Standard Two: Instructional Leadership
Element IIa - Focus on Learning and Teaching, Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
The principal/assistant principal leads the discussion about standards for curriculum, instruction and assessment based on research and best practices in order to establish and achieve high expectations for students.
The principal/assistant principal leads the discussion about standards for curriculum, instruction and assessment based on research and best practices in order to establish and achieve high expectations for students.
Below is the agenda from October staff meeting where I shared a new walkthrough form for staff and examples of what administrators would be looking for when coming into classrooms for walkthroughs. The district created a new walkthrough instrument and I delivered a presentation to staff in order to make them aware of district and administrative expectations and to allow for questions to ensure that staff were on the same page in regards to these expectations. The staff were receptive, and whenever I went into a classroom to complete a form, I would immediately share it with the teacher with questions and supporting statements from the walkthrough.
Portion of the form mentioned above that was filled out when visiting a science classroom with a question for consideration.
With our remediation schedule, each of our report card indicator courses were granted an extra remediation period each week. As the administrator over the English department, I was tasked with working with those teachers to develop a remediation plan to share with central office staff for how we would remediate our students. The plan, below, was developed based on practices that had helped our students and district in the past. I worked with my English teachers to develop the plan and shared with them during the process what would be expected of them when it came time for remediation during second semester.
Element IIb - Focus on Instructional Time
The principal/assistant principal creates processes and schedules which protect teachers from disruption of instructional or preparation time.
The principal/assistant principal creates processes and schedules which protect teachers from disruption of instructional or preparation time.
At the beginning of the year, the leadership team came together to determine what our master schedule would look like for the upcoming year. Last year, we had a POWER Lunch schedule that gave students an 82 minute block during which they would eat lunch for half of the time and have their choice of options to attend such as clubs and tutoring during the second half. During the leadership team meeting, teachers pointed to their concern with the POWER schedule due to the amount of time that was cut out of their classes to create the fifth period that the lunch block occupied. As we discussed our concerns, it became evident that POWER was not the best option for our staff. As a group, the team determined that there was value in having a remedial block and this schedule was developed. All present at the meeting voted to move forward with this remediation schedule as the best fit for our students.