Achievement First
School Leader Professional Growth Plan Handbook
2012 - 2013
Welcome!
Our Professional Growth Plan (PGP) process is an opportunity to step back mid-year and holistically consider one’s strengths and growth areas, to get targeted feedback, and to set goals for the remainder of the school year. We’ve learned that feedback drives performance more than any other learning and development tool. Therefore, by investing in the PGP process you are investing in our most important resource – our talented team members.
This document is intended to support effective implementation of the PGP process at your school. In addition to finding links to key documents and a timeline of this year’s process, this Handbook includes information on the purpose of PGPs, the areas of evaluation, and information on where PGPs fit into Achievement First’s larger talent cycle. Lastly, this Handbook includes practical advice on providing feedback through writing and in face-to-face conversations.
Thank you for the important leadership role you play in developing our platinum staff members!
Table of Contents
Purpose of Professional Growth Plans in the AF Talent Cycle 3
Quick Reference – Components of the PGP Process……………… 4
2012 – 2013 Implementation Timeline…………………..……… 5
School Leader PGPs – Areas of Evaluation ...... ………………………………………………………………6
Operations Team PGPs – Areas of Evaluation 7
Sample Introductory PGP Email to Teachers………………………… 8
Before you Write 9
Best Practices for Written Feedback…………………… 10
Tools and Tips for Every Step of the PGP Process
PGP Conversations and Goal Setting………………………… 13
Performance Improvement Plans………………………………………………………………………………………….17
Sample Goal Setting Handout 19
What to Do After the Meeting………………………. 21
Resources ………………… 21
Purpose of Professional Growth Plans in the AF Talent Cycle
Talent Cycle
To reach our ambitious goals, Achievement First must identify capable team members, develop and retain talent, and maintain relationships with successful staff who leave the organization for a variety of factors. The image below illustrates the elements of this talent cycle, which seeks to get, grow, keep, and remain connected to the right people.
Purpose of Professional Growth Plans (PGPs)
Professional Growth Plans are critical to growing and keeping the right people. Through the PGP process individual team members are invited to identify strengths and areas for development through self-evaluation and feedback. This process highlights the key competencies associated with various roles. Once team members have discussed where they are in relationship to the PGP competencies, they commit to action steps that will increase effectiveness. This process is an investment in the growth of your strongest individual team members. It is also a chance to identify team members who need additional support to succeed. To maximize the impact of this process, strategize with your leadership team on how to use PGPs in order to provide consistent, on-going feedback and how to make sure you keep goals alive.
What will School Leaders gain by participating in the Professional Growth Plan process?
At Achievement First, we believe that deep engagement in the Professional Growth Plan process will increase each school leaders’ efficacy and their impact on scholar achievement. By completing your own PGP process, you will identify strengths, growth areas, and concrete, actionable goals with your coach. You will gain a clearer sense of where you are and what you must do to continue to grow and develop. This process is an opportunity for you to formally connect with your coach and step back from your day to day responsibilities. Taking the time to talk about the competencies of school leadership and your own growth trajectory is an investment in your capacity to serve your school community. In other words, it’s time well spent.
Additionally, as a School Leader you are both a participant and a facilitator of the Professional Growth Plan process. Completing your own Professional Growth Plan first – before leading your staff through their process – will give you a richer perspective. After meeting with your coach, reflect on the high points of your Professional Growth Plan process and consider how to create similar experiences for your staff.
Quick Reference – Components of the PGP Process
1. Self-Evaluation:
a. Send a blank copy of the PGP and request team members evaluate themselves prior to meeting.
b. Send the PGP to team members as early as possible so they know how they are being assessed.
2. Manager Evaluation:
a. Review and organize key results, evidence, and notes. Gather input from resources.
b. After receiving the self-evaluation, complete the written PGP, including ratings and comments.
c. Identify the team member’s greatest strengths and areas for improvement on the last page. Consider the 20% of growth areas that will make 80% of the difference.
d. Do not complete the next steps/goal setting part of the summary. This part will be completed collaboratively during the meeting.
e. Email the team member your written evaluation 24-48 hours prior to the PGP conversation.
