Principals' career and appraisal toolkit

Details: Last Updated on Wednesday, 25 April 2012 21:34

The Principals' career and appraisal toolkit provides guidance from the New Zealand Secondary Principals' Council (NZSPC) regarding the new career structure and appraisal process included in Part 4 of the Secondary Principals’ Collective Agreement (SPCA) 2011-13.

SPCA 2011 Part Four: Professional Leadership and Annual Performance Review

- performance agreements (SPCA, 4.1)

- performance reviews (SPCA, 4.2)

- SPCA 2011 Professional Standards for Principals

From July 2011 a principal's career development will be described in three phases, as defined by service and professional ciriteria in the collective agreement (4.4b):

SPCA 2011 4.4: Secondary principals' career structure

initial principalship
experienced principal
leading principal

The professional criteria are measured through a principal's performance agreement and review process.

Professional Learning Plan (PLP)

A PLP forms part of the performance agreement. It is a board's responsibility to initiate this, but it is always beneficial for a principal to be an active participant, particularly now that an agreed programme of professional learning and development is included (SPCA 4.1.2b).

The PLP is not about overseeing the learning of others

It is about supporting principals to pursue ongoing, relevant professional learning that informs their own leadership and management of their school.

The PLP should be explicitly linked to the performance agreement

PLP goals (two or three are plenty) in the learning plan should match the goals in the performance agreement.

First time principals will have support from their mentor to shape their PLP

There should be some flexibility in the agreed processes for the PLP and performance agreement to allow for shifts and development of goals - so that they remain useful and relevant, both personally and in terms of developing and leading a school's strategic plan.