Week Five – Part E of the Final Report: Three Year Professional Development Plan

3-Year Professional Development Plan

In developing my Professional Development Plan I targeted my areas of weakness in regards to becoming an effective district level leader. Based on information gathered from my assessments and the SISE I was able to compile a list of comprehensive professional development activities, goals, objectives, mentors, resources, timelines, and evaluation methods to help me gauge my growth towards attaining the desired goals. Through developing this plan I learned about my areas of weakness and have learned about various ways that I can address them. Developing a set of professional goals has been beneficial to me in that it will help me to focus on ways that I can improve myself in regards to one day attaining a district level position. As with the internship plan, I’m sure that my Professional Development Plan will be subject to change through the years in order to mold me into the type of leader that my district requires.

Year One

Goal Improve knowledge and skills in the area of administrative leadership specifically in maintenance and operations of the school district.	TExES Competency and Domain Domain III Competency 009	Objective (What do you want to improve?) I want to improve my knowledge of bonds, bids, and types of contracts in regards to procedures for renovating and or constructing school facilities.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops (How do you want to improve?) Budget workshops Bond workshops Meet with district Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer	Mentor Professional Support (Who will help you improve?) Superintendent Chief Financial Officer	Date of Completion February 2013	Evaluations (How will you know you have improved?) I will be able to understand and provide effective advice to district level administrators about bond processes, bids,   and pros and cons to various contract types.
Goal Improve my knowledge and skills to better support staff members as an instructional leader.	TExES Competency and Domain Domain II Competency 007	Objective (What do you want to improve?) Improve my knowledge to current trends and developments in regards to teaching and learning.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops (How do you want to improve?) Professional literature, workshops	Mentor Professional Support (Who will help you improve?) Asst. Supt. of Curriculum/Instruction	Date of Completion February 2013	Evaluations (How will you know you have improved?) I will lead, guide, and direct others in staff development sessions and will survey members about the sessions provided.

Year Two

Goal Understand and be able to lead others in knowledge of working with a board of trustees.	TExES Competency and Domain Domain I Competency 004	Objective (What do you want to improve?) I want to improve my knowledge of board member roles and responsibilities and how to provide leadership in establishing mutual expectations.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops (How do you want to improve?) Participate in board workshops and trainings TASBO Trainings Texas Open Meetings Act	Mentor Professional Support (Who will help you improve?) Superintendent	Date of Completion February 2014	Evaluations (How will you know you have improved?) I will demonstrate understanding of board roles and responsibilities and be able to provide advice on the subject to other district level administrators.
Goal Promote the success of students and staff in regards to ethical issues and trends in education.	TExES Competency and Domain Domain I Competency 001	Objective (What do you want to improve?) I want to improve my knowledge base in regards to dealing with current ethical issues and trends impacting education.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops (How do you want to improve?) TASA Webinars/Workshops Professional Literature Networking	Mentor Professional Support (Who will help you improve?) Todd Smith District Level administrators	Date of Completion February 2014	Evaluations (How will you know you have improved?) Be able to successfully address ethical issues and trends that affect my district, as well as be able to lead others in   regards to this.

Year Three

Goal Become adept in understanding positive traits of an athletic program, department, and UIL/Title IX requirements.	TExES Competency and Domain Domain II Competency 006	Objective (What do you want to improve?) I want to improve my knowledge of UIL/Title IX regulations and codes.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops (How do you want to improve?) Workshops Literature websites	Mentor Professional Support (Who will help you improve?) Athletic Director Superintendent	Date of Completion February 2015	Evaluations (How will you know you have improved?) Demonstrate knowledge and skills in the area of UIL/Title IX regulations and codes.
Goal Apply procedures for effective budget planning and management.	TExES Competency and Domain Domain III Competency 008	Objective (What do you want to improve?) I want to improve my knowledge and skills in regards to effective budget planning and management.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops (How do you want to improve?) Finance/budget workshops Board budget workshops	Mentor Professional Support (Who will help you improve?) Superintendent Chief Financial Officer	Date of Completion February 2015	Evaluations (How will you know you have improved?) Receive a superior achievement rating in regards to the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST)

SISE

I met with my Superintendent on Wednesday February 15 at 8:00 a.m. to discuss my Superintendent/Supervisor Internship Summative Evaluation (SISE). I went to the meeting prepared to discuss the internship, review activities (in depth if need be), and discuss areas for future growth. While those items were discussed during the SISE, my Superintendent focused on “what’s next?” for my future in the district. He told me he thought I’d be ready to become a head principal with one or two more years of experience. If I am not the right candidate for one of our elementary principal positions at the time of the next opening, I learned that it would be in my best interest to move from being an elementary AP to a secondary AP until there was another opening for which to apply. This made sense to me because it would expand my knowledge base and would benefit me as a campus principal and as a future district level leader. During the SISE my Superintendent helped instill in me a sense of confidence that I am on the “right track” towards assuming a head principal position and growing professionally towards my goal of being a district level leader someday. Overall, I learned about some of my perceived strengths and areas in which I can improve, as well as learning of my Superintendent’s vision for me in the future. 

Week 4: Part 1 and Part D of the Comprehensive Final Report

When one gazes at their reflection in the mirror they are scrutinizing their image. They may notice things they like about themselves, such as white teeth, or they may notice a blemish that needs to be addressed. Viewing one’s reflection in the mirror allows oneself to clearly see the image that others see. The image that one portrays shapes the impressions that others make about them. In much the same way, the idea of reflection as a leadership skill has allowed me to analyze my practice as a future district level administrator.

The act of reflection is a process in which one takes time to assess the knowledge they have gained from a particular activity. The knowledge gained can be through patterns or insights that were noticed in the activity, the roles of individuals and their actions, concerns that were noted, as well as questions or things that were not understood that may require further research. The reflective process also allows the individual to explore their own thoughts and feelings about a subject that were experienced through the activity, in order to gain an understanding of what they truly believe. In addition to analyzing the activity through reflection, the individual can also determine adaptations or changes that could have been made in order to benefit the activity. Reflection allows the individual to gain perspective on the activity that will lead to a more thorough understanding by learning about one’s own practice, including strengths and weaknesses, as well as changes that can be made in order to become more effective on a similar activity in the future.

Course Assignment Activities

Throughout this certification program most course assignments allowed for the incorporation of reflection. The most comprehensive assignment of reflective activity was one that was completed in week 2 of the current course, in which I reflected on the superintendent leadership experiences broken down by domain and competencies. This was a beneficial experience in that it allowed me to take the time to compile the key learning that I gained during the program.

Blogs

Creating, using, and posting to a blog was a beneficial activity for me, in that it gave me yet another opportunity to reflect on ideas that I have learned. It is also helpful because I have one central location in which key ideas I have learned are compiled. Though it was not new to me, using this social media tool did add to my development in this program as a way for me to share my understanding of key concepts and skills, as well as read cohort member blogs to further my understanding. In the same way the Professor’s Cohort Blog/course discussion board posts were crucial to my development.

Course & Campus Supervised Logs

Course and site-based supervised logs were an important part of my development in this program through reflective practice. Through participation in the 38 site-based leadership/internship activities and course-embedded activities I was able to participate in and reflect on experiences that would not be included in my day-to-day duties as a campus administrator. Reflecting on these experiences and reviewing the logs has helped me learn to appreciate the opportunities that were given to me through participation in this program.

Assessments

In regards to direct reflection, completing the pre-assessment and post-assessments for the courses were useful to me to use as a tool for feedback on my understanding of course content and how it related to the superintendent competencies. It was especially helpful to be able to go back through courses in EPIC and be able to review midterms, finals, and the Lamar Comprehensive Exam prior to taking the TExES Superintendent test.

Other Intern Reflections Experiences

I would also like to share that prior to applying to join the Superintendent Certification Program I took the practice exam for the Superintendent test on my own to see whether I had some of the prerequisite knowledge and skills to succeed in the program. Through course assignments, readings, lectures, discussion posts, web-conferences, and many of the activities listed above I was able to gain knowledge and insight into effective decision-making. Through reflection on these and other activities it will help guide, support, and promote my future effective decision-making.

Just as in the illustration using the mirror, as a future district level leader I can utilize the process of reflection in order to analyze my thoughts, actions, and reactions in order to develop into the most effective leader that I can be. It is through reflection that I am able to determine my leadership strengths and weaknesses as well as how to minimize those weaknesses. Reflection will allow me to recognize the most appropriate action to take in order to attain the desired outcome. Reflection will also allow me to adapt to and recognize the behaviors, concerns, and considerations of others, in addition to their perceptions of my leadership style. The use of reflection has allowed me to change my perception and ideas about a subject or leadership concept several times. I have learned that through actively reflecting on an experience I have been able to maximize my learning throughout this certification program, as well as have gained knowledge that has been both constructive and productive to my development as a future district level leader, and I have learned that it is in my best interest to continue viewing myself in the “mirror” by utilizing reflective practice in order to continue that development as a dedicated lifelong learner.