3. Feedback Conversation:
a. Meet with the team member within 2 weeks of receiving their PGP self-evaluation.
b. Before the meeting, review your written review and the staff member’s self review. Get in the staff member’s head. What are they thinking? How are they approaching your time together? What do they want to be doing next year/five years from now?
c. Go in with a tight plan/agenda of how you want to use your time together.
4. Goal Setting:
a. Go to the last page of the PGP and discuss the summary of strengths and weaknesses with your team member.
b. Discuss and write next steps to build on strengths and to leverage those strengths for the school. Discuss and write specific goals to be reached in areas of growth.
c. Agree on strategies and resources/support needed for addressing these focus areas and how/when progress will be measured.
5. After the Meeting:
a. Save all PGPs for the school in a zip file and send to .
6. On-Going Check-ins on Goals:
a. Keep the goals alive! Plan to check-in on progress toward goals once a month during coaching
meetings and celebrate improvements toward goals.
2012-2013 Implementation TimelineDate / Important To-Do’s / Helpful Resources
Effective Preparation / September /
Schedule time for your team to complete the School Leadership Survey during Friday PD (Nov 9, 16 or 30)
November/ December / Review PGP Resources / - DSO Exemplar
Quality Implementation / November / Nov 9 – Nov 30 – Team completes the School Leadership 360 Feedback Surveys (feedback for Principals, Deans,Special Services Coordinators and DSOs) / - 360 Survey Questions
December / Dec 21: Principal, self-evaluations submitted to their coach / - School Leader and Special Services Coordinator PGP
- (see page 12 of this document) Sample email for sending the PGP evaluation to your team member before the PGP conversation Note: email the evaluation
24-48 hours before the PGP conversation
January / Jan 31: Principal PGP conversations completed (no more than 2 weeks after self-evaluation)
February / Feb 1: Dean, Special Services Coordinator, DSO and Team College self-evaluations submitted to the principal (and Regional Director if applicable)
Note: Feb 1 is also the suggested due date for the optional Coach and Grade Level Chair Supplements, but principals may use their discretion. / - School Leader and Special Services Coordinator PGP
- Director of School Operations PGP
- Coach Supplement
- Grade Level Chair Supplement
Feb 28: Dean, Special Services Coordinator , DSO and Team College PGP conversations completed (no more than 2 weeks after self-evaluation).
Note: Feb 1 is also the suggested due date for the optional Coach and Grade Level Chair conversations, but principals may use their discretion.
February/March / Feb 15 – Mar 31: Other school-based staff (i.e. Assistants, Paraprofessionals, Student Services Managers, Office Coordinators PGP conversations / Note: Links to these documents will be updated when they are available.
- Counselor/Social Worker PGP
- Speech Therapist PGP
- Student Services Manager PGP
- Office Coordinator PGP
Mar 31: All school-based PGPs are complete; PGPs (including goal setting sheet) are emailed to .
SCHOOL LEADER PGP – EVALUATION COMPONENTS
Principals Deans and Special Services Coordinators complete the School Leader PGP. The eight sections of the School Leader PGP are based on the elements of the Leadership Essentials (see image below).
The leadership competencies (knowledge, skills, and mindsets) outlined in the Leadership Essentials reflect research on the best practices of other organizations, interviews with AF school leaders, and other foundational AF leadership materials (such as Wisdom of the Principal, Core Values, and Leadership Effectiveness Skills).
OPERATIONS TEAM PGP – EVALUATION COMPONENTS
Directors of School Operations, Student Services Managers, and Office Coordinators each have their own PGP. Below please find a list of the sections included in each of the three Operations PGPs.
Evaluation Components:
Directors of School Operations
Section I. Accomplishment of Ops Team Goals
Section II. Core Values & Responsibilities
Section III. Ops Core Excellence Essentials
Section IV. Talent and Org Leadership
Section V. Vision and Inspiration
Section VI. Management and Individual Success Factors
Section VII. Personal Organization & Effectiveness
Section VIII.
