High School Principal

Description

Performance Task 

Purpose of the Performance Task

This performance task is designed to assess your readiness to serve as a High School Principal at Educational Solutions. The High School Principal serves as the instructional leader, culture builder, operational manager, and chief architect of student success and graduation readiness. This role is responsible for ensuring strong academic outcomes, high graduation rates, effective staff development, positive school culture, strong family partnership, and well-managed operational systems aligned to Ohio high school expectations.

Through this task, we are assessing your ability to:

• Lead academic improvement and data-driven instruction at the high school level
• Build and sustain strong graduation and postsecondary readiness systems
• Develop and manage teachers and leaders
• Strengthen culture, attendance, and family engagement
• Analyze complex data and create a strategic improvement plan
• Provide high-quality instructional feedback and coaching
  
  

Please submit all components within 48 hours of receiving this task.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Part 1: High School Leadership & Improvement Plan

Scenario

You have just been appointed Principal of an Educational Solutions high school. After your first four weeks of observation, data review, and stakeholder conversations, you identify the following trends:

Academic Data

• Only 41% of students met mastery on the most recent internal assessment cycle
• Fewer than 33% of students are demonstrating on-track performance toward Ohio state proficiency benchmarks
• 36% of 9th grade students have failed at least one core course this semester
• Walkthrough data shows:
  
  
  • Clear learning objectives observed in only 52% of classrooms
  • Checks for understanding observed in 38% of classrooms
  • Evidence of rigorous student discourse in fewer than 30% of classrooms
  • Inconsistent reteach aligned to assessment results
    
    
• State testing participation last year was 93%, below required expectations

Graduation & Postsecondary Readiness

• 24% of seniors are currently off-track for graduation due to missing credits or failed required courses
• Transcript audits reveal inconsistencies in credit monitoring and documentation
• Only 58% of students report having a clear postsecondary plan
• Limited access to credential or career pathway opportunities

School Culture & Climate

• Office referrals have increased by 19% compared to the same time last year
• A small group of students accounts for a high percentage of repeat behavior incidents
• Average daily attendance is 88%, with chronic absenteeism rising
• Student surveys indicate inconsistent expectations across classrooms

Staff & Talent

• Teacher retention from last year to this year was 74%, below network expectations
• New teachers report inconsistent coaching and unclear expectations
• Only 62% of scheduled observations have been completed this semester
• Professional development sessions occur regularly but are not consistently aligned to student data

Family & Community

• Family attendance at school events averages below 30%
• Families report needing clearer communication on academic progress and graduation requirements
• Enrollment is projected to decline by 6–8% if retention does not improve
  
  

Leadership & Systems

• Leadership meetings are inconsistent and often focused on urgent issues rather than strategy
• Schoolwide systems exist but are not implemented consistently
• There is no clear dashboard for monitoring progress toward academic, graduation, and culture goals

The Executive Leadership Team has asked you to present a focused and actionable 90-Day High School Leadership & Improvement Plan that addresses these concerns while building strong, sustainable systems for long-term success.

Your Task

Create a concise strategic plan (3–5 pages max or 8–12 slides) that includes:

1. Priority Focus Areas

Identify the three highest-leverage priorities you would address first.
Explain:

• Why these are most urgent
• How they connect to academic and graduation outcomes
• How they will stabilize and strengthen the school

2. Systems You Will Build or Strengthen

Describe the systems and structures you will implement or refine to improve:

• Instructional quality and academic outcomes
• Graduation readiness and credit tracking
• Staff coaching, development, and retention
• Culture, attendance, and behavior consistency
• Leadership team effectiveness and accountability
• Family engagement and enrollment stability

3. Implementation Plan

Outline:

• Key actions in the first 30–60–90 days
• How you will communicate expectations and build staff alignment
• How you will develop and manage other leaders in the building
• How you will ensure systems are implemented consistently

4. Monitoring & Accountability

Explain:

• What data you will track weekly and monthly
• What leadership and staff meeting structures you will implement
• How you will hold staff and leaders accountable
  How you will adjust if progress is not occurring

Part 2: Instructional Leadership & Teacher Development

Video for Observation: Sample High School Video 

You are observing a teacher in your high school building. Assume this teacher is representative of instruction across several classrooms in the school and that improving instructional quality is a top priority for the first semester.

Your Task

After watching the lesson, submit the following:

A. Scripted Observation Notes

Capture objective, low-inference notes of what you see and hear during the lesson.
Focus on:

• Teacher actions
• Student actions and engagement
• Evidence of understanding or confusion
• Use of checks for understanding
• Classroom routines and expectations

B. Instructional Analysis

In 1–2 pages, analyze the lesson. Address:

• What is the teacher doing well that should be reinforced?
• What instructional practices are limiting student mastery?
• What evidence do you see of student understanding and engagement?
• Where are there missed opportunities for rigor, checks for understanding, or reteach?
• What is the highest-leverage action step that would most improve student learning?

C. Feedback Conversation Plan

Outline how you would lead a 20–30 minute feedback conversation with this teacher.

Include:

• How you would open the conversation and build alignment
• The key strengths you would reinforce
• The highest-leverage action step you would deliver
• How you would model or support improvement
• How you would ensure clarity, urgency, and teacher ownership

D. Follow-Up & Monitoring Plan

Describe how you would ensure this teacher improves over the next 2–3 weeks. Include:

• Coaching cycle (observation, modeling, co-planning, etc.)
• Professional development alignment if needed
• What evidence you would collect to measure improvement
• How you would hold the teacher accountable for growth

This portion of the performance task is designed to assess your ability to develop teachers through precise observation, high-quality feedback, and clear systems for instructional improvement.

Requirements

Original Work Requirement

All responses will be reviewed through an AI-detection system to verify that submissions reflect the candidate’s original thinking and writing. We are committed to understanding how you personally organize your work, communicate in writing, and approach real-world school scenarios, so please ensure that all responses are authentically your own and representative of your independent professional skill set.