Principal & Assistant Principal Evaluation Rubrics

The California Professional Standards for Education Leaders (CPSEL) identify the skills and knowledge needed by school leaders to sustain effective school leadership. Used throughout California, CPSEL describe the professional practices of educational leadership for the development and growth of leaders throughout their careers.

The standards are organized into six categories:

1. Development and Implementation of a Shared Vision
2. Instructional Leadership
3. Management and Learning Environment
4. Family and Community Engagement
5. Ethics and Integrity
6. External Context and Policy

Within each category are elements highlighting additional areas of focus within the standard. The indicators offer some examples of how an education leader might demonstrate the element or standard within his or her practice. These standards are used for central office school administrator evaluations.

The Rubric for Evaluating Colorado Principals and Assistant Principals provides a comprehensive framework for assessing and supporting leadership effectiveness across Colorado schools. Developed by the Colorado Department of Education, the rubric defines what successful leadership looks like in practice and encourages principals and assistant principals to engage in continuous reflection, growth, and accountability. It is designed to promote equity, improve student outcomes, and foster collaborative professional cultures that advance the collective success of students, staff, and communities.

The rubric is organized around four quality standards, each describing a central aspect of school leadership:

• Organizational Leadership – Guides the vision, mission, and strategic planning of the school while managing resources, personnel, and communication systems to ensure coherent, data-driven improvement.
• Inclusive Leadership – Builds a safe, equitable, and culturally responsive school culture that values diversity, fosters collaboration, and encourages family and community engagement.
• Instructional Leadership – Aligns curriculum, instruction, and assessment to the Colorado Academic Standards, supports professional learning, and promotes continuous improvement in teaching and student achievement.
• Professionalism – Demonstrates ethical conduct, reflection, and external leadership through partnerships, goal setting, and ongoing professional growth that models integrity and accountability.

This competency-based, five-point scale rubric progresses from foundational to exemplary performance, capturing growth in both leadership behavior and its impact on school systems. It integrates clear, observable practices for each element, linking them to collaborative staff engagement, student success, and community partnership.

Grounded in state standards and research on effective leadership, the rubric promotes a holistic vision of the principal as an instructional leader, systems manager, and ethical role model. It emphasizes that leadership excellence emerges through reflection, shared responsibility, and a steadfast commitment to equity and learning for all.

Developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Educator Effectiveness Observation & Practice: Framework for Evaluation consists of 20 leadership practices which are organized within four domains:

1. Strategic/Cultural Leadership
2. Systems Leadership
3. Leadership for Learning
4. Professional and Community Leadership

This framework is widely used in the principal evaluation process throughout the Commonwealth. In addition, other school and district leaders use this for their own leadership evaluations.

These leadership standards were adopted into Illinois law in 2014 for principal evaluations.

The Illinois Performance Standards for School Leaders are organized with the following six standards:

1. Living a Mission and Vision Focused on Results
2. Leading and Managing Systems Change
3. Improving Teaching and Learning
4. Building and Maintaining Collaborative Relationships
5. Leading with Integrity and Professionalism
6. Creating and Sustaining a Culture of High Expectations

These rubrics are organized around six domains covering all aspects of a principal’s job performance:

A. Strategy
B. First Things First
C. Curriculum and Data
D. Talent Development
E. Culture
F. Management

The rubrics use a four-level rating scale with the following labels:
4 – Highly Effective 3 – Effective 2 – Improvement Necessary 1 – Does Not Meet Standards

The rubrics are designed to give principals and other school-based administrators an end-of-the-year assessment of where they stand in all performance areas – and detailed guidance for improvement. This instrument is an approved rubric by the NYSED for use in a principal evaluation process.

Please click the Download Rubric button below to view the 2011, 2013, 2017, or 2024 version.

McREL’s Education Leadership Evaluation Systems, such as the one for principal evaluations, are organized around four framework components:

1. Purposeful Community
2. Managing Change
3. Focus of Leadership
4. Management

Each component contains several elements. These elements are a critical feature of the component that characterizes a behavior to be evaluated. The elements have four levels of professional practice with descriptors for developing, proficient, accomplished and distinguished.

