New Jersey Department of Education

NJPEPL Process Training Modules

NJPEPL Process Module 2

Step One: Annual Planning and Goal-Setting Conference

Agenda - Step One: Annual Planning and Goal-Setting Conference

We will now explore the first step of the NJPEPL process in depth.

Step One – the Annual Planning and Goal-setting Conference.  This conference provides a foundation for a successful year where the principal and supervisor can reflect on the successes and challenges of the previous year and establish expectations for the coming year.

[Step One: Annual Planning and Goal-Setting Conference. This will be followed by Step Two: Observations and Post-Observation Conferences and then Step Three: Annual Summary Conference. Finally, Guidance for Other Administrators will conclude]

Conference Objectives & Outcomes

Step One – the Annual Planning and Goal-setting Conference

There are three objectives for the annual planning and goal-setting conference:

• Plan. Develop agreements and a shared understanding of the expectations and timeline for the evaluation cycle
• Prioritize. Determine the most important goals for the principal, critical domains of principal practice and the types of evidence that will be collected during observations
• Align. Build congruence between administrator goals, practice priorities and the principal’s professional development plan

Related to these objectives are three concrete outcomes, that if not completed during the conference itself should be completed soon thereafter.

• Development of administrator goals [highlighted on screen]
• Agreement on specific observation protocols such as timing and methods of gathering and sharing evidence
• A professional development plan with goals for the year

We will address the processes to achieve these outcomes beginning with Administrator Goals.

In Advance of the Conference

In advance of the conference, the principal should prepare by reviewing relevant student performance data, survey results, and prior evaluation feedback.

The principal should also develop a first draft of Administrator Goals and update his or her Professional Development Plan
In addition, principals and their supervisors should reflect on areas of growth for the upcoming year. Using the New Jersey Principal and Supervisors Association’s Leadership Reflection and Growth Tool is an excellent way to explore these growth areas for all administrators in the district. This can be completed in advance of the annual planning and goal-setting conference. A link to this tool can be found in the resources section below.

In advance of the conference:

• Principal reviews relevant student performance data, survey results, and prior evaluation feedback. 
• Principal develops first draft of Administrator Goals and update Professional Development Plan
• Principals and their supervisors reflect on areas of growth for the upcoming year.

Administrator Goals

High quality Administrator Goals are critical for establishing priorities for school improvement.  Developing administrator goals during the annual planning and goal-setting conference provides a foundation on which other evaluation and development structures can be built.

There are a few basic requirements that must be met when developing administrator goals. Principals must set between one and four goals each of which must be specific and measurable, based on student growth and/or achievement data, and include a significant number of students. Administrator goals must be set by October 31st.

However, setting goals earlier than this during the annual planning and goal-setting conference will help streamline and align the evaluation process.

Basic Requirements:

• Set between one and four goals
• Goals must be:
• Specific and measurable,
• Based on student growth and/or achievement data, and
• Include a significant number of students
• Set by October 31st each year

Administrator Goals Align with Other Goals

It is important that Administrator goals align with other school and district goals.  Sometimes, the number and type of goals in a school district can be overwhelming, particularly when there is no coherence between these goals.

Once district goals are aligned, these can be used to inform the principal’s administrator goals and school improvement goals. The principal’s PDP should be aligned to meeting these goals.

Furthermore, teachers’ SGOs should also be aligned to the principal’s and district’s priorities.
Finally, all goals should be developed using available data.  Using data to align goals throughout the district, including administrator goals, is efficient and provides focus.

Goals: Informed by Data & Aligned to Priorities

During the annual planning and goal-setting conference, the principal and superintendent should aim to achieve three things regarding administrator goals.

• Develop a shared understanding of district and school goals
• Discuss student and other school data that can inform priorities for school improvement, and
• Align administrator goals to district and school goals.

Taking each of these in turn, first

Shared Understanding of District/School Goals

…develop a shared understanding of district and school goals
For example, Mountainview School District has been experiencing:

• A rapidly growing ELL population.
• The district has also seen double digit gaps in math performance between ELL students and non-ELL student groups.

To address this, district leadership has developed a goal that aims to “close the achievement gap in math between ELL and all other students to within 5 points in the next three years.”

Student/School Data Informs Priorities

Sample Data Sets

[Shown on screen: Sample data sets of Mountainview students indicating that Non-ELL students generally outperform ELL students on math assessments.]

