Principal Effectiveness: Idaho
2017 Teacher and Principal Evaluation Policy
The state should meaningfully assess principal performance. This goal was new in 2017.
Nearly meets
National Council on Teacher Quality. (2017). Principal Effectiveness: Idaho results. State Teacher Policy Database. [Data set].
Retrieved from: https://www.nctq.org/yearbook/state/ID-Principal-Effectiveness-77
Analysis of Idaho's policies
Objective Student Growth Measures: Idaho requires that student achievement count for 33 percent of a principal's evaluation rating.
Link to Teacher Effectiveness/Instructional Leadership: Idaho requires that a principal's professional practice is assessed as to whether he or she "uses teacher/principal evaluation and other formative feedback mechanisms to continuously improve teacher/principal effectiveness." For example, the extent to which a principal recruits and maintains a high-quality staff is examined. "Proficiency in conducting observations and evaluating effective teacher performance shall be included as one source of data."
Improvement Plans: Idaho does not require that all principals rated less-than-effective are placed on improvement plans.
Surveys: Idaho requires a principal's professional practice rating to include at least one of the following: parent input, teacher input, student input, and/or portfolios.
IDAPA 08.02.02.121
Recommendations for Idaho
Ensure that principals receiving less-than-effective ratings are placed on a professional improvement plan.
Idaho should adopt a policy requiring principals who receive even one less-than-effective evaluation rating to be placed on structured improvement plans. These plans should identify noted deficiencies, define specific action steps necessary to address these deficiencies, and describe how and when progress will be measured.
Idaho recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.
General Teacher Preparation
Program Entry
Teacher Shortages and Surpluses
Program Performance Measures
Program Reporting Requirements
Student Teaching/Clinical Practice
Content Knowledge
Teaching Mathematics
Licensure Deficiencies
Middle School Content Knowledge
Middle School Licensure Deficiencies
Adolescent Literacy
Secondary Content Knowledge
Secondary Licensure Deficiencies
Alternate Routes
Preparation for the Classroom
Requirements for Out-of-State Teachers
Provisional and Emergency Licensure
Licensure for Substitute Teachers
Measures of Student Growth
Measures of Professional Practice
Frequency of Evaluation and Observation
Linking Evaluation to Professional Growth
Data Systems Needed for Evaluation
Distributing Teacher Talent Equitably
Principal Effectiveness
Principal Evaluation and Observation
High-Need Schools and Subjects
Prior Work
Probationary Period
Early Childhood Preparation
7G: Principal Effectiveness
Student Growth: The state should require objective measures of student growth to be used in part to determine principal effectiveness.
Evaluation and Instructional Leadership: The state should require principal evaluations to contain an explicit link to teacher effectiveness or instructional leadership.
Improvement Plans: The state should require that all principals who are rated as less than effective be placed on improvement plans.
Surveys: The state should require or explicitly allow surveys (e.g., school climate, teacher, student, school community) to be used in part to determine principal effectiveness.
One-quarter of the total goal score is earned based on the following:
One-quarter credit: The state will earn one-quarter of a point if it requires objective measures of student growth to be used in part to determine principal effectiveness.
Evaluation and Instructional Leadership
One-quarter credit: The state will earn one-quarter of a point if principal evaluations contain an explicit link to teacher effectiveness or instructional leadership.
Improvement Plans
One-quarter credit: The state will earn one-quarter of a point if it requires principals who have been rated as ineffective to be placed on improvement plans.
One-quarter credit: The state will earn one-quarter of a point if it requires or explicitly allows surveys (e.g., school climate, teacher, student, school community) to be used in part to determine principal effectiveness.
Research demonstrates that there is a clear link between school leadership and school outcomes.[1] Principals foster school improvement by shaping school goals, policies and practices, and social and organizational structures.[2] Principals vary significantly in their effectiveness, and research suggests that high-quality principals positively affect student achievement, in-school discipline, parents' perceptions of schools, and school climates.[3] Further, principals affect teacher retention and recruitment;[4] effective principals are more adept at retaining effective teachers and removing ineffective teachers.[5] The time principals spend on organizational management, instructional programming, and teacher evaluation is critically important for positive effects on teachers and students.[6] Because principals are an essential component of creating successful schools, their effectiveness should be regularly evaluated by trained evaluators on systems that include objective measures. Such systems will help to ensure that all principals receive the feedback and support necessary to improve their practice and, ultimately, student and school outcomes.
[1] Clifford, M., Hansen, U. J., & Wraight, S. (2014). Practical guide to designing comprehensive principal evaluation systems: A tool to assist in the development of principal evaluation systems. Center on Great Teachers and Leaders.; Rice, J. K. (2010). Principal effectiveness and leadership in an era of accountability (Brief 8). National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research.; Glasman, N. S., & Heck, R. H. (1992). The changing leadership role of the principal: Implications for principal assessment. Peabody Journal of Education, 68(1), 5-24.
[2] Hallinger, P., & Heck, R. H. (1998). Exploring the principal's contribution to school effectiveness: 1980-1995. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 9(2), 157-191.
[3] Branch, G. F., Hanushek, E. A., & Rivkin, S. G. (2012). Estimating the effect of leaders on public sector productivity: The case of school principals (No. w17803). National Bureau of Economic Research.; Louis, K. S., Leithwood, K., Wahlstrom, K. L. Anderson, S. E., Michlin, M., & Mascall, B. (2010). Learning from leadership: Investigating the links to improved student learning. Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement/University of Minnesota and Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto, 42, 50.; Clark, D., Martorell, P., & Rockoff, J. (2009). School principals and school performance (No. w17803). National Bureau of Economic Research.; Leithwood, K., Louis, K. S., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. (2004). How leadership influences student learning: A review of research for the Learning from Leadership Project. New York: The Wallace Foundation.
[4] Boyd, D., Grossman, P., Ing, M., Lankford, H., Loeb, S., & Wyckoff, J. (2011). The influence of school administrators on teacher retention decisions. American Education Research Journal, 48(2), 303-333; Kimball, S. (2011). Strategic talent management for principals. In Strategic management of human capital in education: Improving instructional practice and student learning in schools (pp. 133-152). New York, NY: Routledge Publishing; Rice, J. K. (2010). Principal effectiveness and leadership in an era of accountability (Brief 8). National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research.; Clark, D., Martorell, P., & Rockoff, J. (2009). School principals and school performance (No. w17803). National Bureau of Economic Research.
[5] Beteille, T., Kalogrides, D., Loeb, S. (2009). Effective schools: Managing the recruitment, development, and retention of high-quality teachers (Working Paper 37). National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research.
[6] Grissom, J. A., & Loeb, S. (2011). Triangulating principal effectiveness: How perspectives of parents, teachers, and assistant principals identify the central importance of managerial skills. American Educational Research Journal, 48(5), 1091-1123.; Horng, E. L., Klasik, D., & Loeb, S. (2010). Principal's time use and school effectiveness. American Journal of Education, 116(4), 491-523.; Catano, N., & Stronge, J. H. (2007). What do we expect of school principals? Congruence between principal evaluation and performance standards. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 10(4), 379-399.