Standard 4: Human Resource Leadership
School Executives will ensure that the school is a professional learning community. Principals will ensure that process and systems are in place which results in recruitment, induction, support, evaluation, development and retention of high performing staff. The principal must engage and empower accomplished teachers in a distributive manner, including support of teachers in day-to-day decisions such as discipline, communication with parents/guardians, and protecting teachers from duties that interfere with teaching, and must practice fair and consistent evaluations of teachers. The principal must engage teachers and other professional staff in conversations to plan their career paths and support district succession planning.
School Executives will ensure that the school is a professional learning community. Principals will ensure that process and systems are in place which results in recruitment, induction, support, evaluation, development and retention of high performing staff. The principal must engage and empower accomplished teachers in a distributive manner, including support of teachers in day-to-day decisions such as discipline, communication with parents/guardians, and protecting teachers from duties that interfere with teaching, and must practice fair and consistent evaluations of teachers. The principal must engage teachers and other professional staff in conversations to plan their career paths and support district succession planning.
Element 4a. Professional Development/Learning Communities: The school executive ensures that the school is a professional learning community.
The artifacts below depict an example walkthrough schedule and a snapshot of the Google Form we use to document feedback that gets sent to the teachers. We utilize walkthroughs as an opportunity to praise noteworthy teaching practices and to give feedback on areas for improvement. Furthermore, we utilize walkthroughs to document consistency or lack thereof in pacing across PLTs and grade level(s).
The artifact below displays an example of the written feedback that teachers receive upon completion of the walkthrough document. Anecdotal notes of inconsistencies in pacing can be addressed at weekly PLT and/or grade level meetings. Teachers can then address any needed changes in pacing of the curriculum.
Element 4b. Recruiting, Hiring, Placing and Mentoring to Staff: The school executive establishes processes and systems in order to ensure a high-quality, high-performing staff.
The two artifacts below outline the notes that I took when I sat in on interviews for a Teacher Assistant opening for our Social Skills class, a group of three students who are to receive instruction at their grade level in a separate setting from their same-age peers. I had the opportunity to assist with three interviews. Upon hiring, I assisted the new TA with submitting her formal application. The person selected is an advocate for our students and has made a positive impact on the students in the social skills setting. Our students are our most important commodity. When hiring, we must make sure that the applicant is fully aware of the responsibilities or their role in addition to assessing their philosophy of interacting with students in their role. I believe that it is beneficial to tour promising applicants and allow them to come in and observe the class that they are interviewed to work with.
The artifact below is an example of a monitored professional development plan aimed at improving a teacher's quality of instructional practices. The document outlines the goals of the plan, activities, resources, artifacts, and timeline for completion. Plans such as these are implemented to assist in ensuring that teachers uphold stellar ideals. The ultimate goal is to positively effect student achievement by setting a high bar for teacher accountability.
Element 4c. Teacher and Staff Evaluation: The school executive evaluates teachers and other staff in a fair and equitable manner with the focus on improving performance and, thus, student achievement.
The artifacts below detail the distribution of observations amongst the administrative staff at West Greene. I had the opportunity to observe Mrs. Pennington, my principal mentor, complete a formal observation from start to finish. I have been tasked with completing observations during each quartile. The quantity of observations I have is outlined as follows:
During post conferences, I utilize the one-on-one sessions to assess how the teacher felt about the lesson I observed, to identify the positives I saw and make suggestions about potential improvements or additions to instructional strategies. As a portion of my end-of-year responsibilities, I will assist Mrs. Pennington in completing "roster verification" for all of our teachers. This will ensure that teachers are appropriately credited for students' academic growth for the 2017-2018 school year.
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The artifact below illustrates the screen in NCEES upon locking an observation after , post conference, acknowledgement, and written response is completed. I utilize post conferences to talk about the positives that I saw and any room for improvement. Post Conferences too, are ideal for sharing resources with teachers and for discussing any questions about the evaluation process. I encourage teachers to give a written response, noting the pros about their instructional practices and dedication to their students' success.
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Observation is a key element in ensuring that we, as school administrators, have persistent insight into teachers' instructional practices. In addition to formal observations, walkthroughs, educational surveys and data analysis are key elements in staying abreast of the learning environment that we foster for our key stakeholders--our STUDENTS. As a NCLA Fellow, I had the opportunity to take a course in which we examined Madeline Hunter's Mastery Teaching techniques. It is important to be skilled at identifying positive teaching strategies when analyzing teachers' instructional effectiveness. A checklist is a good tool to utilize to quickly document what is observed in the classroom. As such, I created a checklist to utilize when conducting classroom observations, utilizing Madeline Hunter's strategies as a guide. When teachers' instructional practices need improvement, measures can be taken to make necessary changes, such as:
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