[Tables shown on screen]:

Number of Teachers

Year	NE	I	PE	E	HE	#mSGP
13-14	43	2	68	364	12	76
14-15	47	1	32	401	9	76
15-16	46	1	18	389	13	76
16-17	12	1	13	384	31	76

 District Averages

Year	Practice	SGO	mSGP	Summative
13-14	2.74	3.44	2.42	2.83
14-15	2.79	3.55	2.89	2.94
15-16	2.87	3.59	3.10	3.02
16-17	2.97	3.54	3.17	3.06

At Mountainview, the middle school principal and superintendent review a variety of performance data that can inform school priorities and administrator goals. These data include:

• Evaluation results for teachers over the past several years,
• Recent results from state tests for middle school grades broken down by student group, and
• Other benchmark data

Sample Data Analysis

Math Assessment - Percentage meeting/exceeding expectations

Grade/Group	ELL	Non-ELL	Statewide ELL	District mSGP
6	31%	45%	33%	42
7	34%	48%	37%	44
All District	38%	52%	41%	49

State assessment math scores indicate that, like in other schools in the district, ELL students are not performing as well as their non-ELL peers and are also lagging behind their ELL peers in the rest of the state.

Align to School/District Priorities

As a result of this analysis and discussion, the Mountainview’s Middle School principal suggests setting the following administrator goal “Increase the percentage of ELL students in grades 6 and 7 who meet or exceed expectations on the math assessment by 5 points.” 

This goal aligns closely with the district goal and is somewhat more ambitious [the district leadership’s goal is to “close the achievement gap in math between ELL and all other students to within 5 points in the next three years”]. The timeline for the improvement is set at one year rather than three.

Factors Affecting Administrator Goal Success

In some circumstances and if appropriate groundwork has been laid, the principal’s administrator goal may be an achievable goal.  However, the time required for a principal to meet a particular student achievement goal may extend beyond the yearly evaluation cycle.  A principal may need to make significant changes within the school in order to realize particular student achievement gains. Changes in scheduling, curriculum, staffing, and the overall professional capacity of the staff, all take time and are some of the factors that may need to be addressed before academic gains are seen in students. 

Multi-Year Administrator Goals

In cases where significant groundwork needs to be laid in order to achieve student achievement related goals, administrators should consider setting Administrator Goals that take this reality into account.  For example, in year one, a principal may set a goal for establishing changes in curriculum or providing PD to help build staff professional capacity.  This might be classified as a “process goal” where the aim is to lay the foundation for the established student achievement goal that will follow.

The expected student achievement gains form the foundation of the Administrator Goal the following year. 

Mountainview Principal Administrator Goal

In applying this concept to the Mountainview example, the middle school principal’s administrator goal is to increase the percentage of ELL students in grades 6 and 7 who meet or exceed expectations on the math assessment by 5 points over the next year.

However, upon further discussion between the principal and superintendent, they agree that before any significant gains in ELL math performance will be seen, groundwork needs to be laid.

They agree that the middle school teachers need deliberate coaching in the use of techniques to specifically assist this group and build their instructional capacity. They agree that the staff will receive training in sheltered instruction techniques to better integrate language and content instruction.

Mountainview Multi-Year Administrator Goal

As year 1 of his multiyear administrator goal, the Mountainview Middle School Principal sets a goal to improve instructional techniques throughout his school’s ELL classrooms.

This process goal aims to build staff capacity and states that “by May, appropriate sheltered instruction techniques taught during staff PD sessions will be visible in 80% of ELL classroom visits.”

The principal uses the student achievement goal as his provisional year 2 Administrator goal. This goal states, “The percentage of ELL students in grades 6 and 7 who meet or exceed expectations on the math assessment will increase by 5 points over the next year.”

This goal should be revisited at next year’s annual planning and goal-setting conference prior to implementing it for evaluation purposes.  The goal should be adjusted as necessary based on new information or shifts in priorities.

Activity: Developing Administrator Goals

Let’s review the information about setting administrator goals through an activity.  For this activity, you will need to have access to your most recently completed administrator goals and Professional Development Plan.  Choose one of your administrator goals and answer the following questions:

• How well was your administrator goal aligned with the district goals and your school goals?
• On what data was this goal based?
• Could this administrator goal be adapted into a multi-year goal?
• Does your PDP address an aspect of your knowledge or practice that helped you achieve your administrator goal?  If not, how could your PDP have been revised to provide support in this area?

