1. Principal Appraisal - Special Character
Jane Hahn
GOOD SHEPHERD SCHOOL, BALMORAL, AUCKLAND
“Together we Learn and Care”
Introduction - principal for 10 years in two Auckland Catholic primary schools.
Experienced a range of appraisal processes involving different appraisers

2. Purpose of the Catholic School
Catholic education is above all a question of communicating Christ, of helping to form Christ in the lives of others.
St. Pope John Paul 11 quoted in
The Catholic Education of School-Age Children
First and foremost every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth.
Pope Benedict XV1 quoted in
The Catholic Education of School-Age Children
We have many documents available to us that state clearly what the purpose of the Catholic school is.
The purpose of Catholic special character review and principal appraisal in the area of special character is to measure how well we are meeting these directives.

3. Purpose of the Catholic School (contd)
The Declaration of the proprietors of Catholic schools in New Zealand on the essential characteristics of authentic Catholic school education:
Catholic schools provide Catholic education
Catholic schools strive for educational excellence
Catholic schools contribute to the Church’s mission
Catholic schools, like their state school neighbours, are committed to excellence in every aspect of teaching and learning, including teaching and learning in Religiouos Education. We have the added imperative of contributing to the Church’s mission.

4. Purpose of the Catholic School (contd)
The Philosophy of Catholic Schools in New Zealand
Among the guiding characteristics that are fundamental to Catholic schools:
The development of the spiritual, intellectual, moral, emotional, physical and social dimensions of pupils/students, since authentic human life and openness to God are inseparable
The search for excellence, an integral part of the Christian message
Again we see the emphasis on excellence in every aspect of school life, along with the commitment to a holistic education for our children, including spiritual development.
The big challenge is how to interpret what these strong messages look like in the everyday life of a school, and how we can measure how well we are doing as principals in meeting these guiding characteristics.

5. Purpose of principal appraisal in a Catholic school
Professional Growth - through inquiry into practice and goal setting in the dimensions of improving teacher practice and student outcomes, and in developing and strengthening the Catholic special character of the school
Accountability - by providing evidence that you are meeting the Professional Standards for Principals, the Standards for the Teaching Profession and the Catholic School Elaborations for the Standards for the Teaching Profession
The purpose of appraisal in a Catholic school is the same as in any state school, with the added dimension of Catholic special character. This runs throughout the process - it is not an ‘add on’ at the end.

6. What should appraisal of the principal in a Catholic school consist of?
Performance Agreement - including the principal’s goals for the year and agreed indicators of success
Review of principal’s performance in relation to the Professional Standards for Principals, the Standards for the Teaching Profession and the Catholic School Elaborations for the Standards for the Teaching Profession
Coherence is important in the setting up of a principal’s appraisal (see example of tool used to align Standards for the Teaching Profession, Professional Standards, Tātaiako and Catholic School Elaborations for the Standards for the Teaching Profession)
We have considered the ‘why’ and now move onto the ‘what’ of principal appraisal in a Catholic school might look like.
As with teacher appraisal, goals or inquiries into practice for the principal should be aligned to the school’s strategic and annual goals, with the emphasis on leadership capabilities.
Coherence across school self-review components
Goals/objectives align to school goals and targets
Observations/discussions of practice relate to objectives and indicators
Goals are specific, based on robust data and can be verified by objective measures
Closely linked to the collection and analysis of formal and informal data on progress and achievement

7. STANDARD FOR TEACHING PROFESSION ELABORATIONS OF THE STANDARD
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
(Primary: Experienced
Teacher)
FURTHER ELABORATIONS FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
REFLECTION
TE TIRITI O WAITANGI PARTNERSHIP
Demonstrate commitment to tangata whenuatanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Links to Tātaiako key competency: Tangata Whenuatanga
Understand and recognise the unique status of tangata whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Understand and acknowledge the histories, heritages, languages and cultures of partners to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Practise and develop the use of te reo and tikanga Māori.
- Demonstrate their commitment to their own ongoing learning
- Demonstrate highly effective communication skills when interacting with students, colleagues and families/whānau
Teachers in Catholic schools understand and are committed to the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the commitment of the Catholic Church to bi-culturalism.
Teachers in Catholic schools deepen their understanding of Māori spirituality and incorporate it into their teaching of Religious Education and spirituality.
This tool has been developed to reflect the professional standards for an experienced teacher. A similar document caters for the provisionally registered teachers and fully certificated teachers.
The professional standards for principals could be used in place of the ‘experienced teacher’ standards.

