Primary Principals Professional Standards Reviewed and Updated (background)
Guidelines for primary principal's performance review
2 July 2008
Revised Professional Standards for Primary Principals
The NZEI, NZSTA, NZPF and the Ministry of Education have completed the review of professional standards as provided for in the Terms of Settlement (docx) of the Primary Principals' Collective Agreement 2007-2010. We have reached agreement on the attached revised Professional Standards for Primary Principals, which are now aligned with the Kiwi Leadership for Principals and the New Zealand Curriculum. These revised standards (docx) are intended to replace the Draft Interim Framework of Professional Standards for Principals in Schedule 2 of the Primary Principals' Collective Agreement.
Clause 5.2.5 of the Agreement provides for an allowance for experience and performance in the role of principal, subject to meeting criteria on length of service, and on being attested to the principals' professional standards. This clause also notes that the revised standards should be used for the attestation to access the increased payment in 2009.
Transition
Part 4 of the Agreement, regarding Performance Review, requires boards of trustees to prepare an annual performance agreement with each principal that includes the relevant professional standards for that year. Now that the variation to the Collective Agreement to replace Schedule 2 has been ratified and signed off, the revised standards are now the "relevant professional standards".
Nb Performance agreements established for 2008, prior to the revised standards being ratified, can be completed using the interim standards.
Mãori and Pasifika students
In developing the revised standards, concerns were raised over specific references to Mãori and Pasifika students in the standards. The key concerns were that:
- such references are not relevant to schools with no Mãori or Pasifika students
- 'all students' means exactly that, therefore it is not necessary to identify Mãori and Pasifika in particular
- the revised standards are expected to be in place for the medium to longer term, whereas the current focus on Mãori and Pasifika student outcomes could be shorter term.
After considering these concerns, it was decided to retain the specific references as:
- they are not intended to dilute the focus on all students - the focus must be on school-wide relationships and evidence
- evidence shows that, despite high achievement by many Mãori and Pasifika learners, there is a pattern of system under performance, particularly for Mãori but also for Pasifika in New Zealand schooling
- the directions set out in Ka Hikitia - Managing for Success and the Pasifika Education Plan are expected to be relevant for the medium to longer term, and
- school context is very relevant to the standards. It is acknowledged that some schools may have no Mãori or Pasifika students but rather other groups of students which may require a particular focus. The key point is that schools need to analyse data for groups of students carefully and tailor programmes to meet needs on that basis.
View the new standards (docx).