10+EDLD+5333+Leadership+for+Accountability

EDLD 5333 Leadership for Accountability This course is a study of both short and long-range planning and problem solving techniques of effective school leaders. Special emphasis will be given to an individual campus and its relationship to district planning process. This course is required for the master’s of school administration and principal certification.

WEEK 1: Standards and Accountability

WEEK 2: Texas Accountability System

WEEK 3: Data-Based Decision Making

WEEK 4: Continuous Improvement

WEEK 5: Site-Based Decision Making

Course Outcomes Learning Outcomes:
 * Identify the responsibilities of states with regard to standards and assessment systems related to No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
 * Explain the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) rating criteria, the stages of interventions for not meeting AYP standards, and the principles of Goals 2000.
 * Trace the evolutionary milestones of the accountability standards movement from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) through passage of NCLB.
 * Describe the significance of a shared vision and healthy school culture to the campus improvement process.
 * Develop an understanding of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) as it affects the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) for Texas schools.
 * Describe the uses of the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) snapshot data in the AEIS process.
 * Identify the scope of information and performance indicators addressed on annual AEIS reports.
 * Describe the duties of the Grade Placement Committee as outlined in the Student Success Initiative (SSI) and the use of Texas Education Agency (TEA) resources.
 * Identify the basic steps in the data-driven comprehensive needs assessment process.
 * Describe how to apply four types of data in the comprehensive needs assessment process.
 * Articulate the importance of measurable goals and objectives to the comprehensive needs assessment process.
 * Define the principal’s role in campus planning and problem solving as a part of the continuous improvement process.
 * Describe the steps in developing a campus-wide improvement plan and the critical components of a campus plan.
 * Explain the importance of communication and formative assessment in continuous school improvement and campus planning.
 * Identify the 10 components of school-wide planning as defined by Title I guidelines.
 * Cite strategies to ensure that a Campus Improvement Plan is inclusive and addresses the needs of all learners.
 * Describe the purpose and functions of the site-based decision-making (SBDM) team with regard to the change process and campus planning.
 * Articulate the characteristics of schools that are successful in sustaining continuous improvement.
 * Define the roles of the campus principal, staff members, parents, community members, and business representatives with regard to the SBDM team.
 * Identify techniques for planning and facilitating productive SBDM meetings and for use in problem solving and decision making.

Performance Outcomes:
 * Navigate the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Web site to access the most current AYP report for a campus, analyze areas of strength and weakness, and compare the campus performance on each indicator to the AYP standards.
 * Create a statement of a personal vision of leadership after exploring assigned Web sites on the topic of school visioning.
 * Analyze AEIS data disaggregated by ethnicity, special education, low-income status, limited English proficient status, and a school district’s at-risk status as one tool in the needs assessment process to determine areas of strength and weakness and patterns and trends.
 * Use assessment data as one tool in the needs assessment process.
 * Narrow the focus of the needs assessment to one target area of weakness, and write a S.M.A.R.T. goal and one measurable objective for the target area.
 * Research appropriate strategies/activities, including specific professional development, to address the target area, and list the strategies and rationale for using each strategy.
 * Create a campus action plan to address the areas of need based on data from the needs assessment, including professional development plans and resources and tools for school improvement efforts.
 * Complete an agenda for one professional development day, match training to teacher and student learning needs, and develop a timeline for follow-up professional development activities to address the targeted need area.
 * Outline the next action planning steps to ensure continuing growth in student performance toward campus goals.
 * Conduct interviews with the principal and an SBDM team member to obtain information regarding campus planning and SBDM dynamics.

Course Standards Great care has been taken to include the content required by the Texas State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC), recommended by national specialty organizations (e.g. NCATE, CEC), and supplemented by Lamar University faculty members. The TExES examinations, where required for certification, reflect standards of this course.

Texas State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) Principal Standards: (c) Learner-Centered Leadership and Campus Culture: A principal is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students and shapes campus culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community. At the campus level, a principal understands, values, and is able to: 5) utilize emerging issues, trends, demographic data, knowledge of systems, campus climate inventories, student learning data, and other information to develop a campus vision and plan to implement the vision. 7) facilitate the collaborative development of a plan in which objectives and strategies to implement the campus vision are clearly articulated. 9) establish processes to assess and modify the plan of implementation to ensure achievement of the campus vision. (f) Learner-centered Organizational Leadership and Management: A principal is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students through leadership and management of the organization, operations, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment. At the campus level, a principal understands, values, and is able to: 3) frame, analyze, and creatively resolve campus problems using effective problem solving techniques to make timely, high quality decision. 8) collaboratively plan and effectively manage the campus budget. (h) Learner Instructional Leadership and Management: A principal is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a campus culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth. At the campus level, a principal understands, values, and is able to: 8) acquire and allocate sufficient instructional resources on the campus in the most equitable manner to support and enhance student learning.

Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) Standards: Standard 1.0: Candidates who complete the program are educational leaders who have the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a district vision of learning supported by the school community. Standard 2.0: Candidates who complete the program are educational leaders who have the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by promoting a positive school culture, providing an effective instructional program, applying best practice to student learning, and designing comprehensive professional growth plans for staff. Standard 3.0: Candidates who complete the program are educational leaders who have the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by managing the organization, operations, and resources in a way that promotes a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.

State Certification Examination: The Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TexES). Certification examinations are based on competencies within the test framework. The framework is located in the Test Preparation Manual of the SBEC Principal Study Guide and may be found on the SBEC Web site: http://www.sbec.state.tx.us/. The following TExES Competencies are addressed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.