EDLD 5399
Norma Penny
Individual competency reviews
Competency 1 Area:
The superintendent knows how to act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner in order to promote the success of all students.
My internship experiences have given me an opportunity to take a closer look at role for which I hold in high regard. I was able to observe the interaction of a Superintendent with not only educators but with the Board, Community, Businesses and Students. While I was very aware that the Superintendent spent numerous hours with various groups, it was through my internship that I realized our Superintendent spent countless hours promoting the success for our students.
I was able to witness our Superintendent respond in an ethical manner to the printed media as our district went through a Reduction in Force. When his cabinet met, he acted with integrity and fairness on decisions that had to be made pertaining to the RIF. He implemented processes that allowed his cabinet and principals to act with integrity and fairness as they carried out the RIF. As a Principal, I tried to mirror the actions with my administrative team. It was a smaller version of the district; however it gave me the experience to implement the same process. The district lost approximately 300 positions and our building lost4 positions, our employees left knowing that they were valued.
One of the activities that I thought was insightful was meeting with a variety of school staff members to discuss their perspectives on ethical behavior and any recommendations they may have on policy changes for the district as a whole. Surprisingly, they felt that policy changes were not needed. The staff members felt that ethics begins with the leader of the district and the campus. The changes that were needed at some schools was not the policy, it was the leadership. This experience was a valuable one, as it is one thing to read that ethics are valued by faculty and staff yet to have those face to face conversations that validate what is read in theory is quite another.
My logged hours included a review of The Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators. As always in history and in today’s time, the Superintendent is a role model for those around him and in the community. After reviewing the standards, I realize it stands to reason that we continually ask and hold students and parents to a high standard, we as educators should walk the talk as well and demonstrate strong ethical behavior on a daily basis, whether or not we are a Superintendent. I feel our Superintendent is an excellent role model to anyone that hopes to hold this position.
Competency 2 Area:
The superintendent knows how to shape district culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the educational community.
Our district underwent a major revision of its District Improvement Plan last year. The Superintendent took the lead in organizing a district committee that revised the mission and vision statement. Seven goals were identified by the district committee, and then membership was open to administrators and staff, community, students, parents and business partners. One team for each goal was to meet once a week for 12 weeks or until they created the strands for that goal. It was a lengthy process as there were many perspectives on what each strand should entail, however when it was over there was commitment from all involved in the process. The mission/vision are now reflective of a district that is moving forward. It was wonderful to have the chance to participate in such a monumental process for our district. By including all in the process, it created a buy-in/commitment from all stakeholders and in year one of this plan; each campus is doing its best to be aligned with the plan. The Superintendent has also set up an evaluation committee, of which I am taking part in. Again, I have taken the process the district has used and applied it to re-aligning our Campus Improvement Plan. All stakeholders were involved through the process. Staff development is also given on the plan as well to ensure that all are on the same page.
This past year was the first time that as part of the Principal appraisal, Area Superintendents reviewed data and set goals with Principals. Goals were set for state exams as well as how many walk-throughs a principal and his/her team would conduct throughout the year. It was done in a way that was motivating and inspired principals to move their campus forward. This in turn has brought more accountability to holding classroom teachers responsible for what happens in the classroom. Data was also reviewed to ensure that equality in the distribution of personnel and schools with large student numbers were staffed appropriately.
By communicating effectively with our Education Foundation, our Superintendent is able to reward risk-takers who stretch the limit of creativity. They are rewarded mini-grants to foster the risk-taking of creative education. Our campus applied and was awarded a $5,000 mini-grant for the purchase and use of active-votes in the classroom. This year I am writing a mini-grant for e-readers for our library. We surveyed students to verify that there was a need. Our results showed that overwhelmingly our young students want to read from an electronic devise versus a book. This is a smaller scale version of what a Superintendent would do however the ideas and ability to implement and experiment now is priceless!
Competency 3 Area:
The superintendent knows how to communicate and collaborate with families and community members, respond to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilize community resources to ensure educational success for all students.
Our school district is currently seeking to pass a bond in the November election. It has served me well to witness this during this course as I’m in tune with details that I may have dismissed before. I’ve seen the Superintendent communicate with effective writing, speaking, listening skills during Administrator presentations and business meetings. I will be a part of the meeting when our Superintendent communicates the bond information with families and community members to ensure the success for all students. I have seen him use media efficiently and effectively throughout the early stages of the bond information.
