Aspire Principal Performance Rubric

February 2013

Domain 1: Leadership, Vision and Culture
Standards / Indicators
1.1 Embraces a shared vision of academic success for every student / A) Maintains a school-wide focus on high standards of achievement
B) Creates a strong learning culture that communicates “college for certain”
1.2 Exemplifies leadership / A) Applies adaptive leadership appropriate to the situations and context of the school
B) Develops new leaders and provides leadership opportunities as appropriate
C) Designs and utilizes effective forms of formal and informal communication
1.3 Ensures that students demonstrate consistent values and behaviors aligned to school’s vision and mission / A) Effectively fosters a safe and civil environment
B) Establishes a culture of respect and rapport which supports students’ emotional safety
C) Creates and inclusive and positive school culture that values diversity and meets the needs of all students
1.4 Allocates resources effectively to support student learning goals / A) Maintains a balanced budget focused on improving student achievement
B) Manages time and prioritizes effectively
Domain 2: People Management
2.1 Strategically recruits, hires, and retains most qualified staff / A) Attracts and selects effective teammates
B) Mentors, develops and retains staff
2.2 Creates supportive working environments / A) Manages employees by setting clear expectations and accountable goals
B) Builds a collaborative, well-functioning team
C) Manages conflict
Domain 3: Instructional Leadership
3.1 Demonstrates knowledge of instruction / A) Clearly defines, sets expectations around and supports implementation of Aspire Instructional Guidelines (IG’s)
B) Clearly defines, sets expectations around and supports implementation of effective teaching as defined in the TCRP Aspire Instructional Rubric (AIR)
3.2 Provides coaching, supervision and evaluation of teachers / A) Uses teacher observation and feedback to increase student achievement
B) Provides support to teachers in developing instructional plans
3.3 Uses data to increase student achievement / A) Establishes goals for overall student achievement
B) Regularly analyzes data and engages in data talks
3.4 Provides effective data driven professional development aligned with staff needs and school-wide goals / A) Provides professional development related to growth goals
B) Actively participates in providing professional development
3.5 Implements programs and systems to meet individual student needs / A) Ensures that appropriate school-level and classroom level programs and practices are in place to help students meet individual achievement needs when data indicate interventions are needed
B) Ensures that appropriate school-level and classroom level programs and practices are in place to help students with special needs meet individual achievement goals according to IEP or 504 plan
Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities
Standards / Indicators
4.1 Engage in critical reflection, constantly revising practice to increase effectiveness / A) Acceptance of feedback
4.2 Engage in collaboration relationships with peers to learn and share best practices and ensure continuity in student learning / A) Participation in a professional community
B) Professional development
C) Shared commitment
4.3 Uphold and exhibit the CMO norms and expectations / A) Ethics and professionalism
B) Norms described by school/CMO handbooks
Domain 5: Partnerships, Family and Community
5.1 Develop two-way communication with families about student learning and achievement / A) Initiation of meaningful communication
B) Responsiveness to parent inquiries and communication
C) Inclusion of the family as a partner in learning decisions
5.2 Equip families with a variety of strategies to support their child's success and college readiness / A) Provision of parent education efforts to support students
5.3 Help students leverage resources in their community that support their success in college and beyond / A) Goal setting and advocacy
B) Knowledge of community resources
C) Support for students in accessing these resources

1

Domain 1: Leadership, Vision and Culture

February 2013

Standard / Indicators / Level I / Level II / Level III / Level IV / Examples of Artifacts or Evidence, but not limited to
1.1 Embraces a shared vision of academic success for every student / A) Maintains a school-wide focus on high standards of student achievement / Spends excessive time and energy on issues unrelated to student achievement; fails to focus self or others on student learning. / Consistently speaks of high standard of student achievement as the focus of the school / Establishes and continually reinforces high standards of student learning as the central mission of the school through both words and actions / Is consistent and unrelenting in reinforcing the highest standards of student learning as the central mission of the school and models that focus in all activities; student and staff are able to articulate the mission /
  • Data analysis – whole school, team and individual
  • Time spent in classrooms
  • Data walls
  • Staff/team meeting notes
  • Public goals