McREL’s Principal Evaluation Rubric is an New York State approved instrument for principal evaluations.

This rubric has been designed to support school leaders who are not principals as they work to make explicit connections between their actions, decisions, and learning and the improvements to teaching and learning in the schools they lead.

Like the MPPR, the Multidimensional Leadership Performance Rubric has two major components. The first supports the use of the Educational Leadership Policy Standards: ISLLC 2008. This component is organized by ISLLC domain, with five dimensions, culled by clustering and categorizing the ISLLC “functions.” These dimensions (Culture, Sustainability, Instructional Program, Capacity Building, and Strategic Planning Process) are consistent throughout this component, though not all appear in every domain. Descriptors are specific to each domain. The second component of the MLPR supports Goal Setting and Attainment and has dimensions that are arranged to scaffold the goal setting process, from the initial defining of goals, through action planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

This rubric is approved for use in the principal evaluation process in New York State. Currently, 73% of all public school districts use the MPPR for principal evaluations. The MPPR has been designed to support principals and superintendents as they work to make explicit connections between the actions, decisions, and learning of school leaders and the improvements to teaching and learning in the schools they lead.

The MPPR has two major components. The first supports the use of the Educational Leadership Policy Standards: ISLLC 2008. This component is organized by ISLLC domain, with five dimensions, culled by clustering and categorizing the ISLLC “functions.” These dimensions (Culture, Sustainability, Instructional Program, Capacity Building, and Strategic Planning Process) are consistent throughout this component, though not all appear in every domain. Descriptors are specific to each domain. The second component of the MPPR supports goal setting and attainment and has dimensions that are arranged to scaffold the goal setting process, from the initial defining of goals, through action planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. This instrument can operationalize the evaluation process for a focus on school improvement.

The Oregon Framework for Teacher and Administrator Evaluation and Support provides a comprehensive approach to developing and evaluating educational leaders through a culture of continuous improvement. Designed for principals, district administrators, and other educational leaders, the framework positions evaluation as a meaningful process for reflection, growth, and organizational impact. Its purpose is to strengthen leadership practice, support equitable outcomes, and ensure that administrative decisions and actions contribute to improved learning environments and student success.

The framework is organized around five interconnected elements that guide effective administrator evaluation systems:

• Standards of Professional Practice establish a shared vision of effective leadership through six domains: Visionary Leadership, Instructional Improvement, Effective Management, Inclusive Practice, Ethical Leadership, and Socio-Political Context. Together, these domains emphasize strategic planning, instructional leadership, operational excellence, stakeholder engagement, ethical decision-making, and advocacy within the broader educational landscape.
• Differentiated Performance Levels use a four-point scale to define leadership effectiveness and provide a clear pathway for growth. The rubric supports consistent evaluation while helping administrators identify opportunities to strengthen their impact.
• Multiple Measures ensure evaluations are informed by a balanced body of evidence, including leadership practice, professional responsibilities, and student learning and growth. This approach recognizes the complexity of educational leadership and promotes more accurate, meaningful evaluation.
• The Evaluation and Professional Growth Cycle emphasizes continuous learning through self-reflection, goal setting, evidence collection, formative feedback, and summative evaluation. Ongoing professional conversations help leaders refine their practice and respond effectively to evolving organizational needs.
• Aligned Professional Learning connects evaluation outcomes to targeted professional development, ensuring that growth opportunities are relevant, sustained, and aligned to both individual leadership goals and system-wide priorities.

Grounded in Oregon statute and administrative rule, the framework aligns with nationally recognized Educational Leadership Standards and incorporates research-based practices. Cultural competence, equity, and inclusive leadership are embedded throughout the framework, reinforcing the belief that effective leadership is essential to creating opportunities and positive outcomes for every student.

