Program Standard 4C Practical Examples:
This scenario describes professional development responsibilities of the program provider and the district in ensuring the candidate is adequately supported in her professional learning.
- Notice the factors considered in determining what and where professional development will be provided
Jane Salas is the new principal of a 400 student rural elementary school in a high achieving district. At her site, Jane deals with many issues associated with transiency, English learners, and poverty, in addition to the regular instructional issues
surrounding learning. Her district supervisor would like Jane to participate in professional learning sessions that align with their mission and goals. But, as a brand new principal who is also enrolled in an induction program, Jane knows there are
many areas where she needs support
Dr. Reyes, the induction program manager, recognizes that Jane needs guidance and support in addressing the requirements of the induction program and the demands of the district. This will require that
he facilitate the integration of multiple areas of program design and communication. He assigns Ms. Linn as Jane's induction program coach based on their shared experiences and Jane's current assignment. They use information from Jane's initial assessment,
combined with a review of her professional experiences and current assignment, as a basis for a discussion with Jane to plan a professional development approach and goals.
In order to meet Jane's needs, Dr. Reyes and Ms. Linn schedule a
meeting at the district office with Jane and her supervisor. As the district's lead for administrator induction, her supervisor is able to share the district's desire that Jane participate in all of the professional development offered to all of their
principals over the course of the year. He expresses that the district is concerned that by adding additional requirements of professional learning for the CASC, Jane will be off campus too frequently.
With Jane's approval to share information
with her supervisor, Dr. Reyes is able to summarize Jane's areas of strength and growth based on the results of her initial assessment, review of professional experiences and current position. An IIP is developed with Jane where some of the district's
required professional development is provided by the induction program as part of their curriculum for all candidates. Jane also is able to satisfy the remaining professional learning requirements with professional development options provided through
the district. Meeting requirements this way is based on Jane's identified needs from the induction program's initial assessment and data from ongoing formative assessments.
During this meeting with Jane's supervisor, Dr. Reyes and Ms. Linn
take the opportunity to discuss other professional learning components in Jane's induction program. They remind him that Jane will meet in coaching sessions with Ms. Linn for a minimum of 40 hours per year and that these coaching experiences allow
her to address any issues or concerns and might lead her to revise her IIP, if needed. Dr. Reyes added that he would periodically check on Jane's progress by reviewing activities and assessments documented in her IIP, her coaching journal, check-in
surveys and, more informally, through conversations at coach and candidate meetings. Jane's supervisor asked whether Dr. Reyes or Ms. Linn would be updating him on Jane's progress as part of the process. Dr. Reyes invited him to make contact at any
time with questions or concerns about supporting Jane or the induction program as a whole. Dr. Reyes said that he would be setting up another meeting like this one at the end of the year to review Jane's overall progress and develop her Year 2 IIP.
Reflection Questions:
- What role does Dr. Reyes play in Jane's professional development related to the CASC?
- What should Jane's considerations be in selecting professional learning opportunities?
- What are challenges and opportunities for Jane, her district supervisor, Ms. Linn (induction coach) and Mr. Reyes (program supervisor) to communicate and coordinate Jane's new position with her induction program? [See Program Standard 2: Collaboration, Communication, and Coordination]
A Model of Leadership Induction for California: A Candidate's Perspective of the University Leadership Support Program - Year One
The following scenario details a typical candidate's first year of a two-year induction experience in a comprehensive, university-based induction program that has integrated the four components of CASC professional learning. In Year One, the candidate
is introduced to the induction program process and people involved, and determines her professional learning priorities.
Notice:
- The interactions and coordination of people involved with the candidate to develop her induction program components
- The professional development opportunities offered to the candidate, including large group, small group and individual
- The relationships among the four professional learning components: coaching, professional development, assessment and the IIP.
