Project "ALIGN": Aligning Leadership Investment and Growth Now | Virginia Department of Education Office of Teacher Quality Enhancement, the Southside Virginia Region 8 School Divisions, and The Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education at the University of Virginia
Program Description
Project ALIGN was designed to provide a defined leadership development program that addresses leadership standards established by the Board of Education and the Commonwealth of Virginia and to provide strategies to train, evaluate, and recognize educators with a primary focus on increasing student achievement and school safety.
One participant, for each of three levels, has been selected by participating school divisions.
- Selection of one aspiring administrator with at least three year's experience for Level I Cohort
- Selection of one sitting administrator with five or less year's of experience at the administrative level for Level II Cohort
- Selection of one sitting administrator who has an exemplary record of student achievement and staff satisfaction, as verified by the participating school division, for Level III Cohort
- The Level I Cohort provides members with a series of classes by Longwood University, held at the Nottoway High School, that lead to an endorsement in Administration and Supervision, PreK-12.
Level II Cohort members are involved in a series of colloquia, delivered on six Saturdays, that focus on the Virginia Licensure Regulations for School Personnel, July 1, 1998, (8VAC 20-21-580) and the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Administrators, and Superintendents, January 6, 2000 with the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards for School Leaders (ISLLC) (Council of Chief State School Officers, 1996).
Level III Cohort members serve as mentors for other participants. They dialogue and reflect regularly on course and colloquia content through face-to-face conferencing, list-serve arrangements, and journals of professional practice.
Virginia Standard(s) Addressed
Planning and Assessment (ISLLC standard 3)Instructional Leadership (ISLLC standard 1)
Safety and Organizational Management for Learning (ISLLC standards 2 & 3)
Communication and Community Relations (ISLLC standard 4)
Professionalism (ISLLC standards 5 & 6)
Program Goals and Objectives
By the end of Project ALIGN, participants will:
- demonstrate an awareness of the Virginia Standards for Administrators and the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards for School Leaders;
- complete a sequence of courses that will led to an endorsement in Administration and Supervision, K-12;
- participate in training with the Pathwise Framework Observation program to enhance their ability to observe, gather evidence, and assist staff in developing personal growth plans;
- develop meaningful relationships with their peers in administrative capacities through coaching, modeling, and shared problem solving and research; and
- seek to secure a position as an administrator (principal or assistant principal) in a Region 8 school division.
Program Format
Level I Cohort members participate in a series of classes, provided by Longwood University, at the Nottoway High school, that lead to endorsement in Administration and Supervision, PreK-12.
Level II Cohort members participate in a series of colloquia, delivered on six Saturdays, that focus on the Virginia Licensure Regulations for School Personnel, July 1, 1998, (8VAC 20-21-580) and the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Administrators, and Superintendents, January 6, 2000 with the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards for School Leaders (ISLLC) (Council of Chief State School Officers, 1996).Level III Cohort members serve as mentors for other participants. They will dialogue and reflect regularly on course and colloquia content through face-to-face conferencing, list-serve arrangements, and journals of professional practice.
Class meetings and colloquia include a follow-up activity that requires members to undertake action research in their own setting: identifying a specific problem/s, collecting data, analyzing potential solutions and supportive resources, and drafting a possible course of action. At subsequent meetings of the Cohort, they will share their findings and encourage potential group input. Interactions with members of Cohort I, during the interims, will also provide reflection for steps in the process.
All Cohort members participate in the two-day Pathwise Framework Observation training.
Target Audience
The target audience includes:
- one aspiring administrator with at least three-years' experience from every participating division for Level I Cohort
- one sitting administrator with five or fewer years' experience at the administrative level from every participating school division for the Level II Cohort; and
- one sitting administrator who has an exemplary record of student achievement and staff satisfaction from every participating division for the Level III Cohort
Self-Selection and/or Identification Through School Division
No/yes.Duration of Program
The program is designed to last two years, with activities implemented both during the school term and summer sessions. Courses are 45 hours in length (6 provided by grant, 3 provided by participating divisions). Colloquia sessions last six hours (6 provided). Mentoring, dialogue, and coaching activities are held throughout the program. All grant activities will conclude by July 1, 2006.Outcomes Measured
The following outcomes will be measured:
- Cohort participation
- Course performance
- Course/colloquia content satisfaction
- Personal growth assessments
- Retention of personnel
- Administrative employment
Program Evaluation
Evaluation will include, but not be limited to, the following: pre- and post-self analysis of performance; pre- and post-analysis of skill in observation techniques, inter-rater reliability scores in observations, ratings of current administrators who are and are not in the program by central office staff, course grades, self-evaluation though journals and portfolios, cohort evaluations of course and colloquia content on a course-by-course or colloquium-by-colloquium basis, participation in a variety of self-assessment instruments within the content delivered, and completion of a final, overall evaluation of grant opportunities.Contact Information
Pam Wright, Program Manager
Southside VA NCLB Partnership Office
PO Box 47
Nottoway, VA 23955
Phone: 434-645-7144
Fax: 434-645-8890
pwright1@pen.k12.va.us