1. Principal Performance Evaluation System
Student Academic Progress Goal Setting
February 2013

2. What are the Purposes of Student Academic Progress Goal Setting?
Focus on student results
Explicitly connect teaching and learning
Improve instructional practices and teacher performance
Tool for school improvement
Student academic progress goal setting focuses on the students’ results. It explicitly connects the role of the principal in advancing student progress, thereby improving the instructional practices of teachers. Goal setting is also a tool for school improvement. A school may focus on improving performance in one area and the academic goals developed support the overall school goal.
Student Academic Progress Goal Setting is not the only basis for evaluation decisions. It is one of many valid measures, including site-visit observation, documentation logs, and SOL assessment results.

3. Goal-Setting Process Step 1: Determine needs Step 2:
Create specific growth goals using baseline data
Step 5:
Assess goal attainment
Step 3:
Create and implement leadership and management strategies
Step 4:
Monitor progress through ongoing data collection
There are five steps in the goal-setting process:
Step 1: Determine needs.
Step 2: Create specific growth goals using baseline data.
Step 3: Create and implement leadership and management strategies.
Step 4: Monitor progress through ongoing data collection.
Step 5: Assess goal attainment.

4. Step 1: Determine Needs Step 1: Determine needs Step 2:
Create specific growth goals using baseline data
Step 5:
Assess goal attainment
Step 3:
Create and implement leadership and management strategies
Step 4:
Monitor progress through ongoing data collection
We will start with Step 1: Determine needs.

5. How Do We Determine Needs?
First, ask participants how they determine the needs of their schools. What do they review?

6. Considerations: Determining Needs
Baseline Data
Vision and/or Mission
Division Initiatives
School’s Strategic Plan
Survey Results
Explain that the baseline data, vision and/or mission, division initiatives, school’s strategic plan, and survey results can all be used to determine needs. Ask participants to discuss other sources used in their school divisions.

7. Simulation: Principal A
Elementary School Principal
Explain that participants will now work through the entire Student Academic Progress Goal Setting process with a sample principal, Principal A. Principal A is an elementary school principal. She has been a principal for three years.

8. Simulation: Determine Needs
Review the School Profile, Content Area, and Baseline Data for Principal A.
Answer the following:
What area did Principal A choose as the goal-setting focus?
What influenced this choice?
What data were used as a baseline?
Direct participants to Activity 1: Goal-Setting Critique included in the Word document (Part IV) accompanying this PowerPoint presentation. Have participants look at the School Profile, Content Area, and Baseline Data for Principal A. Ask them to fill out the Simulation Discussion Guide. They may work with a partner or small group as they review. Afterward, have participants briefly share their responses with the whole group.

9. Implementation: Determine Needs
What might be some areas of focus for your school?
What baseline data could be used?
This is an optional slide if you choose to have participants reflect on areas of need in their own schools. They complete Activity 3: Exploration of Potential Data Sources for Student Achievement Goal Setting. The example for display is found on the next slide.

10. Based on what you have learned today, what assessment data sources would be appropriate for…
Establishing baseline data and determining goal attainment?
Monitoring goal progress throughout the year?
Direct participants to the guide found in their Word Document titled, Activity 2: Exploration of Potential Data Sources for Student Achievement Goal Setting. Participants discuss their ideas with others. After small-group discussion, participants may share as a whole group.

11. Step 2: Create Student Academic Progress Goals
Determine needs
Step 2:
Create specific growth goals using baseline data
Step 5:
Assess goal attainment
Step 3:
Create and implement leadership and management strategies
Step 4:
Monitor progress through ongoing data collection
Explain that we are now moving on to Step 2: Create specific growth goals using baseline data.

12. What is a Student Academic Progress Goal?
A goal is a statement of an intended outcome
of your work: Student Learning
Distinct from Strategies
Strategies = Means
Goal = End
Explain that once the goal is determined, strategies are implemented to reach the goal. The goal is the end; the strategy is the means.
In terms of student academic progress goals, the goal (the end) is what student learning we want to take place; it is what the students will accomplish. The strategies (means) are how we expect the students to get there; they are what we, as educators, will do to help students reach the goal.

