Principal Selection and Teacher Tenure Changes Leadership Competencies Selection Process Overview C-30 Interim Acting Principals Key Websites and Contact Information Teacher Quality Tenure Denial Rate Myths and Facts Process and N.L. Role March 2008 Office of School Leadership

2 We have new DOE Leadership Competencies. In early February we launched a new Principal Candidate Pool to which all prospective DOE principals must apply; to apply for a specific school vacancy, you must be in the Pool. We will reduce the use of Interim Acting Principals. We will move more principal job postings and appointments to the spring rather than waiting until the fall. Key Principal Selection Changes, 2008

3 The DOE Leadership Competencies Will Be the Basis for Training and Selecting Principals A team of DOE leaders developed the leadership competencies, drawing on experience, educational research, examples from the Leadership Academy, and best practices. Principals’ outcome data and our deepening understanding of the drivers of student achievement will inform further development of the leadership competencies. Fosters a culture of excellence through personal leadership Uses data to set high learning goals and to develop plans for improving student learning Leverages deep knowledge of curriculum, instruction and assessment to improve student learning Develops and shares school leadership Manages resources to improve student learning

4 Selection Process Overview: Principal Candidate Pool application submitted Candidates are screened for evidence that they possess the competencies Candidates with requisite evidence become part of the Pool Level I committee formed to make great match with school community Level II selection Appointment Candidates who indicate interest in specific jobs are made available to the Hiring Manager Candidates in the pool are notified of openings in which they may have an interest (jobs are also posted on the website)

5 The CSA, Chancellor Klein, and other advertising are helping to recruit applicants to apply for the Pool. Candidates can apply from the “Careers in NYC Schools” section of the DOE Homepage (see final slide for more information). Applying to the Principal Candidate Pool

6 Screening Process Written application (through the DOE website) includes: An essay that asks applicants to describe their experience leading an initiative that increased student achievement. A resume and profile of applicants’ background and experience. 3-hour afternoon/evening evaluation session includes: Discussion of hypothetical school situations including NYC accountability data Lesson evaluation and teacher coaching plans “On-the-spot” writing

C-30 Overview for Specific Job Postings Once specific school vacancies are posted, people in the Candidate Pool can (and need to) apply for them using Open Hire.

C-30 Overview for Specific Job Postings Superintendents and Network Leaders have access to all candidates who have applied in Open Hire. The process they follow includes: Step 1: The Office of School Leadership appends a Candidate Report to each candidate’s Open Hire file. Step 2: Network Leaders and Superintendents review the applicants’ files, discuss candidates, and Superintendents select Level 1 candidates in Open Hire. Step 3: Network Leaders chair Level 1 and send ratings to the Superintendents. Step 4: Network Leaders and Superintendents discuss candidates and Superintendent selects Level 2 candidates. Step 5: Network Leaders and Superintendents discuss final appointment and Superintendent selects candidate to be appointed.

9 Interim Acting Principals and the New Selection Process If the use of an Interim Acting principal cannot be avoided, the Interim Acting principal must come from the Principal Candidate Pool. All Interim Acting candidates must be discussed in advance with the Office of School Leadership. Interim Acting principals who are not in the Pool must be approved in advance. They must get into the Candidate Pool in order to apply for the posted position.

10 Spring-Summer ’08 Principal Transition Steps Identify as many fall ’08 principal vacancies as possible this spring >Post principal vacancies for fall ‘08 throughout the spring and summer, beginning April 1 st. (C-30 Level 1s can occur in the spring, during the summer where possible, or as soon as school starts) During April, ask principals who plan to retire to let the Network Leader or Superintendent know >Those who give notice by May 1 of a retirement date on, or anytime prior to, July 15 will be eligible to receive early payout of final entitlement as specified in the contract (the DOE will waive the 90 day notice provision in this instance). >All annual leave days must be taken prior to July 15

11 Spring-Summer ’08 Principal Transition Steps Put newly-appointed principals on payroll during the summer, typically as of July 15 This will provide at least a 60-day leadership transition period during which the outgoing and incoming principal overlap >Principals who set a retirement date of July 15 can move to F-status and work full (or part-time) through the start of the school year, tapering off their hours as warranted Exceptions must be approved by Leigh McGuigan, Executive Director, School Leadership

12 Key Websites and Contact Information Websites — This webcast will be archived here after 3/20/08 for later reference. — Under “CSA Hotline” you can find key questions and answers about the new process. PrincipalCandidatePool.htmhttp://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/DHR/CareerOpportunities/PrincipalOtherSupervisory/ PrincipalCandidatePool.htm — This is the application page for the Principal Pool. Key People Leigh McGuigan, Executive Director, Office of School Leadership ( ) Kieran McGuire, Director of Principal Selection ( ) Carl Giaimo, Director of Operations ( )