During my internship, attending Board meetings was one of my activities. Through attendance, I was able to witness the collaboration of the Board and Superintendent to serve our students. It was a rough year as the Texas legislature was unsure how much of a budget cut education would receive. Throughout this time, our Superintendent communicated to families and community that decisions would always be made in the best interest of our children. I also realized that the Superintendent also has to communicate with the Teacher associations as well and has to try to keep the district from litigation.
Tapping into the resources of our community is a specialty of our Superintendent as he collaborated with our Education Foundation to raise money for classroom teachers. I volunteered at the McDonald’s Texas Invitational Tournament hosted by Pasadena ISD. This is an event that unites students, families, and community and business partners. Communications for this event have our Superintendent front and center. He does a great job of putting Pasadena’s best foot forward and sharing all of the great things that are taking place in the classrooms! The event draws a large crowd from many communities and students are showcased during half-time.
In our district there is an achievement gap in the scores of our African American population. Our Superintendent has along with his cabinet done research for best instructional practices to train employees in an effort to close the gap. Being able to observe a Superintendent that has a passion to help each and every child has been inspiring. This very passion can be felt by community members who come into our school district and volunteer because they know what their contribution means to our Superintendent. Motivated by his communication skills and wanting to practice mine, I went out and sought business partners for our campus. We now have three new partners that have employees come and mentor our students. I also worked with our Human Resource department to partner with University of Houston and have some of their students come and mentor our students.
Competency 4 Area:
The superintendent knows how to respond to and influence the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context, including working with the board of trustees, to achieve the district's educational vision.
Board Meetings were an extremely important part of my internship. It gave me firsthand information on how a Board fires off questions to a Superintendent and one has to be ready to answer any type of question. Attendance also made me aware that it is okay to say “I don’t have enough information to answer that right now, but I will get back to you.” Being willing to work with the Board in order to combat some of those political and social influences was very evident at meetings. PISD has an experienced board and they know what their role in the education process is and most importantly what the role of the Superintendent needs to be. While they have deep respect for each other, it does not keep them from asking the difficult questions.
Board meetings gave me an opportunity to talk to Board members on what they felt was important in their relationship with the Superintendent. One Board member stated that trust was a critical factor in their faith of the Superintendent; knowing he would do what is right for students on a daily basis. Having interviewed the Superintendent, the information on how much time is spent with the board was an eye opener as I did not realize so much time was dedicated to answering their questions and dealing with concerns. A positive action seen from the Superintendent and Board was hiring Legal Counsel to be on staff. It was cheaper than being billed hourly by a firm. Now the district attorney also gives staff development to administrators in the district.
I sat in on budget workshops, which allowed me to experience how the Superintendent has to know where and how the taxpayer money is being spent. It allowed me to witness the Board and Superintendent making a decision about retired-rehired teachers in our district and because of the community/teacher outcry having to go back and revamp a plan. I was able to sit in on a hearing that had the Superintendent dealing with local and state organizations. I left with a better understanding of how a Superintendent has to be clear and concise with communication so that stakeholders understand what is being said.
It was good to see our Superintendent seek the advice of legal counsel on what correct wording could be used during the RIF so that the district was not compromised.
OMAIN II—INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP – COMPETENCIES 5 - 7
Competency 5 Area:
The superintendent knows how to facilitate the planning and implementation of strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment among curriculum, curriculum resources, and assessment; use the current accountability system; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance.
Strategic Planning has been in the forefront of our district. Our Superintendent has a District Committee of which I am fortunate to be a part of. The district goals and strategies are now aligned with Campus Improvement Plans across the district. As a Principal, I took the DIP and aligned our CIP to it; not only are we stressing grade level alignment, we are focusing on vertical curriculum alignment as well. This is coming to fruition as we meet with our feeder schools.
The curriculum teams met this summer to revamp the district curriculum. As part of this team, I was able to help with the design and delivery systems to ensure that students were going to benefit from the engagement of lessons. The TEKS and College Readiness was at the forefront of the conversation. At times the meetings were interesting as teachers did not want to let go of their favorite lesson! However when complete the scope and sequence of the curriculum truly was the best for the students.