B) Creates a strong learning culture that communicates “college for certain” / Does not discuss or refer to the vision of the school; student behavior is not reflective of a “college for certain” culture; no artifacts or systems reflect the vision / Little time is spent sharing the vision; student behavior and attitude/mindset is somewhat reflective of a “college for certain” culture; few artifacts and systems reflect the “college for certain” culture / Periodic discussion focuses the community on the vision; student behavior and attitude/mindset is generally reflective of a “college for certain” culture / Vision is shared by all constituents and frequently referenced; student behavior and attitude/mindset is reflective of an effective learning community; creative artifacts and systems communicate with all constituents about going to college /
  • Survey data
  • Observations by Area Superintendent at different times of the day
  • Town Halls
  • School environment
  • Common language
  • Student artifacts
  • College swag
  • Common language
  • Hopes and Dreams

1.2 Exemplifies leadership / A) Applies adaptive leadership appropriate to the situation and the context of the school / Is completely authoritarian or provides no leadership at all; does not make leadership decisions based on the situation / Attempts to use different leadership approaches depending on the situation; understands the strengths and drawbacks of different approaches / Uses a number of leadership strategies skillfully; exercises good judgment about the appropriate management style to use / Uses a variety of leadership strategies skillfully; consistently exercises good judgment about the appropriate management strategy to use /
  • Established leadership roles
  • Organizational flow chart
  • Teammate survey
  • Book studies

B) Develops new leaders and provides leadership opportunities as appropriate / Does not identify leaders at school site; provides no opportunities for teachers or staff to lead / Provides some opportunities for teachers or staff to lead / Allows most staff an opportunity to lead / Delegates and collaborates as a way to train and motivate new leaders; staff feels empowered in formal and informal ways /
  • Notes from Leadership team meetings
  • Coaching leads
  • PD’s
  • Peer survey
  • Teacher-led PD’s
  • Committees
  • Career path in PLP’s
  • Leaders Lead

C) Designs and utilizes effective forms of formal and informal communication / Does not convey information to staff in a timely manner; is a poor listener; does not express ideas clearly / Disseminates clear, concise information in a timely manner using appropriate media; demonstrates attention to others’ comments / Disseminates clear, concise information in a timely manner using appropriate media; targets communication to suit the audience; actively listens / Models effective two-way communication with all stakeholders; is able to inspire as well as convey information /
  • Newsletters
  • Responsive to emails in a timely manner
  • Family all calls
  • Daily talk
  • Staff meeting notes
  • Shout outs
  • Staff emails

1.3
Ensures that students demonstrate consistent values and behaviors aligned to school’s vision and mission / A) Effectively fosters a safe and civil environment / Student discipline policy is handled inconsistently or not at all. School environment does not feel safe and respectful. / Student discipline policy is handled inconsistently, but student behavior is orderly most of the time. School environment feels safe and respectful. / Student discipline policy is handled consistently. School environment feels safe and respectful. / Student discipline policy is handled consistently. Student behavior is reflective of an effective learning community. School environment is not only safe and respectful, but also reflects a rigorous academic focus. /
  • Student surveys
  • Family surveys
  • OnCourse data (including suspensions)
  • Observations during different times of day, including recess and lunch
  • Office referrals
  • Family Handbook
  • RTI Behavior System
  • Counseling groups and interventions
  • Social-Emotional Support Groups
  • Cleanliness

