Using Multiple Forms of Data in Principal Evaluations: An Overview with Examples. Integrated Leadership Development Initiative

The Integrated Leadership Development Initiative (ILDI) is a cross-agency partnership that focuses on collaboratively guiding and supporting leader development and improving conditions of leadership so that there are highly accomplished leaders in every district and school in California. In this brief, ILDI focuses on Principal Evaluations and provides information about the most important aspects of principal performance--what principals do; how they do it; and the impact they have on their schools, teaching, and student learning. Recent developments in measures of principal knowledge and performance and of principal evaluation models emphasize the need to collect and use multiple forms of data to capture the scope and complexity of new expectations. This brief explains basic concepts about multiple forms of data that apply to principal evaluation systems. It then provides examples for using multiple forms of data that illustrate a wide range of options used by states, districts, and organizations. The examples demonstrate various choices and decisions that use multiple data sources within context-specific purposes and resources.