A new evaluation tool for principals has come on the market. Named "VAL-ED" (groan--we did), it purports to measure leadership behaviors that are associated with student performance. The tool doesn't factor in actual student performance but relies on a school's teachers, as well as a principal's supervisor, to complete a 72-item inventory of behaviors.

The designers of the model caution that VAL-ED is not intended as a stand-alone evaluation instrument. "To assess the strengths and weaknesses of a principal, you really should look beyond just what you learn from our instrument. If would be ideal if you had direct measures of the core components--if you had for example, a direct measure of the rigor of the curriculum. Also, if you had a direct measure of the value added to student achievement." Will school districts heed the warning? If past practice is any indicator, we'll see plenty of IN-VAL-ED ratings being produced.