A Validation Study of Tennessee\u27s Framework for the Evaluation of Assistant Principals

This study examined assistant principals\u27 perceptions regarding their beliefs concerning actual involvement and ideal involvement with competencies identified by the Tennessee State Department of Education as evaluative measures for principals and assistant principals employed in public schools in the State of Tennessee during the 1996-1997 school year. Nine hundred fifty-four assistant principals made up the population for this study. Two hundred eighty-one assistant principals made up the sample. One hundred seventy-nine questionnaires were returned. Competencies from the State of Tennessee Model for Local Evaluation of Administrators /Supervisors were used to develop a survey instrument to determine assistant principals\u27 actual involvement and ideal involvement with each of the competency areas. The Likert-type responses for actual involvement and ideal involvement each ranged from 1 (Low) through 7 (High). The competency areas included instructional leadership, organizational management, communication, interpersonal relations, professional development, and leadership. Demographic information included gender, race, age, location of school, type of school, and educational attainment. A significant difference was found in each of the competency areas between assistant principals\u27 actual involvement and ideal involvement in each of the areas. There was no significant difference found between actual competency scores of assistant principals employed in rural, urban, and suburban schools. No significant difference was found between ideal competency scores of assistant principals according to their educational level, and no significant difference was found between actual competency scores of assistant principals employed in elementary, middle/junior high, and high schools