Program Standard 4A: Questions and Answers

The induction program focuses on professional learning through a composite of key overlapping components- individualized coaching, professional development opportunities, and candidate assessment. CASC candidates engage in a two-year program that is tailored to meet the demands of their current administrative position and completed as part of their regular day-to-day job responsibilities. That means, that after gathering baseline data, CASC candidates develop and maintain a unique growth plan that tracks their personalized learning goals, induction experiences and progress toward leadership capacity and performance expected of a successful CASC candidate. Specific goals and details for how each candidate addresses career growth depends on what s/he needs to learn or do to be successful in her/his current, beginning administrative assignment. All of this is chronicled in the Individual Induction Plan (IIP). 

The IIP is collaboratively developed by the candidate and the induction coach, with CASC induction program sponsor and employer input, as appropriate. It is grounded in the California Performance Standards for Educational Leaders (CPSEL) and considers employer priorities as well as the candidate's individual job responsibilities and prior professional experience. If available, the assessment that occurs at the end of the preliminary program is used to develop the initial IIP. 

The IIP serves as an organizational and monitoring tool for the full induction experience. It outlines the components of the program that direct and support each candidate in meeting or exceeding individualized, established performance goals. The IIP is a working document, meaning that it is periodically revisited to check on progress. After reflecting on the status of the candidate's goals and growth, the beginning administrator and coach may choose to revise the IIP. This iterative process connects the assessment, coaching, and professional development components of the induction program's professional learning program standard. 

The induction plan covers the entire induction process - from the candidate's initial assessment when beginning the new assignment, to identifying specific performance outcomes and data to be collected through professional development and coaching activities, to the final review by the program to certify that the candidate has demonstrated leadership proficiency as described by the CPSEL.
Elements of the IIP include:

• Initial assessment of the candidate's job requirements, prior experiences, and needed skills and knowledge
• Specific goals, with performance outcomes and collected data to show proficiency
• Identified coaching support needed and a plan for working with the coach (40 - 60 hours each year)
• Planned professional development activities to help attain learning for achievement of goals (20 - 30 hours each year)
• An ongoing formative assessment that involves gathering evidence about the candidate's leadership practice, promotes reflection, reviews documented learning and leadership impact, and identifies next steps in pursuit of IIP goals
• Mid-program benchmark assessment data informing possible revisions to the IIP
• A summative review of observed and documented evidence, collaboratively assembled by the candidate and the coach, including reflection on the induction experience and improved practice
• 60 - 90 total clock hours for professional learning each year (coaching and other professional development)

The IIP supports the assessment process in beginning administrator induction. When the IIP and candidate assessment process are intertwined, the IIP guides and captures the details of various assessments that measure candidate competence. The IIP documents a candidate's initial, formative, benchmark, and summative measures and results. The figure below illustrates an example of this relationship.

The figure below illustrates and example of this relationship