Pause the video as needed in order to complete this activity. (worksheet)

Conference Objectives & Outcomes

Following the setting of administrator goals, the second concrete outcome of the annual planning and goal setting conference is a set of specific observation protocols. These protocols include those related to prioritization of practice domains, evidence collection, and duration of the observation window. Agreeing to a set of observation protocols ensures that both superintendent and principal are clear on the overall structure of the observation process prior to observations occurring.
Objectives:

• Plan: Develop agreements and shared understanding of expectations and timeline
• Prioritize: Determine most important goals for principal, critical domains of principal practice and types of evidence collected during observations
• Align: Build congruence between admin goals, practice priorities and professional development plans

Outcomes:

• Administrator Goals
• Specific Observation Protocols [highlighted on slide]
• Professional Development Plan

Observation Protocols

Throughout the evaluation cycle, an appropriate variety and quantity of evidence spanning all domains of practice should be collected. 
However, a useful way to maximize opportunities for principal professional learning is to choose one or more “priority domains.” 
The principal and superintendent should identify the practice domains most aligned to Administrator Goals, and identify other priority practice domains.
For evidence collection, the educators should agree on potential sources of direct and indirect evidence for each practice domain including which the principal will provide and what the evaluator will collect and identify potential opportunities for direct observation of the principal.
Finally, the administrators should agree on start and end dates of the observation windows.  The NJDOE’s recommendation is between 2 and 3 months per window.
There is value in applying these observation protocols to the evaluation process regardless of the observation instrument a district chooses to use.

Priorities:

• Identify practice domains aligned to Administrator Goals
• Identify other priority practice domains

Evidence Collection:

• Agree on potential sources of direct and indirect evidence for each domain
• Identify potential opportunities for direct observation of the principal

Observation Time Frame:

• Agree on start and end dates of observation windows (2 to 3 months per window)

Priorities

[Text shown on screen:

Identify domains aligned to administrator goals:

• Goal: By May, appropriate sheltered instruction techniques taught during staff PD sessions will be visible in 80% of ELL classroom visits]

The Mountainview Middle School Principal’s goal is to increase sheltered instruction techniques in ELL classes throughout the year.  Practice domains closely associated with this goal are related to curriculum, instruction and assessment and the professional capacity of staff. These correspond to domains 2 and 3 in the NJPEPL Observation Instrument, which is used here in the example.

Domain 1: Mission, Vision and Core Values is also identified as a priority domain this year as the superintendent seeks to establish consistency of expectations and mission across all schools in the district.

Evidence Collection for Observations

Once priorities are established, the principal and superintendent determine potential sources of evidence for all areas of practice, but particularly for the prioritized domains.

Direct evidence of the principal’s practice can be collected when the superintendent witnesses the principal in a leadership activity and may include school site visits.

Indirect evidence is gathered through various artifacts and the actions and words of others that are a result of the principal’s leadership.
Examples at Mountainview Middle School include PD materials used for sheltered instruction training, classroom walkthroughs, and the agendas and final report from the school’s mission/vision committee.

The principal identifies two opportunities where a site visit would allow the superintendent to see him in action: at the opening day faculty meeting and during several teacher post-observation conferences.

The snapshot of examples shown here is for illustrative purposes only. Districts should aim to gather a diverse and meaningful portfolio of evidence for each principal while guarding against making this process burdensome.  We recommend that districts develop a document that outlines the type of evidence that will be accepted and/or required for evaluation purposes.

Observation Timeline

[Text on Screen: Discuss start and end dates of observation windows to capture full scope of principal’s work (2 to 3 months per window). The timeframes shown are for illustrative purposes only and are not required.]

During the planning conference, the principal and superintendent should also agree on start and end dates of each observation window. Approximately 2 to 3 months will allow for good capture of the scope of the principal’s work.

For example, the first window might begin September 1 continuing through December 1.  The second window could begin January 3 and end March 15.

If the principal is non-tenured, a third window must be added. The first window could begin September 1 and end November 1.  The second window could begin November 15, ending January 5 and the third window could begin January 20 lasting until March 20.
Finally, it is important to remember that a post-observation conference must occur within 15 working days following the end date of each observation window. 