13. What Makes a Goal SMART?
Specific Measureable Appropriate Realistic, but Rigorous Time-bound
Some participants will already have heard of the SMART criteria; however, possibly with different definitions of the acronym. Explain that we will use these terms in order to develop a common vocabulary to be used for evaluating SMART goals.

14. Does the goal focus on a specific expectation?
SPECIFIC: Focus
Does the goal focus on a specific expectation?
Does the goal focus on a specific expectation?

15. MEASURABLE
Has an appropriate instrument or measure been chosen to assess the attainment of the goal?
Has an appropriate instrument or measure been chosen to assess the attainment of the goal?

16. Is it within the principal’s control to effect change?
APPROPRIATE
Is it within the principal’s control to effect change?
Is the goal within the principal’s control to effect change as the leader of the school?
Note that in some cases, the principal will have a more indirect role. For instance, when considering instructional goals, the principal will not be the one instructing the students. The principal does, however, have the ability to guide the teachers in using appropriate instructional strategies and produce resources for teachers, such as materials, instructional support personnel, or professional development.

17. REALISTIC, but RIGOROUS
Is the goal feasible?
Is it a “stretch” goal?
Goldilocks Principle
This is perhaps the most difficult piece of the goal-setting process because it requires the delicate balance between feasibility and rigor. A good goal is one that a principal can realistically attain, yet still honors the progress and academic advancement of students. A good goal is one that, as in the Goldilocks and the Three Bears story, is “just right,” as Goldilocks would say.

18. Is the goal contained to a single school year?
TIME-BOUND
Is the goal contained to a single school year?
Is the goal contained to a single school year? Sometimes, in strategic planning, leaders might write multi-year goals, which is appropriate for the school improvement process. In terms of a principal’s evaluation, however, a goal should be contained to a single school year.

19. Evaluate: Is this Goal SMART?
A good goal statement is one that is…
Specific
Measurable
Appropriate
Realistic, but Rigorous
Time-bound
Principal A’s
goal statement:
During the current school year, all third-grade students will improve in the subject of mathematics.  
Present the goal to participants. Have participants work together to evaluate whether the goal displayed on this slide is SMART. When participants are ready, review the goal as follows with participants:
Specific: This goal is specific in that it identifies third-grade students and mathematics, though several other aspects are missing.
Measurable: This goal is not measurable because it does not specify the measure or instrument.
Appropriate: This goal is appropriate; principals can effect change over third-grade mathematics by providing the necessary resources for teachers to engage in effective instruction.
Realistic, but Rigorous: This aspect cannot be determined without a measurement or instrument and specifying how much improvement will be made.
Time-bound: This goal is time-bound.
This is not a SMART goal as it is not “measurable” or “realistic, but rigorous.” It will need to be revised before it is approved for implementation.

20. Better Goal for Principal A?
Principal A’s
goal statement:
From August 2012 to May 2013, 100 percent of third-grade students will improve at least 1.0 grade levels as measured by the online mathematics assessment. Additionally, students who score a 2.7 and below on the pre-assessment will improve at least 1.2 grade levels as measured by the online diagnostic mathematics assessment.
A good goal statement is one that is…
Specific
Measurable
Appropriate
Realistic, but Rigorous
Time-bound
Introduce the revised goal. This is a better goal for Principal A. This goal meets all of the SMART criteria. This is the one found in their Part 4 training materials.
Specific: This goal is specific; it is for third-grade mathematics students.
Measurable: This goal is measurable; it uses the online diagnostic mathematics assessment.
Appropriate: This goal is appropriate; principals can effect change over third-grade mathematics by providing the necessary resources for teachers to engage in effective instruction.
Realistic, but Rigorous: This goal is realistic, because a one grade-level increase is appropriate for most students; a 1.2 grade level increase for students below the benchmark will move students so that they will eventually meet benchmarks while also not being too rigorous.
Time-bound: This goal is time-bound.
Ask participants how they might improve the goal even more. For instance, this goal neglects to acknowledge the growth expected of the high-level mathematics students in the class. In many cases, students who have scored above grade level on the pre-assessment have been increasing at a greater than one-grade-level-per-year pace; therefore, we should continue to expect more from these students.

