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 Texas from the State of the States 2022: Teacher and Principal Evaluation Policies report.
Objective Student Growth Measures: Texas's principal evaluation system, T-PESS, requires the inclusion of student growth: Campus-level academic growth or progress of students enrolled at a campus must count for 20 percent of the rating for those with two-plus years of experience as principal, 10 percent for those with one year, and 0 percent for first-year principals.
Link to Teacher Effectiveness/Instructional Leadership: Texas's standards require evaluation of "human capital," which means "ensuring there are high-quality teachers and staff in every classroom and throughout the school." Effective leaders of human capital must do the following:
Ensure that principals receiving less-than-effective ratings are placed on a professional improvement plan.
Texas 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.
Texas 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.