaluation: how to do and use internal evaluation for improvement – an Education Review Office Resource http://www.ero.govt.nz/publications/effective-school-evaluation/

Spiral of Inquiry Setting my Performance Goal and my Inquiry Focus What is the data/ information now showing? Evidence here will benefit my learners as next steps What data/ information do I have? Appraisal conversations: Progress and next steps Let’s start by thinking about our inquiry into practice. You will recall this diagram from previous workshops and webinars. In developing an inquiry into practice the spirals of inquiry process can guide our thinking and our actions. Essentially the scanning and focusing phase of inquiry provides ample data for you to develop your goals. As you move through the process of inquiry you will see a strong parallel between the checking phase and your ongoing appraisal conversations. Developing a Hunch …. What data/information do I have? This will be useful as evidence throughout the inquiry. I can use this to make comparisons and judgements along the way.                Checking …..What does my data/ information look like now? What has or hasn’t changed? This will be useful evidence for my leadership.                Scanning…..Again what is the data/ information now showing? Evidence here will benefit my learners as next steps. What does my data/ information look like now? What has or hasn’t changed? Graphic credit: Judy Halberg and Linda Kaser (2013) Ref: Helen Timperley, Linda Kaser and Judy Halbert

Learner Focused Evaluation Processes Effective School Evaluation Monitoring and Evaluating Impact Noticing Investigating Collaborative Sense making Prioritising to Take Action Learner Focused Evaluation Processes We can do better Setting my Performance Goal and my Inquiry Focus Appraisal Conversations: Progress and next steps Another way to consider inquiry is to look at the ERO resource Effective School Evaluation. This resource sets out a process much like spiral of inquiry. It also identifies some key questions that you might ask at each stage of the process. The noticing and investigating phases will provide ample data about what needs to be focused upon and therefore form the basis of your performance goal or inquiry. Collaborative sense making can occur in many places and importantly should happen during the ongoing appraisal conversations you have with your appraiser and within your school setting. It allows us to make sense of our inquiry with the perspectives of staff/students / whanau and with the BOT and our appraiser. It allows opportunity for the PTCs and  PS and Tataiako to be explored giving us multiple perspectives and next steps. Go to pages 14 – 19 of the ERO resource. Review the tables contained on each page. Talk with each other about how this process aligns to your own inquiry process within your Appraisal. You might like to use page 3 of your workbook to jot down a few ideas.

Setting Performance and Inquiry Goals Performance Goals can come from Inquiry Goals come from Strategic Plan Annual Plan along with Analysis of Variance Education Review Office recommendations Feedback from previous Appraisal(s) and Principal’s learning needs Identification of a significant achievement challenge – For example student engagement student learning academic achievement Now let’s play the process out. Setting a goal or focus for inquiry is just the start. Many of the achievement challenges we face in our schools cannot be addressed quickly and take time to effect real change. We may also refine and change our focus as improvements are made. This is also true for the Principal’s appraisal goal and inquiry – each year the goal or focus will be drawn from: Performance Goals can come from Strategic plan Annual Plan along with Analysis of Variance Education Review Office recommendations Feedback from previous Appraisals – Principal’s learning needs Inquiry Goals come from: Identification of a significant achievement challenge – student engagement, student learning, academic achievement…

The Key Questions for the Focusing Inquiry Goal are What is important (and therefore worth spending time on), given where my learners are at? What strategies (evidence-based) are most likely to help my learners learn what they need to learn? What will I notice about my changed practice and the impact on my learners? Clarity of goal (what you are aiming to achieve) is critical. So too is the idea that although we may have a hunch about what will work we need to suspend judgement and be open to what the inquiry shows you and where it takes you. The actions may be different to what we had expected as we progress through an inquiry.

Goal When setting goals a clear and motivating endpoint in relation to the needs of learners must be identified This is about outcomes. What outcomes am I wanting to achieve and for whom? Students Parents Staff

The learning needs of students? The learning needs of teachers? Do the Goals reflect The learning needs of students? The learning needs of teachers? The outcome that will be achieved if the goal is met? Good appraisal goals should lead to: Actions Clarity Energy

Time bound Changed practice By the end of the year I have strengthened my own inquiry processes through effectively leading the school improvement focus of developing resilience within our students so that at risk students are more engaged and well supported in their learning. . Lets take a look at a goal that is focused on an outcome, changed practice and has a time frame associated with it. It is important to note again that clarity of goal does not always equal clarity of action. In a true inquiry the actions become determined by the evidence. What are we noticing about what is changing, how might we need to adjust our actions? Have a look at your performance agreement. Do the goals you have set: Reflect the learning needs of students? The learning needs of teachers? The outcome that will be achieved if the goal, is met? How might they be sharpened? Outcome for students

