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 Nevada from the State of the States 2022: Teacher and Principal Evaluation Policies report.
Objective Student Growth Measures: Nevada requires Student Learning Goals (SLGs)—district-level performance measures—to count for 15 percent of the overall evaluation score. Student learning data must not be included in the evaluation rating for a first-year principal.
Link to Teacher Effectiveness/Instructional Leadership: Nevada requires that principal evaluations include "an evaluation of the instructional leadership practices"; however, there is no link connecting this evaluation to teacher effectiveness.
Improvement Plans: Nevada requires that principal evaluations include "recommendations for improvements in the performance of the administrator" and "a description of the action that will be taken to assist the administrator in the areas of instructional leadership, professional responsibilities, and the performance of pupils."
Surveys: Nevada allows for the use of evaluation by students or other administrators to be included as part of the overall 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, Nevada should evaluate its principals—to some degree—on teacher effectiveness and instructional leadership.
Nevada recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis and was also helpful in providing NCTQ with facts that enhanced this analysis.
The state also noted that the statewide educator performance system known as the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) requires educators to set a student learning goal (SLG) and use assessments that meet certain criteria. The criteria for assessment can be found in the approved, but not yet codified regulations found in R document #138-17 and the NEPF Protocols for Educator Evaluation.
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.