Site Administrator Evaluation

Excel NM – Site Administrator Evaluation

The new site administrator evaluation system, Excel NM, was implemented statewide during the 2024-2025 school year,it effectively replaced The HOUSSE evaluation system which sunset on June 30, 2024. Site administrators began to use Excel NM on July 1, 2024.

Welcome Site Administrators and Supervisors!  Excel NM, the site administrator evaluation system, supports professional growth by identifying areas of strength and improvement. The purpose of New Mexico’s site administrator evaluation system is to enhance site administrator performance and nourish professional practice.

The Excel NM evaluation system empowers site administrators, as instructional leaders, through meaningful, frequent, and actionable feedback from their supervisors. The New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) provides this system and guidance to help sustain and grow school leadership talent among all public and charter school site administrators.

Excel NM Overview

NMPED is introducing the Excel NM Guide Site Administrator Evaluation system (this link will take you to the “Excel NM Guide to the Site Administrator Evaluation System,” which you can download) to replace the previous Highly Objective Uniform Statewide Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) evaluation program.

Excel NM Rubric

Every profession is guided by standards, describing essential practices and communicating priorities to current and future practitioners. The Five Essential Practices for Site Administrators convert the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (National Policy Board for Educational Administration, 2015) into meaningful, observable practices that reflect current school principals’ work and support leadership excellence through principal supervision, leadership learning, and performance evaluation. After reviewing professional standards from multiple states and research on principal effectiveness, the Principal Evaluation Task Force identified the following Five Essential Practices as important:

Five-Step Continuous Learning Cycle

Professional adults learn through evidence-informed learning cycles, which are systemic processes of identifying challenges and improving practice. NMPED encourages all educators — regardless of their location, experience level, or prior performance — to engage in learning cycles that leverage evidence to advance practice. Research clearly states that professional practice is promoted through fine-grained, actionable feedback on practice and evidence on the quality of practice (Clifford & Ross, 2012; National Association of Elementary School Principals and National Association of Secondary School Principals, 2013). NMPED recommends that New Mexico’s supervisors and site administrators use the five-step evaluation process (Figure 1) to support continuous learning.

Excel NM Important Information

The Excel NM program includes two Canvas courses: Excel NM Supervisor Training and Excel NM Site Administrator Evaluation. For any questions or further clarification regarding Excel NM, please get in touch with the NMPED Excel NM Specialist at excel.nm@state.nm.us.

Excel NM Supervisor Training

Supervisors evaluating site administrators should complete a 2-hour asynchronous online training on Canvas. The Excel NM Training Course focuses on the Five Essential Practices Framework and site administrator evaluation objectives. Completion of the course results in earning an Excel NM Training badge, which is valid for three years. Supervisors are advised to finish the training before the evaluation cycle with site administrators begins.

Excel NM Site Administrator Evaluation

Supervisors and Site administrators will utilize the Excel NM Site Administrator Evaluation course to capture all Excel NM professional learning through a series of activities including the co-development of a Professional Development Plan (PDP), Principal Practice Observations (PPO) a Middle of Year Progress Check and End of Year Performance Assessment.