Performance Management Appraisal Components Appraisal Report Overall evaluative judgements/ statements with reference to PS/ PTC & Career Structure Criteria Key strengths Next steps/concerns support to be provided   Performance Management Renewal of practising certificate (every 3 years) Annual performance review (for growth and development) Goals Goals established Indicators of success agreed Evidence sources and perspectives agreed Timeframes and actions Support to be provided Written into Performance Agreement Appraisal Discussions Interpreting evidence Affirmation Feedback Next steps Now let’s make the link between setting goals and the Appraisal process. This diagram will be very familiar to you. I want to draw your attention to the purple segment – this segment is all about what evidence a principal might curate in order to demonstrate how they are making progress towards meeting their own leadership goal and how, in doing so, the school’s improvement journey continues. Evidence Curated Charter/strategic plan Student outcomes (AoV) Participation in professional learning Feedback – staff, students, parents, board

Using our evidence Narrate To describe the data Curate Pull the evidence together in an organised way so that we can make sense of it Evaluate Use the evidence to affirm progress and to identify next steps… Collecting evidence and doing nothing with it is just collecting stuff. An inquiry into practice requires us to examine data: To describe the data To pull it together in an organised way so that we can them make sense of it. And most importantly, once we have the evidence in an organised way we can evaluate the evidence and use it to affirm and to make changes.

Linking Inquiry to Appraisal Using Evidence in Appraisal Conversations Appraisal Discussions Interpreting evidence Affirmation Feedback Next steps Appraisal meetings are an opportunity for the Principal to reflect on and interpret data from a leadership perspective and to link this back to the performance goals. Let’s look at page 4 of your workbook. Here you will find a set of possible discussion points that may assist you to plan for your appraisal meeting. Take some time now to record what evidence you will take with you to your next appraisal meeting that will allow you to discuss some of these points. Stop the webinar while you review page 4. Linking Inquiry to Appraisal Using Evidence in Appraisal Conversations

An Example of a Principal’s Inquiry Into Practice Now let’s look at an inquiry process in action. Meet Paul Olsen who is the Principal at St Kevin’s School in Oamaru. St Kevin's’ School caters Year 9 to 15, secondary and is a boarding and day school. In the 3 minute video clip we are about to watch Paul talks us through the process of inquiry he used as part of his Appraisal process. Use page 5 of your workbook to take some notes about each aspect of the process as you watch the video. When you are ready move to the next slide and watch the video clip. You may want to watch it twice in order to capture all of the detail.

Linking Inquiry to Appraisal By the end of the year I will have strengthened my own inquiry processes through effectively leading the school improvement focus of developing resilience within our students… so that our at risk students are more engaged and well supported in their learning. Paul believed that focusing attention on his at risk students was important and worthy of effort in order to improve outcomes for those students. It makes really good sense that as part of his Appraisal Paul’s goals capture this. Let’s look at page 6 of your workbook. Paul’s Performance Agreement goals for the current year might look something like this. In subsequent years the goal may be refined and adjusted to take into account progress made towards achieving the goal.

Professional Learning   Sources of Evidence Paul’s Evidence Shows Outcomes Data from SMS system and our interpretation and use of the data   Feedback from students – focus group interviews Analysis of Variance Leadership Practice ___________________’s portfolio reflections and coaching notes Professional Learning Minutes of SLT meetings Turn to page 7 of your workbook. The sources of evidence stated on this page are linked to the example of a PA on page 5. You may be able to think of other sources of evidence that Paul could use to assist him to demonstrate his progress. When you look at the sources he has stated what do you believe his evidence might show? Stop the webinar now and complete the right hand column of this table.

Professional Learning   Sources of Evidence My Evidence Shows Outcomes Leadership Practice Professional Learning My Evidence As I indicated earlier: Appraisal meetings are an opportunity for the Principal to reflect on and interpret data from a leadership perspective and to link this back to the performance goals. Now look at your own goals and evidence. Choose one of your goals or your inquiry focus. On page 8 of your workbook jot down your evidence sources and a few notes about what your evidence shows. To what extent does your evidence show: Your learning Your changed professional practice The impact of your changed practice on outcomes for students? Take some time now to review your inquiry goal, your curated evidence and how you could use your evidence to talk with your appraiser Stop the webinar now and record your comments.

Learner focused evaluation processes Overlaying our School’s Improvement Journey, my Inquiry into Practice and my Appraisal Monitoring and evaluating impact Noticing Investigating Collaborative sense making Prioritising to take action Effective School Evaluation page 15 to 19 Learner focused evaluation processes We can do better Lets review our key intention for today - that of overlaying our school’s improvement journey, my inquiry into practice and my Appraisal. Go back now to the ERO Effective School Evaluation pages 15 to 19. Use them to reflect on and question your inquiry and your Appraisal. Do they help you to see the coherence between your inquiry, Appraisal and school improvement journey? What can they add to your next steps as a Principal that will also serve the purpose of internal school self-review? Use page 9 of your workbook to complete this task.

Pulling It All Together Affirm progress Identify next steps And finally… On Page 10 of your resource book is a copy of a summary report that affirms progress and shows where the next steps may be for this Principal. Use the blank template on page 12. What would you record under each of the headings. Take some time now to jot down some of your thoughts. This is where you will stop the webinar and we leave you. We wish you well in your pursuit of effective Appraisal that supports you in your role as Principal. Ka kite ano.