Evaluating administrators with portfolios: principals report mostly positive experiences when used as part of a performance review

School Administrator, Oct, 2004 by Alexander Russo

In Greenville, S.C., the district involved principals of various types of schools in developing the new portfolio evaluation system that is being implemented this year so that the portfolios would seem reasonable and useful to the school leaders. Roughly 100 principals will be evaluated using portfolios this year as part of a three-year cycle.

To be sure, integrating portfolios into the evaluation process rather than relying on them exclusively is particularly important. Portfolios count as part of evaluations in the Talladega, Ala., system, along with onsite observations, a structured interview and a written evaluation by the superintendent conducted every three years for all but the newest principals.

But the portfolio is not necessarily a make-or-break aspect of the performance review. "No one instrument solely determines the outcome of the evaluation," says Talladega, Ala., Superintendent Leonard Messer, who not only uses portfolios to evaluate his principals but is evaluated by his school board in part through a portfolio. "The portfolio does force principals to become more aware of what they're doing, but it's the supervisor's review form that is more important."

The Glitz Factor

Clear guidelines and specific requirements are also key elements of a successful portfolio program.

"You've got some clearcut guidelines about what you want presented," says John Krolewski, principal of South Bendle Elementary School in Bendle, Mich. "Make sure that your guidelines are pretty specific so that you don't have people worried that some people can put together packages better than others."

According to Krolewski, guidelines ensure glitzy packaging isn't the key feature of portfolios. It also prevents the "science fair" phenomenon, where portfolios escalate into three-D models and overly elaborate PowerPoint presentations.

"I think we have to be careful not to let the portfolios become a glorified scrapbook," says Messer, describing the four portfolios in front of him and the challenge for evaluators in telling the difference between substance and show. "One person did spend a lot of time on the graphic arts in their scrapbook," he says. "One is plain Jane but probably has a whole lot more body to it."

Developing a clear rubric is one key way to structure a portfolio and help ensure the fairness and reliability of the portfolio evaluation process, according to several sources. "That way, right up front, everybody knows what it's going to take to get a 4 on that particular goal," says Brown, the book author on portfolio use.

Emphasizing substance is another key. "Last year, a lot of it was a lot of fluff," says Barbara Pullease, who coordinates the Pathways to Administrative Leadership program in Broward County, Fla., about what she observed in principals' portfolios. "There were pictures of students in the cafeteria with no explanation. It wasn't the meat," she says.

To deal with the lack of substance, new requirements during the past year clarified that every item included in an administrator's portfolio needed to be there for a reason and that reason had to be explained in writing.