Our Superintendent has implemented the use of AWARE across the district. This ensures that all faculty and administration have access to student data and disagrated data. We have access to data on state exams as well as data on bench marks given on a 9 week basis. I interviewed a random set of students on how to improve preparation for tests. Their answers varied from using highlighters to crossing out answers. Some students stated they were tired of testing. The good thing about this year is that our fifth graders will not be burned out from taking so many tests. As a Superintendent, I would want the best results on the first round of tests.
As a district, our Superintendent sent a committee of principals to Portland, Oregon to attend an Assessment Training Institute. The Repair Kit for Grading, 15 Fixes of Broken Grades was the focus of the training. We are now looking at a few policy changes dealing with assessing in different ways to make certain the grade reflects mastery of the TEKS. It is a huge paradigm shift for me but I recognize that taking off 15 points for late work does not tell me whether a student knows the material covered. This is still in the implementation process and still has much work ahead of us. Assessment is usually the forgotten piece. Discussions with employees has brought to the forefront that assessment for learning rather assessment of learning needs to be the focus in order to help all students succeed.
Competency 6 Area:
The superintendent knows how to advocate, promote, and sustain an instructional program and a district culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.
Our Superintendent had several grade level core area subjects revamp their curriculum this summer. I was able to sit in on the Curriculum Writing of one of the core areas. The district opened up seats for the representative of each campus. Then they took nominations. Administrators were asked to participate as well. The committees met several times during the summer and created the new curriculum, which is now posted electronically as well. The district is now doing FOCUS trainings, which are trainings on the new curriculum each nine weeks. Evaluation of the curriculum is also going to occur at the end of each nine weeks.
Currently it is part of a teacher’s contract that they must have 6 professional staff development hours outside of the school day. The courses have to be aligned with the district/campus improvement plans. A survey is also going to be given to teachers after the training and after each implementation cycle.
I had an intern go on walk-throughs with me and discuss the observation instrument and alignment of what the district expectations are and the instrument. We discussed evidence of the district improvement plan in the observation. The district allowed me to mentor a new principal which gave me insight on how the alignment was viewed by someone new to the position. It also allowed for me to meet with her and discuss professional development of the district for administrators and teachers. I did learn that at some schools in our district professional development is not required for all inclusion (Special Education) personnel. That is a consistency that can be easily resolved by communication of central office to schools.
I gave a survey to our staff after our August staff development. In the survey, I asked whether they felt our staff development was aligned with the District Improvement Plan. It was great to see the results and find that the staff felt like we were moving forward as a campus in technology and critical thinking questions.
A project that I took an interest in was one that would enable me to empower students. I worked with TEPSA in May and they will be coming to my campus to give students a Leadership Workshop in October. Through the workshop I hope to not only have our students attend but open it up to all 5th/6th grade students in Pasadena. Knowing how to identify and use leadership skills in oneself is an asset to all students. The slogan this year is iLead, iLearn, and iServe. Empowering students in leadership roles is something all educators strive for.
Competency 7 Area:
The superintendent knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system and select appropriate models for supervision and staff development to improve the performance of all staff members.
Our Superintendent had all campus administrators give the WE TEACH survey to their faculties. Based on the findings the administrators knew whether they needed to work on climate, instructional strategies or communication. This helped us prepare staff development for August based on what the teachers felt they needed.
Throughout the district now staff development at a district level is always followed by a survey. As part of our staff development this year, we surveyed the teachers on how well the presenters taught the intended concepts of the workshops. We asked how useful they felt the trainings were to their instruction.
In thinking about how our students learn, we had our teachers do a few hours of on-line staff development at home this year. The link was sent to them, those that did not want to complete the activity at home were able to have time during the school day to view the on-line course. They loved it as it gave them time to work in their classrooms instead of having seat time in the building and everyone on the staff completed the on-line course. As a future Superintendent, I want to continue to implement learning that is effective and efficient for our employees.
As an administrator in the district, I received strategies to improve the performance of all staff members. Our administrative team created a plan to implement the strategies so that teachers are receiving walk-throughs and feedback in a timely manner. We also have a plan that consists of providing mentors and coaching for any struggling teacher. I would like to see teachers improve, however if they are not doing their part, the timeline allows for a growth plan if needed. Mr. McCarley, our Area Superintendent, monitors walk-throughs and is able to access the data from his office. Isn’t technology amazing!!
