Principal Certification

The Hawai‘i State Department of Education (Department) seeks tenured school leaders who possess a Hawai‘i Initial School Administrator Certificate (ISAC) and are interested in obtaining their Professional School Administrator Certificate (PSAC). These Educational Officers possess a professional commitment to public education as transformative leaders of schools that promote equity and excellence to empower students for community, career, and college success.

The HICISL program is designed to support leaders in establishing and sustaining new beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors to impact those who have the most direct influence over student learning. The program prepares qualified school administrators with the leadership skills, knowledge and dispositions to support a continuous school improvement cycle and meet the unique needs of their communities:

• • Profile of An Effective School Leader

  • HIDOE Leader Competencies

Published in 2004, The Wallace Foundation's longitudinal research, How Leadership Influences Student Learning, found that leadership was second only to teaching among in-school factors that affect student learning. 

The findings of the 2020 Wallace Foundation review, How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research, concludes that, based on research since 2000, the impact of an effective principal has likely been understated, with impacts being both greater and broader than previously believed: 

• greater in the impact on student achievement and 

• broader in affecting other important outcomes, including teacher satisfaction and retention (especially among high-performing teachers), student attendance, and reductions in exclusionary discipline. 

Importantly, equity occupies a central and timely place in the team’s recommendations for practice and policy—based on principals’ impact on particular groups of students and on the changing demographics of the nation’s student body.

Will Miller, President of The Wallace Foundation, states “Leaders do not create value directly. They deliver results indirectly, by enabling others to achieve more.” Synthesizing quantitative and qualitative studies, the Wallace Foundation researchers identify four principal practices and three foundational skills that are linked to effective outcomes.  The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (Department) Hawaiʻi Certification Institute for School Leaders (HICISL) Certification Program develops school level administrators aligned to these practices and skills:

Principal Certification Application Requirements

• Possess a Hawai`i Initial School Administrator Certificate (ISAC) or a provisional ISAC (ISAC-P);

• Be in a Department Vice Principal position or working towards securing a Department Vice Principal position (Must secure a Vice Principal position in the Department by early August of each school year, to continue in the program);

• Have one (1) year of satisfactory performance as an administrator, as evidenced on current/most recent Annual Performance Evaluation. Ratings of three (3) or better on each component, including the overall rating, is required;

• Be tenured as a Department Educational Officer by early August of each school year;

• Secure a recommendation with evidence from their Principal/Supervisor; and

• An endorsement from their Complex Area Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent/Supervisor.

Applicants should discuss their principalship readiness with their current Supervisor, using the Profile of an Effective School Leader 2018 Standards as a guide for the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of a Department leader. Qualified applicants should possess a professional commitment to public education as transformative leaders of schools that promote equity and excellence to empower students for community, career, and college success.

How to Apply

Applications to the HICISL-P program are open once a year, typically during the fourth quarter of each school year.  School leaders who possess a Hawai‘i Initial School Administrator Certificate (ISAC or ISAC-P) and will be tenured Vice Principals in the Department by early August of program year may apply via the eHR website (https://ehr.k12.hi.us/jobs).

NOTE: If you do not see the box, then the application is not currently available.

PROVISIONAL Principal Certification for experienced principals (Track V)

Licensed school administrators with experience as a licensed principal may apply through Track-V.  Applicants who meet eligibility and screening requirements based on review of all requirements are awarded the Professional School Administrator Certificate - Provisional (PSAC-P) and may apply directly for principal or equivalent positions. The PSAC-P is valid for two years from the date of issue.

Eligibility Requirements

• Possesses current, valid K-12 school-level administrator license

• Holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration or Educational Leadership from an accredited university

• Has a minimum of five (5) years K-12 school level experience, to include four (4) years satisfactory performance as a licensed, K-12 school-level principal. Duties performed must be comparable to a Department principal and meet the following conditions: 

  • • residency, internships and practicum under a provisional or preliminary license is not included in the four (4) year minimum requirement.

    • duties performed must be comparable to a Hawaii Department of Education vice principal (job description and duties completed may be requested)

    • satisfactory performance will be verified via performance evaluations.

Applicants who meet requirements for Track V may complete an online application and submit all required documents at the eHR website.  NOTE: Look for " School Level Administration Certification Application (Track IV/V)" box.