B) Establishes a culture of respect and rapport which supports students’ emotional safety / Interactions with some students are negative, demeaning, or inappropriate to the age and needs of the students OR students exhibit disrespect for the principal. / Interactions with students inconsistently demonstrate respect and positivity, or are not consistently appropriate for the age and needs of students OR students inconsistently exhibit respect for the principal. / Interactions with students are respectful, positive and appropriate for the age and needs of students AND students exhibit respect for the principal. / Interactions with students are respectful, positive and appropriate for the age and needs of student.
AND
Students exhibit respect for the principal
AND
The principal's interactions demonstrate a positive rapport with individual students. /
  • Student surveys
  • Area Superintendent Observations
  • Notes from students
  • Student interactions with Principal
  • Behavior Support Plans
  • Collaboration between family and school
  • SST’s

C) Creates an inclusive and positive school culture that values diversity and meets the needs of all students / Demonstrates limited awareness of the impact of diversity on student learning; does not help staff to navigate strengths and challenges provided by diverse students or perspectives; does not engage in courageous conversations about biases or has a limited skill set in addressing biased language and behaviors / Recognizes the impact of diversity on student learning; attempts to create a learning environment that is supportive of all students; develops some systems to support diverse student needs; seeks opportunities or reactively engages in courageous conversations about diversity and culture and how they impact student learning / Creates a learning environment that is welcoming and supportive of all students and families; engages staff in addressing learning needs and challenges originating from diversity and difference and creates systems to address these needs; develops staff capacity to engage in courageous conversations about how diversity and culture and how they impact student learning / Creates a learning environment that is welcoming and supportive of all students and families; Builds staff capacity to provide and lead supports for diverse groups; builds the school’s and community’s collective capacity by initiating direct conversations about culture and diversity; recognizes and integrates the learning opportunities that come from a diverse community /
  • Addressing equity in PD
  • Approach to Special Education
  • Providing outside resources to students and families
  • Counseling programs
  • Teammate survey
  • Equity sponsored events
  • Clubs or organizations
  • Community events
  • Home visits and neighborhood walks

1.4
Allocates resources effectively to support student learning goals / A) Maintains a balanced budget focused on improving student achievement / Does not manage budget effectively; budget does not meet bottom line; does not understand the basics of the budget nor makes any effort to learn. / Attempts to manage budget effectively to meet bottom line, is slightly over budget; understands basic principles of budget management / Manages budget effectively to meet bottom line; manages and monitors fiscal resources efficiently and effectively on improving student learning; understands finance and accounting principals; finds ways to increase revenues and decrease costs as much as possible / Manages budget effectively to meet bottom line; manages and monitors fiscal resources efficiently and effectively on improving student learning; understands finance and accounting principals; finds creative ways to maximize revenue and minimize costs; works with staff and community to match priorities with spending. /
  • Notes from budget meetings
  • End of the year budget
  • Feedback from financial analyst
  • Finance tools Principals’ Dashboard

B) Manages time and prioritizes effectively / Is completely reactive; acts mostly in response to crisis; fails to spend time on the school’s core mission / Makes a deliberate effort to spend time on the most mission-critical activities / Organizes time around the school’s goals; is efficient taking care of lower priority items / Organizes the way time is spent throughout the school to ensure a focus on the school and organization’s goals; ensures that time is well-spent by all staff /
  • Observations from Area Superintendent
  • Feedback from Staff

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Domain 2: People Management

Standard / Indicators / Level I / Level II / Level III / Level IV / Examples of Artifacts and Evidence, but not limited to
2.1 Strategically recruits, hires, and retains most qualified staff / A.) Attracts and selects effective teammates / Identifies or selects candidates based on inappropriate criteria; does use a sound and consistent process for hiring / Relies on Aspire-wide advertising to attract candidates; uses Aspire criteria and process to select staff / Uses multiple channels to identify and recruit strong candidates; consistently uses Aspire criteria and process to select staff / Proactively uses multiple channels to identify and recruit top performers for Aspire beyond school site; selects staff that represents a balanced mix of strengths and styles /
  • Recruitment activities – attends job fairs
  • Hosting open houses
  • Hiring timeline
  • Workforce planning
  • Reference checks
  • Interview questions
  • Force rank
  • Involvement of a variety of staff members in recruiting and hiring