Conference Objectives and Outcomes

After administrator goals have been determined and specific observation protocols have been discussed, the principal’s professional development plan should be reviewed and revised as needed. A meaningful and intentional professional development plan can help the principal meet his or her goals and grow in identified areas.

Objectives:

• Plan: Develop agreements and shared understanding of expectations and timeline
• Prioritize: Determine most important goals for principal, critical domains of principal practice and types of evidence collected during observations
• Align: Build congruence between admin goals, practice priorities and professional development plans

Outcomes:

• Administrator Goals
• Specific Observation Protocols
• Professional Development Plan [highlighted on slide]

Professional Development Plan Requirements

Among other requirements in code, a principal’s Professional Development Plan must:
Identify professional learning goals that address specific individual, school, or school district goals; and
Be derived from the results of observations, evidence, and recommendations included in the annual performance evaluation of the school leader
These requirements are well suited to developing an aligned plan that helps a principal achieve his or her administrator goals and professional improvement goals

Identifying Professional Development Needs

To develop a meaningful and intentional PDP, a principal may look at three pieces of information;

• Recommendations from the principal’s most recent performance evaluation,
• This year’s administrator goals, and
• Those practice domains that may be prioritized for the upcoming evaluation cycle.

[Recent performance evaluation] In Mountainview, during last year’s annual performance review, the superintendent asked the principal to “Consider expanding the role of teacher-leaders to assist in the implementation of the district’s sheltered instruction goal.”

[Administrator Goals] One of the principal’s administrator goals is aligned to this recommendation and states that “by May, appropriate sheltered instruction techniques taught during staff PD sessions will be visible in 80% of ELL classroom visits.”

[Prioritized practice domains] The prioritized practice domains aligned to this goal are:

• Domain 1: Mission, Vision, Core Values
• Domain 2: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
  Domain 3: Professional Capacity of school Personnel

Based on a review of this information, the principal develops the following professional development plan: “Develop the knowledge and skills to create and implement a school-wide system which supports teacher-leaders in facilitating the development of the professional capacity of school personnel in sheltered instruction techniques.”

Activity: Planning & Goal-Setting Conference

Next, we will watch the first of three videos that represent the three components of the New Jersey Principal Evaluation for Professional Learning Process.  Each of these videos is an abridged simulation of what an actual conference might look like.

First, [watch] the annual planning and goal-setting conference between a superintendent and principal. You can access this video using the link in the resource section below. Prior to viewing the video, pause this presentation (5 minutes). While watching the video, take note of the objectives and outcomes of the conference, and be prepared to discuss in the ways in which the conference meets the criteria of the NJPEPL Process and in which ways it might be improved.

After watching the video, discuss your findings with a partner (5 minutes) and then discuss with the whole group (10 minutes).

Use the handout provided in the supplemental materials to help complete this activity. 

Conference Example Thoughts and Considerations

The previous video provides a brief window into a more detailed and lengthy conversation. In this brief snippet the superintendent and principal’s conversation covered many areas that should be discussed in the annual planning and goal-setting conference. 
Strengths of the conference include the following:

• Goals were linked to school and district data, and
• Observation protocols were discussed such as the use of a window of time, priority domains and potential school visit opportunities

Other areas were briefly mentioned and would warrant further discussion when time allows such as:

• A discussion of the principal’s Professional Development Plan,
• Clearly defining observation windows, and
• An agreement on potential sources of evidence for observations

Activity: Preparing for the Conference

Materials

In the following activity, we will be preparing for an upcoming annual planning and goal-setting conference. If time allows and the appropriate data is available, this activity may be completed as part of this training video. Alternatively, this activity could be completed at a more convenient time prior to the planning conference.

You will need access to the following materials:

• Student performance data
• Your annual summary conference form from the most recent evaluation cycle
• Your current PDP
• Available survey data
• Current district goals
• Any other relevant information that might help inform your administrator and professional development goals.

Actions

Use the handout provided in the supplemental materials to help complete this activity.

• Review relevant school and performance evaluation data. Identify major patterns including successes and areas for improvement.
• Identify one to three priority areas for school growth for the following year.
• Identify one to three areas of professional growth based on your performance evaluation.
• Identify any other areas of growth based on completion of the PSEL Leadership Reflection and Growth Tool or other self-reflection process.
• In what areas of professional practice might your PDP be modified to support your growth in these areas?
• For which school improvement priority might an Administrator Goal be developed? 

If you choose to work on this activity now, please pause the video.