Student Services Manager
Section I. New School Year Launch (Start-up/Expansion)
Section II. Data Management: Set-Up & Ongoing Maintenance
Section III. Student Services (Ongoing)
Section IV. General School Operations
Section V. Personal Organization & Effectiveness
Section VI. Core Values & Responsibilities
Office Coordinator
Section I. New School Year Launch (Start-up/Expansion)
Section II. General Administration
Section III. Personal Organization & Effectiveness
Section IV. Core Values & Responsibilities
Sample PGP Email to School Leaders: Introducing the PGP process and timeline
Directions: Introduce the PGP process to school leaders as soon as possible. Below is a sample email that the principal can send to school leaders with their blank PGP. Please revise as needed.
Hello LeadershipTeam,
It’s the start of our annual Professional Growth Plan (PGP) season! Your professional growth plan is one step in the cycle of on-going training, observation and feedback. Thoughtfully reflecting on your performance and completing this document will take approximately 2 hours. This time is an investment in your ownleadership and potential impact on student achievement. . Please see your blank PGP attached. Your PGP process includes:
§ Self evaluation – You will rate your own performance on each of the areas listed below, including the
Essentials, the Cycle and Core values.
§ Principal evaluation – Your coach will rate your performance based on his or her observations. You will receive this evaluation prior to having your feedback conversation.
§ Feedback conversation – After you and I have both rated your performance, we will sit down together to discuss the ratings and highlight your strengths and areas for growth. This meeting will take place within 2 weeks of your self-evaluation.
§ Goal-Setting – During our PGP conversation, we will set professional learning goals and create a roadmap to achieve those goals.
§ Ongoing check-ins on goals – During our coaching meetings, we will regularly check-in on progress toward reaching your goals.
Areas of Evaluation:
§ Student Achievement - BHAG’s, Grade/Team Success
§ Student Character Development - Student Character Outcomes
§ Inputs: Core Values and the Leadership Essentials : Instructional Leadership, School Culture Leadeship, Talent Leadership, Vision and Inspiration, Management, and Personal Effectiveness
Timeline:
·
· Feb 1 Dean, DSO and Special Services Coordinator PGP self-evaluation submitted
· Feb 1 – Feb 28 PGP feedback conversations and goal setting (conversations take place within 2 weeks after
self evaluation is submitted
I look forward to continuing to help you learn and grow through with the PGP! Please reach out if you have any questions!
______
BEFORE YOU WRITE
Professional growth plans are an opportunity for self-reflection, performance review and goal setting. Thoughtful written feedback is the first step in the PGP cycle and provides team members with clear evidence of their strengths and areas for growth.
Before You Write:
1. Gather information over time
Feedback should not be based on one observation from one person, but rather from multiple interactions and observations from more than one person. Review the PGP form to identify key areas for evaluation. Then, review observation notes and gather input from the pre-identified resources.
2. Sketch out the big takeaways and consider the impact
a) What are the 2-3 core messages you want to get across to make sure the person remembers? Be sure to prioritize the highest impact issues.
b) How does this person’s performance this year compare with his or her
performance last year/quarter?
c) How does this person compare to others doing the same job?
d) What actions did you discuss last time? How effective have they been?
e) Look at their self review. Are there significant differences in your opinion and their opinion? Are their self reviews unduly harsh or lenient?
f) Is anything going to be a surprise? Hopefully no! Ideally, your written review should largely reflect the feedback given throughout the year. That said, don’t hesitate to deliver a surprise in the written evaluation if that needs to happen – just take that as a reminder to be more direct in your conversations going forward so that next time there are no surprises.
3. Discuss big takeaways with your school leadership team
Meet with your team to quickly discuss the big strengths and weaknesses of each member of your portfolio. This will help with calibration across your team.
BEST PRACTICES FOR WRITTEN FEEDBACK
1. Be Specific and Use Evidence (observable behavior, facts and data, examples of past behavior) to illustrate your points and to help team members internalize their behaviors. Relate to student achievement and character development whenever possible. Comments are required at the end of each section and should include both areas of strength and growth areas. Include comments for indicators where the self- and manager evaluations are not the same. Language: “In the past few days there were four specific examples that made me question whether tasks were being prioritized appropriately. These include: cleaning up the Infinity listserves, removing Fred from a listserve, responding to Wilma’s question about email forwarding, and Barney’s blackberry.”