At its core, the framework reflects a commitment to leadership as a catalyst for continuous improvement. By combining clear expectations, multiple sources of evidence, reflective practice, and ongoing professional learning, it supports administrators in building strong systems, fostering inclusive cultures and leading lasting organizational growth.

The two-year development process for PSEL was guided by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA). The PSEL development was informed by empirical research, researchers, and educational leaders throughout the United States.

The School Leader Collaborative has developed the School Leader Evaluation Plan to assist school districts with developing their own relevant and useful evaluation systems. Unlike other evaluation tools that are comprised of checklists or only focus on activities that school leaders do, the School Leader Evaluation Plan helps school leaders grow their leadership dispositions and the skills necessary for them to do their work effectively throughout their career continuum — Aspiring -> Launching -> Building -> Mastering. This guide to help school districts understand the importance of evaluations to create a reflective, growth-minded school leader evaluation plan.

The School Level Administrator Rubric for Educator Evaluation (updated June 2023) outlines standards for effective school leadership, emphasizing inclusive and equitable practices. Developed with input from educators, students, and families, it focuses on four core standards:

1. Instructional Leadership
2. Management and Operations
3. Family and Community Engagement
4. Professional Culture.

Each standard includes indicators with performance levels ranging from Unsatisfactory to Exemplary. The rubric aids in consistent evaluation, guiding goal-setting, professional development, and continuous improvement, particularly addressing equity and cultural responsiveness to better serve diverse student populations.

The Texas Principal Evaluation & Support System (T-PESS) rubric serves as the foundation for the appraisal process and incorporates a series of essential actions and practices that should be continuously applied. It is also directly tied to Texas Principal Standards the State’s Effective Schools Framework, which provides the basis for school diagnostics and the alignment of resources. Its purpose is to give you a list of practices that improve instructional quality, school productivity, and student achievement. This formative, growth-oriented approach to your leadership assessment is based on four main components:

Domain: Broad standard of principal leadership practice.
Indicator: Essential area or characteristic of the domain.
Performance Level: Assessment of performance or level of implementation of principal practice based on descriptors.
Performance Descriptors: Descriptors of the essential actions of principal leadership practice.

The 2018 Ohio Standards for Principals are designed to support principals through their highly impactful work and help ensure the critical success of the learning environment. These standards serve as an important tool for educational leaders to identify and apply appropriate professional learning opportunities as they consider their growth and development as leaders throughout their careers. The Ohio Principal Evaluation System (OPES) 2.0 Framework and Model have been revised to align with these 10 standards:

1. Mission, Vision and Core Values
2. Ethics and Professional Norms
3. School Improvement
4. Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
5. Professional Capacity of School Personnel
6. Equity and Cultural Responsiveness
7. Community of Care and Support
8. Meaningful Engagement of Families and Community
9. Strategic Staffing
10. School Operations

OPES 2.0 is a standards-based integrated model that is designed to foster the professional growth of administrators in knowledge, skills and practice.

The Thoughtful Classroom Principal Effectiveness Framework (TCPEF) is one of a few approved rubrics by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) for a principal evaluation process. According to the authors of this instrument, TCPEF was developed from three distinct lines of research and evidence:

1. Effective School Leadership
2. Organizational Improvement
3. Wisdom and Experience of School Leaders, Teachers, and Educational Consultants

TCPEF is organized around 10 dimensions for principal evaluations:

1. Organization, Rules, and Procedures
2. Positive Relationships
3. Engagement and Enjoyment
4. A Culture of Thinking and Learning
5. Establishing Goals for Improvement
6. Developing a Plan of Action
7. Building Capacity and Professional Development
8. Implementing Change Across the System
9. Refining Practice and Sustaining Change
10. Professional Practice

Dimensions 1-4 are the cornerstones for the TCPEF while dimensions 5-9 are part of the school improvement process . Dimension 10 is the principal’s commitment to growing as a professional and contributing to the larger school community. The TCPEF is an excellent research-based instrument and should be considered for use in the principal evaluation process.