13 Any Questions?

14 “If the effects were to accumulate, having a top-quartile teacher rather than a bottom quartile teacher four years in a row would be: Enough to close the black-white test score gap… Have twice the impact of reducing class size from 22 to 16.” Source: Gordon, R., Kane, T.J., and Staiger, D.O. (2006). Identifying Effective teachers Using Performance on the Job. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution. Teacher Quality is the Key Indicator for Improving Student Achievement Source: Gordon, R., Kane, T.J., and Staiger, D.O. (2006). Identifying Effective teachers Using Performance on the Job. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution.

15 Teacher Quality is the Key Indicator for Improving Student Achievement Source: Gordon, R., Kane, T.J., and Staiger, D.O. (2006). Identifying Effective teachers Using Performance on the Job. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution. Teacher impacts are relatively stable and predictable. After two years, we can predict with relative accuracy which teachers will be in the top quartile and which will be in the bottom.

16 Replacing Low Performers is the Key Lever to Improving Student Achievement New York, Math, Grades Source: Thomas Kane, Jonah Rockoff, and Douglas Staiger, “What Does Certification Tell Us About Teacher Effectiveness: Evidence from New York City (2006) Change in Percentile Rank Original:Uncert.1 st YearBottom 25% Replaced With:Cert.3 rd YearAverage Replacing the typical bottom-quartile teacher with the average teacher would have a larger impact on student achievement than replacing the typical uncertified teacher with the typical certified teacher or replacing the typical novice teacher with the typical third-year teacher.

17 Our Tenure Denial Rate is Low Denials and extensions of tenure increased from 2006 to 2007, but are still quite low: Denials more than doubled, from 25 to 66 (out of 5000) Extensions more than tripled, from 30 to 115 (out of 5000)

18 Myths and Facts About Denying Completion of Probation Myth: Denying tenure requires substantial documentation of significant underperformance. Fact: There is no minimum amount of documentation required to deny tenure. As long as a principal has given the employee: a) written notification of performance issues and b) a meaningful opportunity to improve, and there is still no improvement, that employee can be denied. The legal standard is that so long as the decision is not “arbitrary or capricious,” the denial will be upheld on appeal.

19 Myths and Facts About Denying Completion of Probation Myth: Teachers often successfully appeal tenure decisions. Fact: Appeals of tenure decisions are done internally and are only overturned in very rare circumstances. Myth: Employees who have been rated satisfactory in their first two years can’t be denied based on their third year alone. Fact: Even teachers with prior satisfactory ratings can be denied completion of probation.

20 New Tenure Process — Network Leader Role For employees completing probation Aug 1, 2008 – Jan 31, 2009 Tenure is granted to probationary employees who demonstrate significant professional skill and a meaningful, positive impact on student learning. Information about the Tenure Process can be found in the Tenure Toolkit. You can also find the tenure toolkit from the Principals’ Portal Tenure Toolkit Principals’ Portal Key Deadlines: April 15: Principals can no longer make recommendations without calling HR Partners May 15: Deadline for superintendent review of tenure decisions June: Denial paperwork complete; HR systems will update in late June STEP 1: Know the Tenure Criteria and Process STEP 2: Enter the System to Collect and Analyze Data STEP 3: Discuss data with principals and help ensure timely, student- focused decisions Contact principals who have not made decisions by April 15 to make them aware of the deadline and the need to call the HR Partner Encourage principals to make tenure decisions that meet the criteria; for example, if everyone at a low-performing school is granted tenure, should there be greater focus on the hiring, evaluation, and tenure process? Enter from HomeEnter from Home: To enter the system, please login using your Outlook username (central\Username) and Outlook password. Every two weeks until all decisions have been made, go to the Tenure Notification System and ask three key questions about the data:Tenure Notification System Who has not responded yet, and why? Among those who have responded, do their decisions appear aligned with the tenure criteria and relevant Quality Review goals? For example, are previously U-rated teachers being recommended for tenure? Which other principals do I need to contact to discuss their recommendations? For example, principals at low-performing schools

21 Contacts and Website Information Websites : Principals’ Portal: Principals’ Portal from A Non-DOE Computer: (Sign in with Central\Username) Tenure Notification System: SubmitTenureDecisions.aspx Contacts : Patricia J. Paddock Phone: Jonathan Skolnick Phone: