Standard Four: Human Resource Leadership
Element IVa - Professional Development/Learning Communities
The principal/assistant principal ensures that the school is a professional learning community.
The principal/assistant principal ensures that the school is a professional learning community.
Below is the document used in the analysis of our first benchmark results. Along with our English staff, I was able to determine where gaps were both in standards and levels of rigor through the use of a scale indicating Webb's Depth of Knowledge (DOK). We then took these results and determined what we needed to focus on in future units in order to better prepare students for success in English and across the curriculum. With this literacy focus in mind, we were aware that helping students with these critical thinking skills would allow us to benefit the entire staff in their classrooms.
Following our second session in DLP, I completed this reflection on how crucial it is to having a school be a true "professional learning community." As a school leader, it will be important for me to set the tone that our school is a PLC and model this expectation both in whole staff meetings and holding myself accountable for meeting with my administrative team to show staff that I am as invested in the process that I am asking them to be. This is critical to maintaining a constant focus on student achievement.
Element IVb - Recruiting, Hiring, Placing, and Mentoring of Staff
The principal/assistant principal establishes processes and systems in order to ensure a high-quality, high-performing staff.
The principal/assistant principal establishes processes and systems in order to ensure a high-quality, high-performing staff.
In October, we had a vacancy in our English department. I was given the task of reaching out to candidates, reviewing their resumes, and going through the interview process. Along with the English department chair, I organized interviews on October 30 and interviewed three candidates for the position. These were the scripted questions that we asked of all teachers. At the end of the interview process, our recommendation for hire was approved by the principal following reference checks.
Element IVc - Teacher and Staff Evaluation
The principal/assistant principal evaluates teachers and other staff in a fair and equitable manner with the focus on improving performance and, thus, student achievement.
The principal/assistant principal evaluates teachers and other staff in a fair and equitable manner with the focus on improving performance and, thus, student achievement.
Walking into a situation where myself and another fellow were filling the role of an AP at our residency site, it was incumbent upon us to be active participants in the observation process. We observed roughly ten teachers each with the goal being that we would rotate each observation cycle and have the chance to observe all teachers on the staff by the end of the year. This document details some of the observations that were completed in the first round of observations. After moving sites, I was given a similar document to guide my evaluations at the middle school as well.