5399 Week 3: Lessons Learned & Recommendations

The blending of the course embedded and site-based internship opportunities throughout the Superintendent certification program has been a wonderful learning opportunity for me at this point in my career.  Serving in my second year as an administrator, I feel like this program has accelerated my growth, development, capacity for leadership, as well as my desire to lead. The internship opportunities provided to me by my site-supervisor have allowed me to explore my own opinions about district weaknesses and my recommendations, in addition to making connections between my course-based learning with site-based learning.

In identifying district assessment data trends for a two-year period of time (the first two years of my current Superintendent's tenure) the district is moving in a positive direction. Despite this, my district continues to lag behind the state in the 'All Students' group in regards to Reading, Mathematics, and Writing. Increasing accountability standards, paired with the implementation of the more rigorous STAAR test are difficulties that all districts must manage. Economically disadvantaged students' account for 53% of the student population in my district, and at-risk students account for 41% of the student population. In order to sustain the gains and continuously improve the academic achievement in my district, while facing these changes, I recommend a concerted, consistent, and efficient Response to Intervention process (RtI) to be used across the district. The current format in my district is somewhat fragmented, due to a recent reconfiguration of schools. One of the great things about my campus's RtI is that we have a true team of educational experts (administrators, counselor, 504 coordinator, diagnostician, SpEd personnel, Dyslexia coordinator, instructional interventionist, the classroom teacher, and parent when appropriate) that meet often to discuss screening, intervention strategies, progress monitoring, and feedback. My campus has shown progress in state accountability measures, in that we were classified as only Academically Acceptable, but have now achieved Recognized status. Across the district, the RtI team is not as structured as our current model, and I would like to see this implemented for several reasons. I feel it has been an integral component in increasing student achievement for 'fringe' students that might otherwise not get the assistance they need. It has also benefited teachers in that they have a support system, despite having the immediate responsibility of educating the student in the classroom. Identifying and meeting the needs of students earlier through consistent and efficient RtI across the district could only help in strengthening a district weakness.

I would also like to begin a district-wide book study on The Fundamental Five, which is a book about the five critical practices that are at the core of highly effective instruction. In doing this, I believe it would help in promoting the growth and development of teachers, campus administrators, as well as district-level administrators. I believe if facilitated properly, the professional learning communities would help promote meaningful discussion about the teaching and learning process and how to improve it. I would hope the incorporation of a book study would generate buy-in towards implementing The Fundamental Five framework on a district-wide level in the future.

A final recommendation I would make based on an internship activity I participated in is to provide teachers more support in the area of analyzing and utilizing disseminated assessment data, in order to identify student/campus deficiencies, and develop a plan for improving these deficiencies through administrator facilitated post-assessment data-driven decision-making meetings. I would like to see this implemented on a central office level as a model to campus administrators, and then the campus administrators would lead their campus, department, or grade levels in similar meetings. Many times it seems that once a common assessment is given, because of the pace of the curriculum, there is a tendency to overlook what the data is telling us. It is my recommendation that this can be averted with modeling post-assessment meetings at the district level.

In participating in district improvement initiatives during the internship process I learned a great deal that will aid my decision making as a current campus and future district level leader. A key lesson I have learned is that I am more easily able to perceive district happenings from a district level perspective. In the same way a new administrator must learn to have a campus-wide perspective on how decisions impact each grade level, a district level administrator must learn the district-wide impact of decisions made in the central office. Another lesson I have learned is the importance of how each department supports student achievement in my district, as well as being able to recognize effective traits of various district level departments. I have gained respect for certain areas that are not at the forefront of educating students, and have learned how important it is as a Superintendent to rely on the expertise that each individual leading these areas can supply, as well as knowing how important recognizing their efforts can impact the operation positively. I have also learned as Superintendent how important it is to communicate the vision for school improvement to district, campus, and community stakeholders, as well as utilizing multiple mediums through which to accomplish effective communication. A final learning that I would like to share is that of networking. I have learned how valuable networking inside and outside of my current district can be. Through my participation in the internship process I have been able to substantially increase my network of knowledgeable individuals who I can call upon for various purposes. My internship activities have also allowed me to be in contact with other administrators outside of my school district, but within the area, who I have been able to collaborate with on various school improvement issues. Even more so, it has been so beneficial for me to have met and communicated with other educators in this Superintendent program, in an environment that is conducive to risk-taking and development as a future district leader. The people I have met, the activities I’ve completed, and the conversations I have had throughout the internship process have allowed me to grow both as a person and an administrator. 

