January 19, 2000
TO THE SUPERINTENDENT ADDRESSED:
SUBJECT: Standards for Student Performance Domain for Appraisal of Principals and Superintendents
With the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year, the commissioner's recommended student performance appraisal domain has been available for adoption by local school boards for use with superintendents as well as principals. During the development process two options were considered for setting the standards that would be used to initiate an intervention plan for principals. Those options were for the commissioner to set standards at the state level or for local districts to continue establishing local standards. Districts were alerted in Dr. Moses' letter of April 29, 1999, item 12 of the question and answer document, that local standards should be adopted for the student performance domain for school year 1999-2000.
After careful consideration of these options, I have decided that the responsibility of setting standards to initiate an intervention plan based upon the student performance domain should remain with the local district.
With this decision, the development process for the commissioner's recommended student performance domain is complete. As changes to the state assessment program and accountability system occur in the future, appropriate adjustments will also be made to the student performance domain for administrators.
I wish to thank the many individuals who participated in the development process for the student performance domain. Through the efforts of many outstanding professionals, we now have a process available to all local districts that addresses the important link between the administrator and student performance.
Sincerely yours,
Jim Nelson
Commissioner of Education