Teacher and Principal Evaluation Policy
The data and analysis on this page is from 2019. View and download the most recent policy data and analysis on Principal Effectiveness in North Dakota from the State of the States 2022: Teacher and Principal Evaluation Policies report.
Objective student growth measures: North Dakota requires that principal evaluations include student growth and achievement measures.
Link to teacher effectiveness/instructional leadership: North Dakota state policy does not explicitly link principal evaluations and teacher effectiveness/instructional leadership.
Improvement plans: North Dakota does not require that principals rated less-than-effective be placed on improvement plans.
Surveys: North Dakota explicitly allows school climate or other surveys and 360-degree surveys of staff for the purposes of principal evaluation.
Make an explicit link between principal evaluation and teacher effectiveness/instructional leadership.
Because the time principals spend on organizational management, instructional programming, and teacher evaluation is critically important for positive effects on both teachers and students, North Dakota should evaluate its principals—to some degree—on teacher effectiveness and instructional leadership.
Ensure that principals receiving less-than-effective effective ratings are placed on a professional improvement plan.
North Dakota should adopt a policy requiring principals who receive even one less-than-effective evaluation rating to be placed on structured improvement plans. These plans should identify noted deficiencies, define specific action steps necessary to address these deficiencies, and describe how and when progress will be measured.
North Dakota recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.
7G: Principal Effectiveness
Research demonstrates that there is a clear link between school leadership and school outcomes.[1] Principals foster school improvement by shaping school goals, policies and practices, and social and organizational structures.[2] Principals vary significantly in their effectiveness, and research suggests that high-quality principals positively affect student achievement, in-school discipline, parents' perceptions of schools, and school climates.[3] Further, principals affect teacher retention and recruitment;[4] effective principals are more adept at retaining effective teachers and removing ineffective teachers.[5] The time principals spend on organizational management, instructional programming, and teacher evaluation is critically important for positive effects on teachers and students.[6] Because principals are an essential component of creating successful schools, their effectiveness should be regularly evaluated by trained evaluators on systems that include objective measures. Such systems will help to ensure that all principals receive the feedback and support necessary to improve their practice and, ultimately, student and school outcomes.