Week 2 Reflection: Competency Review & Job Entry Plan

Competency Review

In reviewing the competencies and activities that I completed during the Superintendent internship it was good to notice the varied and differing experiences I was able to participate in that I otherwise would have no knowledge of. Participating in activities corresponding to the ten Superintendent competencies has helped me grow and develop my capacity for leadership as a second year administrator. The (new) experience(s) I gained during the internship have helped me to grow as a leader, with application in my current campus position, while yet helping me to learn to see the district-wide perspective. The new experience and knowledge I have received can only help in my development towards becoming a better campus leader, and effective future district leader.

Job Entry Plan 

When in pursuit of a desired position, I have a tendency to focus on what the next step to gaining that position will be. For example, when in the interview process, my mind could be consumed with trying to be prepared for every question while making a positive impression. Once the position is attained though, then what? Developing a job entry plan for the position of Superintendent allowed me to apply what I’ve learned throughout this program in yet another way, visualizing what I should do at different benchmarks in time during the first year as Superintendent. As the position requires a tremendous set of responsibilities, it can be overwhelming to consider. Despite this, I really like the idea of giving thought to the job entry plan in advance to achieving the position, by breaking it down into reasonable “chunks” in order to make the transition as easy as possible. When creating my job entry plan I considered an interview I had earlier in this program with my Superintendent. I tried to use important experiences he shared with me when developing the job entry plan. These themes included building rapport/establishing relationships with board and staff members, students, and the community, establishing open, two-way communication, assessing district/staff strength/weaknesses, and determining whom the “players” are in the community and district. A benefit to this activity is that I can apply it to future transitions in my career.

Week Two Assignment, Part 2 – Job Entry Plan

First Day Goal(s) Gain knowledge about my immediate support staff (Assistant Superintendent, Chief Financial Officer, secretary, and other staff members I will depend on daily), district organization/site location, and community. Objective(s) Familiarize myself with immediate staff members, work site, district and community layout. Activities addressing goals and objectives ·       Introduce myself and get to know staff members whom I will rely on and interact with on a daily basis. ·       Tour the central administration offices. ·       Drive and locate school and district sites, while familiarizing myself with the community layout. Resources needed to achieve goals and objectives ·       Time ·       Map of the community with school and district site locations marked, along with transportation.

First Week

Goal(s)

Develop and build rapport with district employees, board members, community stakeholders, and students (where appropriate).

Objective(s)

Interact with district staff, students, school board, and community in a professional and ethical manner in order to build sustained relationships.

Activities addressing goals and objectives

·       Visit each Department Director, and Campus Principal at his or her location.

·       Tour each campus or area and be introduced to staff members.

·       Attend district athletic or extracurricular events.

·       Explore civic opportunities within the community.

Resources needed to achieve goals and objectives

·       Time and transportation to each campus or site.

·       A point person, such as Assistant Superintendent to accompany to site visits.

Schedule of extracurricular and community events.

First Month

Goal(s)

Make determinations about district and personnel strengths and weaknesses.

Objective(s)

Gain knowledge of the district, personnel, and processes in order to assist my decision-making in developing a vision for school improvement.

Activities addressing goals and objectives

·       Conduct interviews with the school board members, Assistant Superintendent, Chief Financial Officer, Directors, Campus Principals, teacher leaders, and community stakeholders.

·       Review district data about the district in regards to both instruction and maintenance and operations.

·       Prepare a review of the facts and findings.

·       Share the report with district leadership and District SBDM Committee in order to solicit feedback.

Resources needed to achieve goals and objectives

·       Time of the individuals for interviews and feedback.

Data collection from the curriculum and maintenance and operations departments.

First Year

Goal(s)

Determine and develop school board and community goals to address district weaknesses.

Objective(s)

Develop and communicate a vision for school improvement, which aligns with school board and community goals.

Activities addressing goals and objectives

·       Work with the school board to gain their perspective about running “their district, with their money, their way.”

·       Maintain an open door policy with the community and invite feedback from those willing to give their opinion.

·       Guide the District SBDM towards developing and communicating a set of goals in school improvement.

·       Effective coordination of budget development that aligns with district vision and goals.

Resources needed to achieve goals and objectives

• Time spent with board and community members.
• Budget