21. Step 3: Create and Implement Leadership and Management Strategies
Determine needs
Step 2:
Create specific growth goals based on baseline data
Step 5:
Determine goal attainment
Step 3: Create and implement leadership and management strategies
Step 4:
Monitor progress through on-going data collection
Now we move on to Step 3: Create and implement leadership and management strategies.

22. Considerations: Strategies
How do the different Uniform Performance Standards for Principals affect the outcome of your goal?
What does current research say regarding best practices in the focus areas?
Explain that the other principal standards influence student academic progress. For example, in order to increase third-grade mathematics scores, a principal needs to be an instructional leader (Standard 1) to help teachers diagnose ways to increase math comprehension and achievement; the school climate (Standard 2) needs to be one that focuses on achievement and encourages high expectations; and the principal might need to ensure that teachers have an unencumbered planning period together, at least once a week, in order to review assessment data and use it to plan for instruction (Standard 4). Principals should look to best practices in current research for strategy ideas.

23. When Writing Strategies, Consider Asking:
Why these strategies were chosen.
Who is included in these strategies and when they are included.
How these strategies will be implemented.
Evaluators should decide beforehand how much information they will require from principals and preferably give an example, so that principals have a template to follow.

24. Simulation: Reviewing Strategies
What standards affected the outcome of the goal?
What are the strengths of the chosen strategies?
What improvements could be made to these strategies?
Have participants take a few minutes to discuss each of the questions. Afterward, bring them back together as a whole group and discuss their comments.

25. Step 4: Monitor and Adjust
Determine needs
Step 2:
Create specific growth goals based on baseline data
Step 5:
Determine goal attainment
Step 3: Create and implement leadership and management strategies
Step 4:
Monitor progress through on-going data collection
Explain that we will now move on to Step 4: Monitor progress through ongoing data collection.

26. Simulation: Monitor and Adjust
What progress has been made toward the goal?
What further progress needs to be made?
How can strategies be adjusted?
Have participants work together to answer the questions on the slide using the information from the midyear review provided in the Student Academic Progress Goal-Setting Form.

27. Step 5: Determine Goal Attainment
Determine needs
Step 2:
Create specific growth goals based on baseline data
Step 5:
Determine goal attainment
Step 3: Create and implement leadership and management strategies
Step 4:
Monitor progress through on-going data collection
The last step is Step 5: Determine goal attainment.

28. Considerations: Determining Effectiveness
What results would you expect to see from an effective principal?
What results should be seen from effective principals? Do they have to achieve their goals exactly? Be close? Exceed? These are questions to pose orally and discuss briefly.

29. Simulation: Determine Goal Achievement
Did Principal A achieve the goal?
What contributed to any successes?
What improvements could be made?
If the same focus area is chosen next year, what might the new goal be?
Have participants review the end-of-year data results for Principal A and fill out the three-question chart following the simulation (last page of Activity 1: Goal Setting Critique). Afterward, review the results with the whole group.

30. In summary…
We are now going to summarize some key concepts from this presentation.

31. What are the challenges to student academic progress goals for principals?
If there is time, participants can fill out the chart for Activity 4: Benefits and Challenges of Student Academic Progress Goal Setting, found in their Word document. If time is short, this can simply be completed verbally.
Ask participants to share some challenges in using student academic progress goals for principal evaluation. Possible challenges include:
Without common divisionwide assessments, or common requirements for assessment, the results may not be comparable or of consistent rigor across multiple schools.
The knowledge of the predictive validation of student academic progress goals in alignment with value-added or growth measures (such as Student Growth Percentile) is very limited.
The process is time-demanding for administrators and evaluators.
Some assessments may require time for teachers to work together to develop consistent scoring practices.

32. What are the benefits of student academic progress goals for principals?
Ask participants to share some benefits in using student academic progress goals for Principal Evaluation. Possible benefits include:
The process can be adapted to a wide variety of needs.
The process can be adapted to new state or local assessment structures as they are developed.
Student learning goals have credibility with educators because they are immediately relevant to setting and measuring school expectations.
The goals have face validity as administrators are often the ones given the responsibility for developing them.
When the process is used for co-teaching or collaborative settings, it can build collective schoolwide or team-based effort around student achievement.
When focused on academic deficits identified through data disaggregation, goal setting can be used for schoolwide improvement.

33. Questions?
Ask if there are any final questions.