The Association of Washington School Principals

Leadership FrameworkOverview

History of the AWSP Leadership Framework

With the establishment of state standards in 1992, the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) recognized that student achievement would become the primary measure of a school’s effectiveness.

Since then, a significant shift has taken place—a shift that has required the evolution of new school cultures, the understanding of new roles for teachers and the development of new student accountability performance standards established and measured outside of the classroom. Pivotal to the success of this shift, which continues today in schools across Washington state, is a new type of principal leadership.

With this in mind, AWSP assembled a task force of more than 20 principals, central office and university to analyze this new type of leadership and create a new set of principal responsibilities to match it.

The goal was to create a document showing the interrelationship between these responsibilities and district policies and practices.

The task force realized that, as the principals’ work changed, the districts’ principal evaluation models would also need to change in order to provide the support critical for these school leaders.

Statement of Accountability

Student achievement in a performance-based school is a shared responsibility involving the student, family, educators and the community. The principal’s leadership is essential. As leader, the principal is accountable for the continuous growth of individual students and increased school performance as measured over time by state standards and locally determined indicators.

Creating a Culture

Ensuring School Safety

Planning with Data

Aligning Curriculum

Improving Instruction

Managing Resources

Engaging Communities

Closing the Gap

PrincipalEvaluation

Criteria

New Criteria

History and Introduction

8 Criteria (Culture, Safety, Data, Curriculum, Evaluation, Resources, Community, Gap)

Reflection ConsiderationsRubricsResearchResources

Certification (ISLLC) and Evaluation (AWSP Criteria) Comparison

Contents

AWSP Leadership FrameworkContents

History and Introduction

8 Criteria (Culture, Safety, Data, Curriculum, Evaluation, Resources, Community, Gap)

Reflection ConsiderationsRubricsResearchResources

Certification (ISLLC) and Evaluation (AWSP Criteria) Comparison

Examples of knowledge and skills that apply

to the criterion

Evidenceto assist

placementon therubrics

Context

AWSP Leadership FrameworkContents

History and Introduction

8 Criteria (Culture, Safety, Data, Curriculum, Evaluation, Resources, Community, Gap)

Reflection ConsiderationsRubricsResearchResources

Certification (ISLLC) and Evaluation (AWSP Criteria) Comparison

Identical Structure

Rubric

Criterion 1 Research | Creating a Culture

Research

Criterion 1 Resources | Creating a CultureCreating a school culture that promotes the ongoing improvement of learning and teaching for students and staff.

1.1 Develops and sustains focus on a shared mission and clear vision for improvement of learning/ teaching

1.2 Engages in essential conversations for ongoing improvement

1.3 Facilitates collaborative processes leading toward continuous improvement

1.4 Creates opportunities for shared leadership

ELEMENTS Multimedia(Video, audio)

From the Field (Strategies from

practicing principals)

Professional Development

Forms & Surveys(Templates,

protocols, sample goals)

Books & Research

Professional Development

GENERAL

Multimedia(Video, audio) WebsitesBooks & Research

Criterion 1 Rubric | Creating a CultureCreating a school culture that promotes the ongoing improvement of learning and teaching for students and staff .

AWSP Leadership FrameworkContents

History and Introduction

8 Criteria (Culture, Safety, Data, Curriculum, Evaluation, Resources, Community, Gap)

Reflection ConsiderationsRubricsResearchResources

Certification (ISLLC) and Evaluation (AWSP Criteria) Comparison

Alignment with ISLLC

Principal and Teacher Connections

Despite the fact that the teacher and principal evaluation criteria were developed separately, 6 of the eight principal evaluation criteria directly connect to all of the state’s the teacher evaluation criteria.

The criteria connect to each other through these 5 themes: culture, data, content, community, instruction

Creating a CULTURE of learning

Teachers Principals“creating a school culture that promotes the ongoing improvement of learning and teaching for students and staff.”

“providing for school safety.”

“fostering and managing a safe, positive learning

environment.”

“collaborative and collegial practices

focused on improving

instructional practice and

student learning.”

Using DATA to make decisions

Teachers Principals

“using multiple student data

elements to modify

instruction and improve

student learning.”

“development, implementation, and evaluation of a data-driven plan for increasing student achievement, including the use of multiple student data elements.”

Linking CONTENT to standards

Teachers Principals

“assisting instructional staff with alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment with state and local district learning goals.”

“providing clear and intentional

focus on subject matter content

and curriculum.”

Linking the school to the COMMUNITY

Teachers Principals

“communicating and

collaboratingwith parents and

school community.”

“partnering with the school community to promote learning.”

Increasing TEACHING effectiveness

Teachers Principals

Implementing the instructional

framework

“monitoring, assisting, and evaluating effective instruction and assessment practices.”