Year One:
Induction Launch
Within the first four months of her hiring as an assistant principal, the CASC Induction candidate, Ms. Lee, has been admitted to Leadership Support Program, the University's two-year induction program. In the early fall, she is required to attend a day-long
retreat with all of the other first year candidates. Led by Mr. Jones, the Program Coordinator, the retreat provides an overview of the year, opportunities for relationship building, an introduction to the monthly meeting protocols, and the launch
of the initial assessment. Guided by the CPSEL, Ms. Lee's initial assessment focuses on Standards 1-3, as they are the foundational leadership aspects, and includes a self-assessment, as well as other inputs such as her preliminary program portfolio
(completed in her preliminary preparation program) and employer goals. Ms. Lee leaves the retreat with homework including the completion of the initial assessment and identification of 5-6 learning goals for the first year. From the retreat, Ms. Lee
knows that half of her learning goals will be supported by her leadership coach, while the remaining goals will be supported through the program's professional learning options or Ms. Lee's employer.
Less than a month after the retreat,
Ms. Lee is introduced to her leadership coach by the Program Coordinator, Mr. Jones. Ms. Lee and her coach were matched based on various criteria, such as, district, school level, specialization, school type, gender, and race. Ms. Lee and her induction
program coach, Mr. Diaz, make an appointment for an initial meeting to take place at her school site.
Mr. Diaz arrives for their initial coaching meeting the next week. Ms. Lee invites him into her office and they review the agenda Mr.
Diaz has drafted and begin by spending some time getting to know each other. Ms. Lee takes Mr. Diaz on a tour of the campus, describing some of her early observations and challenges. Later, Ms. Lee shares her self-assessment results that she started
working on at the retreat. They identify the 2-3 goals set in her IIP that will be supported by her coach. Mr. Diaz asks probing questions about her goals and what support she needs, using the CPSEL as one point of reference. They agree that Ms. Lee
will take responsibility to schedule a three-way meeting where Mr. Diaz can introduce the induction credential program and its expectations to Ms. Lee's supervisor and the supervisor will have the opportunity to provide input to the IIP. Within a
few days, Ms. Lee receives a follow up email from Mr. Diaz summarizing their meeting, agreed upon next steps, as well as his availability for the three-way meeting.
About one month after the retreat, Ms. Lee attends her first required monthly
meeting. Her facilitator, Ms. Ali, is a veteran school administrator in a neighboring district. Ms. Lee's group is composed of 8-10 other first year administrators who also attended the opening retreat where they initially met Ms. Ali. At the beginning
of the first meeting, Ms. Ali describes her excitement about working together for the next two years and explains that these professional learning sessions will be a supportive environment throughout the program. She further describes that each meeting
will be divided into several parts: supporting problems of practice, providing content as well as applications, and making other program connections. At the beginning of the problems of practice section of the agenda, Ms. Lee is assigned to a trio
with two other participants and they are asked to use the storytelling protocol introduced at the retreat. The trio reviews the protocol: Each person is given 5 minutes to describe a specific leadership dilemma, then the two partners have a chance
to ask questions, make observations, and identifying implications for leadership.
Sustained Learning and Support
Ms. Lee continues to attend monthly meetings and engages in multiple coaching sessions at her site (approximately 3 hours per month). She completes short reading assignments about supervision and evaluation for her monthly meetings, engages in several
email conversation chains with her coach between sessions and also phones a fellow participant to learn more about how his school's special education integration model works.
At the November monthly meeting, Ms. Ali reminds everyone that
there will be no monthly meeting in December. Instead, participants have the opportunity to select other professional learning options. Ms Ali describes the options, which were first introduced at the retreat, to the candidates. Candidates may choose
to participate in workshops, complete Personalized Learning Modules, or conduct a focused school visit. Ms. Lee decides to consult with her coach, Mr. Diaz, about her options. One workshop offering is focused on the legal procedures for an expulsion
hearing. Ms. Lee thinks that she could benefit from this workshop, because she is in charge of student discipline at her school, however, it is not a focus of her IIP goals. She is also interested in visiting a fellow participant from the program
because his school has an integrated special education model and Ms. Lee is responsible for supervising her school's special education department. Finally, the Personalized Learning Module about the Equity Framework also seems important and could
be completed on her own schedule. Mr. Diaz encourages Ms. Lee to use the goals that she set in her IIP as a guide, to look at the related CPSEL, but to also to take her context into consideration. She decides to attend both the legal procedures for
expulsion workshop and complete the Personalized Learning Module on the Equity Framework.