DOMAIN III—ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP – COMPETENCIES 8 – 10
Competency 8 Area:
The superintendent knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and management in relation to district budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management, and technology application.
Budgeting Workshops with the Board and Superintendent are held and open to the public. These were wonderful to attend! All of the information that I learned in our Finance class came into play during these workshops and I was able to comprehend where the money was coming from and going to. There were many details that I was glad to be a part of. As a principal our input is sought out and hearing that our suggestions were taken and used made me feel like a valuable member of the team. I worked with our Area Superintendent on our campus budget for personnel and resource utilization. Completing a Teacher Needs during a RIF with teacher to student ratios being high gave me a new perspective that I had not had. The Superintendent had to answer questions from parents, administrators and board on why decisions were made and how they were in the best interest of the students. It gave me a whole new respect for the position.
I am currently serving on the District Technology Committee which has completely revamped what the 21st Century Classroom for our district will look like. This will be part of our next bond. We had numerous meetings and conversations with teachers, administrators, the committee and the Superintendent. Hours were spent on deliberations as there were some educators not sold on the idea of technology and how it was to help our students. One of the decisions that I am excited that we made was to pilot one to one computer laptops for a grade level. The Superintendent will choose the schools however small steps will help to give all stakeholders a better perspective of how technology can be used as a learning tool in the classroom and out of the classroom.
Competency 9 Area:
The superintendent knows how to apply principles of leadership and management to the district's physical plant and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment.
Facilities Planning, I was blessed to have the great opportunity to open a new campus. I now have knowledge of dealing with the architect, the contractors and how they can delay a project for lack of being accountable. Interviewing our Director of Facilities also gave me insight as I stepped back from my own experience and took in the new information he had to offer. There were new codes and laws that he discussed that were not in place at the time my building was constructed. Timelines are a must and a Superintendent must be aware of how closely the contractor is staying on the timeline agreed to by both parties. We are currently seeking to pass a bond in the November election which will include three new middle schools. I was able to plan with the Superintendent what some of the new middle schools in the upcoming bond will look like.
Our Superintendent has personnel in charge of Emergency Planning. I took part in the planning of our campus Emergency Plan, which included having a map of the building, doors labeled on the outside so that emergency responders would know where to enter the building and a plan that would have all school employees knowing exactly what they needed to do should an emergency arise. While this took numerous hours at the campus level, the district as a whole will benefit should an emergency actually arise.
The Director of Transportation hired me as a teacher; it was great to see him in his role at the new department. I was able to see the schedules that one creates for 52,000 children. He talked about the students and parents, along with their needs. Mr. Hill also discussed training of the bus drivers. This is the first year they are receiving CHAMPS training, which is a program in discipline management. I have taken several bus trips and dialogued with the bus drivers. It has been a great experience for me and the students! We are able to connect on a totally different level now. They thought that their principal riding the bus was great!
Competency 10 Area:
The superintendent knows how to apply organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving skills to comply with federal and state requirements and facilitate positive change in varied contexts.
I have been able to sit in on several meetings that our Area Superintendents have held. They dialogue about the changes being brought about by the Superintendent. One example is the restricting of Central Office positions which were redone because of certain departments not being as successful as they should be. The reorganization helped align staff with specific roles and will allow principals to know who to contact when help is needed in a specific area.
Our Superintendent created the position of Research and Evaluation which has this person giving him specific data on state and federal mandates. This enables him to be very well versed in the areas of trends in specific core areas as well as stagnations. I receive the training as well; this course has taught me to view items not only from a campus perspective but from a district perspective. The areas of need along with SAT and EOC are something that I actually seek out information on.
District goals are more aligned with campus goals this year because of our Superintendent and his cabinet. A positive that has come about is our District holds Aspiring Administrators Academy, which encourages not only PISD employees but all surrounding employees to consider going into administration, whether it be in curriculum, mid-management or counseling. I had the honor to present during this Academy and it was one of my best experiences; the opportunity to inspire someone to lead in education. I discussed our Site-Based Decision Making Committee and how each campus is empowered to use the committee to do great things for our students.
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