8. Setting personal goals/inquiries into practice as a principal in a Catholic school
Goals/inquiries are established at the beginning of the principal appraisal process
In a Catholic school, one goal/inquiry would focus on Catholic special character
Appraiser and appraisee would agree on time frames, indicators of success, sources of evidence and what support might be required, and document this action plan
A ‘rich’ inquiry would lend itself to collecting evidence that the principal is meeting many of the Professional Standards for Principals, the Standards for the Teaching Profession and the Catholic School Elaborations for the Standards for the Teaching Profession
Key element of effective principal appraisal in a Catholic school is the setting of goals or inquiring into your own practice in order to improve performance and provide professional growth, just as it is at the teacher or middle leader levels.
A In a school culture focused on improvement
Teaching as inquiry underpins the appraisal process and all professional conversations
Talk is based on evidence

9. Possible focus areas for a personal inquiry for a principal of a Catholic school
Planning and implementing an effective internal review based on the Catholic Special Character Review for Development: Revised Draft Process document
Recommendations from an external Catholic Special Character review
Recommendations from the previous year’s internal Catholic special character review
In best practice, goals are linked to school’s strategic goals and annual plan
Goals set based on the review process provide cohesion in the planning-review-action cycle that leads to continuous improvement in personal practice and the strengthening of the school’s special character.
Closely linked to the collection and analysis of formal and informal data on progress and achievement

10. Professional Standards: Systems, Culture, Pedagogy
Goal 3:By the end of the year I have developed the Good Shepherd environment (physically and emotionally) so that the school strongly reflects its Catholic Special Character in a culturally responsive and diverse manner
Basis of priority
Planned Priorities
Action Needed
Appraisal Data/ Portfolio evidence
Importance of Special Character in the school
Feedback from the last internal review - regarding the cultural diversity representation in the school
· Support the staff to achieve their own aspect of this goal
· Open office space – in a physical sense
· Working with the leadership team to access information that will support this development
· Expand the partnership with the parents and students to develop understanding of faith across all cultures represented in the school
The importance of this goal was identified as part of our internal review of Catholic special character in It became an integral part of our appraisal system, with many teachers and leaders identifying it as a personal development goal for 2015 (see Sarah Appraisal Special Character Goal for 2015 and Melissa Down R.E. Goal for 2015). Great progress was made in this area throughout the year, with many discussions at team meetings facilitating collaboration (see Sheridan team meeting minutes 2015 and Connolly team meeting minutes 2015).
The second way this goal was approached was by setting up a Foyer Planning Group, comprised of representatives from all sections of the school community. Two students were nominated from the School Council at the end of 2014 to be part of the group, the board and PTA were both approached to nominate interested members and teachers were asked to put their names forward to be part of the planning group. The group met regularly (see minutes 9 March and 5 June as examples). The group researched the options and decided on a stained glass window of Jesus, the Good Shepherd as the appropriate fixture to reflect our Catholic special character and our own unique charism (see Image 3332). The process culminated in a blessing and dedication ceremony on the last day of school 2015 to which all members of the school community were invited (see Blessing of Stained Glass Window Programme).
Summary: We made progress across the school on this goal, which was also identified by many teachers as a personal development goal. This is an ongoing focus, however, and will need to become area that we are constantly monitoring. This has been discussed and has been incorporated into the Quality Assurance tool so that it remains to the fore.
This goal was also identified in the strategic and annual plans for the year.

11. Development Objectives 2018
Linked to charter targets and individual needs
Indicators/Tasks
What will happen throughout the year to make this happen?
Evidence
What evidence will occur throughout the year to show progress and achievement?
Outcomes
What will this look like when achieved? What will be the impacts on learners?
Links to Professional Standards, Standards for Teaching Profession, Catholic School Elaborations for the Standards for the Teaching Profession, Career Structure
Objective 1:
Professional Inquiry
Would it increase the capacity of leaders in our school to effectively review for development if I supported the DRS and DP to design and develop a review plan based on the internal review template?
Meet with DRS and DP before meeting of board special character review team
Observations and feedback to DRS and DP after meetings and throughout review process.
Planning documents
Feedback from DRS and DP
Observations and feedback
Feedback on the review by the proprietor
An effective internal review for development
Professional Standard Dimensions:
Culture - Pedagogy - Systems
Career Structure Criteria
Meeting requirements of performance review
STP and Catholic School elaborations: Professional learning - Professional relationships - Learning focused culture - Teaching
Appraisal Data/ Portfolio Evidence:
A possible inquiry for me this year?

12. Who should appraise the principal of a Catholic school?
Use of an external appraiser did not necessarily result in a robust appraisal.
ERO. (2014). Supporting school improvement through effective principal appraisal.
Principal appraisal is usually delegated to the board chair or an external appraiser.
Both of these choices can provide an effective appraisal if a rigorous, improvement-focused process is followed (see above document for guidelines on appraisal practices associated with improvement).
Having an appraiser who is Catholic and familiar with the Catholic education system is an advantage to the principal of a Catholic school.
Personal experience of having experienced external appraisers who are familiar with appraising principals of Catholic schools.

13. Documents that support principal appraisal
Professional Standards for Primary Principals - Primary Principals’ Collective Agreement
Our Code, Our Standards - Education Council New Zealand
Catholic School Elaborations for the Standards for the Teaching Profession - NZCEO
Supporting school improvement through effective principal appraisal - ERO
School’s Principal’s Performance Appraisal Policy
School’s strategic and annual plan
Catholic Special Character Review for Development: Revised Draft Process -
Primary Principals’ Career Structure - Primary Principals’ Collective Agreement
There are many documents available to principals to clarify the appraisal process and guide a robust appraisal in Catholic special character.