Intersections of Professional Learning and Formative Assessment
The workshop on legal procedures for expulsion hearings is held in the evening at a local middle school and facilitated by an attorney who specializes in education law. Ms. Lee is happy to see a few people from her monthly group as well as others she
met at the retreat. The two-hour workshop centers on a case study. The participants use the case study to surface questions about the legal proceedings. They have time for small group and large group discussions and questions. After the workshop,
Ms. Lee submits a reflective paper to her portfolio about what she learned, both in terms of content and leadership development, to Mr. Jones and Ms. Ali.
To begin her work on the Personalized Learning Module about the Equity Framework,
Ms. Lee goes to the program's website where she views a two minute video introduction (made by Mr. Jones) as well as resources and suggested activities. Based on the overview, she creates a plan for how she wants to complete the Module. As part of
the Module, Ms. Lee shares some of her learning reflections with Mr. Diaz in her coaching session. Next, she writes a paper documenting the process by which she completed the Personalized Learning Module, ideas that surfaced from her conversation
with Mr. Diaz, and next steps and implications for her leadership practice. Finally, Ms. Lee uploads the paper to her online portfolio for review by Mr. Jones and Ms. Ali.
Continued Learning and Support in the Spring
After the more individualized professional learning options in December, the monthly meetings continue to focus on problems of practice as well as supervision and evaluation of staff. Ms. Lee decides to leverage this topic by focusing on how to support
a struggling teacher she is assigned to evaluate. Ms. Lee has a chance to analyze and compare selected evaluation instruments, practice having hard conversations, and rate staff performance according to the district rubric. In the spring, she writes
a paper on how she has grown in her leadership stances related to supervision and evaluation of employees and submits it via her portfolio for review by Mr. Jones and Ms. Ali.
Through their ongoing coaching sessions, Mr. Diaz supports Ms.
Lee by discussing leadership dilemmas, helping her plan professional development, co-observing a set of teachers that Ms. Lee is assigned to evaluate, and observing Ms. Lee's presentation at a parent and community meeting for the purposes of providing
feedback about her professional presence, one of her IIP goals. Together, they regularly revisit the three goals Ms. Lee set in her IIP, checking them against the related CPSEL, and identifying areas of growth. One goal was adjusted after the first
semester due to a change in the district's student discipline policy. With their coaching conversations, they have developed a trusting, confidential relationship over time.
In the spring, Ms. Lee also has a second opportunity to choose
a workshop, Personalized Learning Module, or another professional learning offering. Again, several options look appealing. She reviews her IIP and decides to complete the school visit to her fellow candidate's school to learn more about his integrated
special education program, an activity she was unable to schedule during the fall. As the administrator in charge of the Special Education department, she is leading a team that is in the process of creating a vision for an integrated program at her
school. Ms. Lee decides to support her work responsibilities by identifying this topic as the focus for her instructional change project, a central activity in the second year of the induction program.
Benchmark Assessment
The end of the first year, the halfway mark of the induction program, includes a series of summary activities culminating in the Benchmark Assessment. From the retreat, Ms. Lee understands that the Benchmark Assessment is an important checkpoint in her
induction program. Ms. Lee exchanges impressions about her progress on her IIP goals with her coach. By compiling and analyzing all of their meeting notes and monthly summaries, Mr. Diaz presents Ms. Lee with a report that includes a description of
their coaching work as well as the evidence he has collected from his field notes about her progress on three of the CPSEL-aligned goals from her IIP. Ms. Lee submits this document to her portfolio for the Benchmark Assessment. At the last monthly
meeting of the school year, Ms. Lee prepares a reflection document about her leadership development which she shares with her trio. This document is also submitted to her online portfolio for the Benchmark Assessment.
During the summer,
Mr. Jones reviews the various components of Ms. Lee's Benchmark Assessment: coach report, reflection documents, as well as professional learning assignments. He determines that she has made sufficient progress to continue into the second year of the
induction program without stipulations or additional recommended activities.
Reflection Questions:
- How can the candidate, coach, district and program work together to ensure the professional development opportunities are appropriate for each candidate?
- In what ways could Ms. Lee demonstrate what she had learned through her professional development activities to her program and district?
- What experiences in Year 1 will help inform Ms Lee's Year 2 activities?
Note: For Year 2 of Ms. Lee's story, see Program Standard 4: Professional Learning
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