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303.6 Administrator Performance Evaluation

The Superintendent or designee(s) will conduct an ongoing process of evaluating the administrators on their skills, abilities, and competence. At a minimum, the Superintendent or designee(s) will formally evaluate the administrators annually. The goal of the formal evaluation process is to ensure that the educational program for the students is carried out, ensure student learning goals of the school district are met, promote growth in effective administrative leadership for the school district, clarify the administrator's role as defined by the board and the superintendent, assess administrator competence in the Iowa Standards for School leaders, ascertain areas in need of improvement, clarify the immediate priorities of the responsibilities listed in the job description, and develop a working relationship between the superintendent and the administrator. This policy supports and does not preclude the ongoing informal evaluation of the administrator's skills, abilities and competence.

The superintendent is responsible for designing an administrator evaluation instrument to assess, among other things, the administrator’s competence in meeting the Iowa Standards for School Leaders and the goals of the administrator’s individual professional development plan. The formal evaluation will include written criteria related to the job description and the Iowa Standards for School Leaders. The superintendent, after receiving input from the administrators, will present the formal evaluation instrument to the board for approval.

The formal evaluation will also include an opportunity for the administrator and the superintendent to discuss the written criteria, the past year's performance and the future areas of growth. The evaluation is completed by the superintendent, signed by the administrator and filed in the administrator's personnel file.

The principal will be an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by:

  • Mission, Vision and Core Values: Develop, advocate and enact a shared mission, vision, and core values of high-quality education and academic success and well-being of each student.
  • Ethics and Professional Norms: Act ethically and according to professional norms to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
  • Equity and Cultural Responsiveness: Strive for equity of educational opportunity and culturally responsive practices to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
  • Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment: Develop and support intellectually rigorous and coherent systems of curriculum, instruction and assessment to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
  • Community Care and Support for Students: Cultivate an inclusive, caring and supportive school community that promotes the academic success and well-being of each student.
  • Professional Capacity of School Personnel: Develop the professional capacity and practice of school personnel to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
  • Professional community for Teachers and Staff: Foster a professional community of teachers and professional staff to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
  • Meaningful Engagement of Families and Community: Engage families and the community in meaningful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial ways to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
  • Operations and Management: Manage school operations and resources to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
  • School Improvement: Act as an agent of continuous improvement to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.

It is the responsibility of the superintendent to conduct a formal evaluation of the probationary administrators and nonprobationary administrators prior to May 15.


Legal Reference:  Iowa Code §§ 279.8, .21-.23A.
281 I.A.C. Ch 12.3(3); ch. 83

Cross Reference:  301 Superintendent of Schools
303.8 Administrative Dismissal

Adopted: 02/06/89
Modified:  08/16/21
Reviewed:  08/02/21

  • Series 300 Administration