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Administrative Procedure

AP-705 — In-School Administrator Growth, Supervision, and Evaluation

Section Seven: Personnel and Employee Relations
Effective Date: October 5, 2015 Last Reviewed: March 30, 2020

Background

Principals, vice principals and assistant principals are employed by Grasslands School Division as teachers; Administrative Procedure 710 addresses their growth, supervision and evaluation in their teaching roles. Leadership from principals, vice principals and assistant principals is a key contributing factor in enhancing student achievement and continuing professional growth of school staff members.

Leadership

The Leadership Quality Standard (LQS) outlines the dimensions of leadership and provides indicators for the necessary competencies. Principals must obtain their Principal Leadership Certificate as determined by Alberta Education.

Quality leadership occurs when the leader's ongoing analysis of the context, and decisions about what leadership knowledge and abilities to apply, result in quality teaching and optimum learning for all school students.

In addition, according to the Education Act, a principal of a school must:

  1. provide instructional leadership in the school;
  2. provide a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment that respects diversity and fosters a sense of belonging;
  3. ensure that the instruction provided by the teachers employed in the school is consistent with the courses and programs of study prescribed, approved or authorized pursuant to this Act;
  4. evaluate or provide for the evaluation of programs offered in the school;
  5. ensure that students in the school have the opportunity to meet the standards of education set by the Minister;
  6. direct the management of the school;
  7. maintain order and discipline in the school and on the school grounds and during activities sponsored or approved by the board;
  8. promote co-operation between the school and the community that it serves;
  9. supervise the evaluation and advancement of students;
  10. evaluate the teachers employed in the school; and
  11. subject to any applicable collective agreement and the principal's contract of employment, carry out the duties that are assigned to the principal by the board in accordance with the regulations and the requirements of the school council and the board.

Procedures

  1. As career-long learners, all in-school administrators employed by Grasslands School Division are expected to accept responsibility for their professional growth.
  2. There will be ongoing supervision of all in-school administrators in Grasslands School Division while in the performance of their professional duties.
  3. Evaluation of a principal, vice principal and assistant principal in Grasslands School Division will occur in the following circumstances:
    1. for all principals, vice principals and assistant principals who have probationary fixed-term contracts;
    2. upon the written request of the principal, vice principal and assistant principal;
    3. for the purposes of gathering information related to a specific employment decision;
    4. for the purposes of assessing the growth of the in-school administrator in specific areas of practice; or
    5. as required to ensure that the duties are being competently performed.

Growth

Each in-school administrator employed by Grasslands School Division must make available for review and discussion the annual Individual Professional Growth Plan to the superintendent or designate, by September 30 of each school year. (In the case of a vice principal and/or assistant principal it will be made available to the principal.) The Individual Professional Growth Plan shall be kept in the possession of the in-school administrator. A copy, with the school administrator's permission, may be kept by the superintendent, or designate.

This plan will:

  1. include specific goals based on personal reflection of the competencies outlined in the LQS;
  2. take into consideration the educational plans of the school, division, and Alberta Education;
  3. articulate the method of attainment;
  4. outline measures to evaluate progress; and include
  5. interviews with the superintendent or designate to discuss the Individual Professional Growth Plan will take place at a mutually agreed upon time during the year.

Supervision

The ongoing supervision process undertaken by the superintendent/designate will consider the legal requirements prescribed by the Education Act and will align with the Leadership Quality Standard, and the indicators of effective performance within those competencies. Supervision includes but is not limited to leadership activities such as:

  1. providing support and guidance;
  2. providing feedback on performance;
  3. providing feedback from stakeholders;
  4. assisting in the development of goals for growth; and
  5. identifying behaviours or practices that for any reason may require an evaluation.

Evaluation

The evaluation process undertaken by the superintendent/designate will consider the legal requirements prescribed by the Education Act and will align with the Leadership Quality Standard, and the indicators of effective performance within those competencies.

  1. For principals, vice principals and assistant principals the evaluation process will include:
    1. written notification to the individual, with a copy placed in the individual school administrator's personnel file:
    2. documentation from the in-school administrator showing evidence of effective performance in the leadership competencies;
    3. a summary of information gathered by the superintendent/designate supported by specific examples and communicated to the in-school administrator;
    4. a summary of information gathered by the assistant and associate superintendents of performance within the areas for which each has responsibility, requested by, and communicated to, the superintendent/designate;
    5. input from other employees as requested by the in-school administrator and provided to the superintendent/designate; and
    6. input from other sources provided to the superintendent/designate and discussed with the in-school administrator.
  2. In all cases, the supervision/evaluation of the teaching portion of the job will be done separately as outlined in Administrative Procedure 710. The following applies to evaluation of the performance of duties as in-school administrators:
    1. for those on probationary contracts, subsequent appointments will be dependent on the superintendent's evaluation and terms defined in section 4a) of Administrative Procedure 708;
    2. for those on term contracts, subsequent appointments will be dependent on the superintendent's evaluation; and
    3. for a principal who has a continuing administrative contract, evaluation could occur as outlined in section 3c) ii., iii., iv., and v. above. If it is other than by request of the in-school administrator, the reasons for the evaluation will be outlined by the superintendent.
  3. The evaluation will conclude that:
    1. duties are being competently performed and the individual will continue to be assigned to a position as an administrator with the applicable administrative contract; or
    2. there are areas in which the duties are not being competently performed but there is an expectation that the individual can demonstrate the required growth in those areas. In this case a program of remediation will be implemented with specified timelines and expectations. Upon completion of that remediation process, the individual will either continue to be assigned to a position with the applicable administrative contract or the designation will be terminated subject to the provisions in the Education Act; or
    3. duties are not being competently performed and the individual's designation shall be terminated subject to the provisions in the Education Act.
  4. Report
    1. A written report will be prepared in draft form by the superintendent/designate after consideration of everything outlined in section 6 a) above.
    2. The draft will be discussed with the in-school administrator and any errors or misrepresentation will be corrected.
    3. The final report will be signed and one copy will be retained by the in-school administrator and the other will be placed in the personnel file.

Exclusion

This policy does not restrict:

  1. The superintendent from taking disciplinary action or other action as appropriate, where the superintendent has reasonable grounds for believing that the actions or practices of a teacher endangers the safety of students, constitutes a neglect of duty, a breach of trust or a refusal to obey a lawful order of the school authority; or
  2. The Board or superintendent from taking action or exercising any right or power under the Education Act.