B) Mentors, develops and retains staff / Does not implement strategies to assess professional goals; does not create and implement processes to mentor new teachers and staff / Implements strategies to assess staff professional goals; creates and implements a system to identify, support, mentor and coach members are new or emerging leaders who need additional support; 50-70% staff retention / Consistently implements strategies to assess and support staff professional goals; creates and implements a system to identify, support, mentor and coach members are new or emerging leaders who need additional support; 70-84% staff retention / Consistently implements strategies to assess and staff professional goals and provides differentiated support; creates and implements a system to identify, support, mentor and coach members are new or emerging leaders who need additional support; 85-100% staff retention /
  • High retention rate
  • Observations from PD’s
  • 1 to 1 meetings with staff and action items
  • Leadership team meetings
  • Principal survey results
  • Uses evidence from previous exit interviews
  • PLP goals specific to building mentorship capacity
  • Peer survey
  • PLP’s

2.2 Creates supportive working environments / A) Manages employees by setting clear expectations and accountable goals / Sets unclear expectations with staff; does not create PLP goals; staff performance is not monitored regularly; resists discussing results and metrics with staff; consistently underperforming staff are not placed on improvement plans / Creates PLP’s for some but not all staff; places consistently underperforming staff on improvement plans but not in a timely manner and lacks sufficient data documentation OR does not follow-through with implementation of plan / Creates PLP’s for all staff aligned to AIR, school goals, or Aspire Must Achieves; consistently places underperforming staff on improvement plans using sufficient evidence AND provides appropriate support / Creates a culture of accountability; creates individual PLP goals for all staff that align to Aspire AIR, school goals, and Aspire Must Achieves; creates improvement plans for underperforming staff based on multiple sources of evidence with sufficient supplemental documentation AND provides appropriate support /
  • Launch
  • Must Achieves
  • PLP’s for every staff member
  • Use of support plans, corrective conversations
  • Systematic way of addressing corrective actions
  • Staff expectations
  • Data conferences
  • Staff retreats

B) Builds a collaborative, well-functioning team / Does not promote collaborative behavior among staff members; allows strong individuals to derail productive group work / Encourages staff to collaborate but lacks a culture of shared accountability; some but not all staff feel part of the team / Enables frequent collaboration among staff members; uses individuals’ strengths effectively; creates a culture of shared accountability / Creates a culture of collaboration and mutual support; uses individual strengths effectively; fosters employee skills in team-building; creates a strong culture of shared accountability /
  • Evidence of teams across grade and content
  • Evidence of affiliation activities
  • Differentiated roles for staff members
  • Process for choosing leads
  • PD Agendas
  • Teammate survey
  • Notes from Leadership Meetings
  • Coaching assignments
  • Peer observations
  • Weekly bulletin
  • Principal’s PLP

C) Manages conflict / Has little awareness of potential problems and/or areas of conflict with the school; does not have processes to resolve problems or areas of conflict OR does so inconsistently / Demonstrates awareness of potential problems and/or areas of conflict with the school; has some processes in place to resolve problems and/or areas of conflict / Is aware of potential problems and areas of conflict within the school; establishes processes to resolve problems and conflicts and does so consistently to result in the best interest of students and the school / Is aware of potential problems and areas of conflict within the school; establishes processes to resolve problems and conflicts skillfully and does so consistently to result in the best interest of students and the school AND develops the capacity of all school staff to manage conflict effectively /
  • Principal survey
  • Time frame for addressing conflict in a timely manner
  • Support plans
  • Use of protocols to resolve conflict
  • Norms and agreements

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Domain 3: Instructional Leadership

February 2013

Standard / Indicators / Level I / Level II / Level III / Level IV / Examples of Artifacts or Evidence but not limited to