Principal Evaluation Rubrics
Rationale and suggestions for implementation
1. These rubrics are organized around six domains covering all aspects of a principal’s job performance:
1. Strategy
Focuses on leadership in setting vision, diagnosing strengths/weaknesses, and setting measurable goals. Effective principals:
- Build a strong leadership team.
- Conduct comprehensive assessments of school performance.
- Establish a clear, inspiring mission and ambitious student achievement targets.
- Develop and monitor a results-oriented strategic plan.
2. First Things First (Prioritization & Organization)
Addresses time management, delegation, and communication. Effective principals:
- Plan proactively for year/month/week/day.
- Use varied communication channels effectively.
- Foster staff ownership of school-wide management and discipline.
- Delegate tasks appropriately and hold efficient meetings.
3. Curriculum & Data
Concerns curriculum alignment and data-driven instruction. Effective principals:
- Set clear academic expectations aligned with standards.
- Ensure teachers use student data for instructional planning.
- Establish common assessments and data analysis meetings.
- Provide strong curriculum materials and professional development.
4. Talent Development
Focuses on professional growth of teachers. Effective principals:
- Use staff meetings productively for professional learning.
- Ensure ongoing coaching, mentoring, and training.
- Conduct frequent classroom observations with feedback.
- Address underperformance through direct feedback and support.
5. Culture
Addresses school environment, discipline, and family engagement. Effective principals:
- Gain staff buy-in for consistent discipline policies.
- Recognize and celebrate student and staff achievements.
- Promote strong parent-school communication and engagement.
- Provide effective support services for students with additional needs.
6. Management
Focuses on operational leadership and ethical responsibility. Effective principals:
- Demonstrate high ethical standards.
- Develop efficient school schedules and processes.
- Manage budgets, resources, and compliance effectively.
- Maintain strong relationships with external stakeholders.
The rubrics use a four-level rating scale with the following labels:
4 – Highly Effective 3 – Effective 2 – Improvement Necessary 1 – Does Not Meet Standards
2. The rubrics are designed to give principals and other school-based administrators an end-of-the-year assessment of where they stand in all performance areas – and detailed guidance for improvement. The rubrics are not checklists for school visits. To knowledgeably evaluate a principal at the end of a school year, a supervisor needs to have been in the school frequently, had lots of formative feedback conversations, and looked a numerous artifacts. It is irresponsible to fill out the rubrics based on 1-2 visits and without ongoing dialogue.
3. The rubrics cover principals’ actions, not their personal qualities. Underlying these 60 manifestations of leadership are the principal’s vision, firm beliefs, access to research and a network of support, interpersonal and communication skills, cultural competence, courage, decisiveness, resilience, and wisdom.
4. The Effective level describes solid, expected professional performance; any administrator should be pleased with scores at this level. The Highly Effective level is reserved for truly outstanding leadership as described by very demanding criteria. Improvement Necessary indicates that performance has real deficiencies and must improve (although some novice administrators might start here). And performance at the Does Not Meet Standards level is clearly unacceptable and will lead to dismissal if it is not improved immediately.
5. To score, read across the four levels of performance for each criterion, find the level that best describes the principal’s performance, and circle or highlight it. On each page, this will create a clear graphic display of overall performance, areas for commendation, and areas that need work. Write the overall score at the bottom of each page with brief comments, and then record all the scores and overall comments on the summary page.
6. Evaluation conferences are greatly enhanced if the supervisor and administrator fill out the rubrics in advance and then meet and compare one page at a time. Of course, the supervisor has the final say, but the discussion should aim for consensus based on actual evidence of the most accurate score for each criterion. Supervisors should go into evaluation process with some humility since they can’t possibly know everything about an administrator’s complex world. Similarly, administrators should be open to feedback from someone with an outside perspective – all revolving around whether the school is producing learning gains for all students. Note that student achievement is not explicitly included in these rubrics, but clearly it’s directly linked to school leadership. How student results factor into evaluation is for each district or governing board to decide.
7. Some supervisors sugar-coat criticism and give inflated scores to keep the peace and avoid hurting feelings.
his does not help an administrator improve. The kindest thing a supervisor can do for an underperforming
administrator is give candid, evidence-based feedback and robust follow-up support.
