This is the first in a series of evaluations related to principal and teacher appraisal in New Zealand schools.
These evaluations are intended to provide information to help boards and school leaders strengthen appraisal practice and links with school development to improve outcomes for their students.
Methodology
Source of information
Information for this report came from an evaluation of schools’ processes and practices to accelerate the progress of priority learners in 178 primary schools in Terms 2 and 3, 2012.
Information about the links between appraisal and school goals or targets was gathered in response to three evaluation questions:
- To what extent do the board’s processes contribute to improved outcomes for learners, particularly priority learners? (links with principal appraisal expectations)
- To what extent are leaders’ processes and practices accelerating the progress of priority learners? (appraisal links)
- To what extent are teachers focused on accelerating the progress of priority learners? (appraisal links to targets)
ERO also sought to identify some of the practices found in the schools where appraisal did link to their charter targets and goals for priority learners.
The report includes examples of good practices and processes ERO reviewers found during the reviews.
Key Results
Many schools did not recognise that appraisal is a key part of a systematic approach to improving the effectiveness of teaching and outcomes for students. Improvements are more likely to occur when key elements are connected and support each other. Appraisal provides an opportunity for leaders and teachers to inquire together into the impact of teaching on student learning.
Only one-third of schools linked their principal’s appraisal goals to the school targets or goals, and only some of these schools made these links with their teachers’ appraisal.
Many of the schools that linked school and appraisal goals demonstrated consistently high performance in the six dimensions of a successful school. These included a commitment to all students achieving, and a sense of shared responsibility for student learning, as well as a systematic approach including:
- using data to identify student and staff needs
- setting school goals
- linking staff goals to the school goals
- planning and accessing related professional learning
- establishing processes where teachers discuss strategies to accelerate progress
- monitoring the impact on student learning to identify effective practices.