Professional Partnership for School Leadership Preparation | Virginia School-University Partnership, Virginia Elementary School Principals Association, Virginia Secondary School Principals Association, Virginia Association of School Superintendents, Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Program Description

Eleven school division members of the Virginia School-University Partnership will collaborate with the Virginia Association of Elementary Principals (VAESP), the Virginia Association of Secondary Principals (VASSP), the Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS), the Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (VASCD), and the University of Virginia Curry School of Education to develop an 18-month competency-based program that will prepare 50 eligible candidates to become successful school administrators through their participation in a series of activities designed to address the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards (ISLLC), the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Administrators and Superintendents, and the Virginia Licensure Regulations for School Personnel, July 1, 1988. Unlike conventional administrative licensure programs, which require specific subjects and class hours for certification, this program will customize activities that will give candidates the knowledge and skills they need to become effective school administrators. A diagnostic assessment of school leadership knowledge and skills will be used to determine the candidates' competencies and deficiencies and to serve as the basis for the activities designed for each candidate's Individualized Preparation Program or IPP.

Virginia Standard(s) Addressed

ISLLC Standards 1-6

Program Goals and Objectives

By the end of this program, participants will demonstrate proficiency in administrative knowledge and skills tested on the School Leadership Licensure Assessment (SLLA).

Program Format

Candidates will experience a number of different training methods with an emphasis on practical experience, which will allow them to acquire the knowledge and skills important to their success as school leaders. The methods will include analyses of case studies; attendance in seminars; participation in professional development events; completion of assigned readings; completion of written assignments on-line; completion of field tasks and assignments; participation in study groups; regular meetings with designated mentors; and reflective journal writing.

The professional education associations will be instrumental in providing a number of opportunities for candidates to develop their leadership skills by offering a wide variety of workshops, seminars, and institutes from which candidates may choose. These professional development activities will be based on the latest research in school leadership development and incorporate effective methods of leadership training.

Target Audience

In order to be eligible for the program, the 50 candidates whom the grant will serve must:

possess a Master's degree;
have completed at least 3 years of classroom experience;
have two recommendations - one from their principal and one from a teaching peer;
be regarded by the superintendent and central office staff as having potentially strong leadership skills; and
make a three-year commitment to their sponsoring school division, if hired.

Self-Selection and/or Identification Through School Division

No/yes.

Duration of Program

The six ISLLC standards and their corresponding Virginia standards will be combined within the units so that they can be addressed over a period of 18 months from August 2005 to January 2007. The first unit of study from August 2005 to December 2005 will deal with the ISLLC Standards 1, 5 and 6 pertaining to Vision, Ethics, and the Larger Context. The second unit from January 2006 to June 2006 will address Culture and Management (ISLLC Standards 2 and 3). The third unit will include summer school internships where all six ISLLC standards will be applied and the fourth unit from August 2006 to January 2007 will address Families and Communities (ISLLC Standard 4).

Outcomes Measured

The outcomes measured in the program are the candidates' acquisition of the administrative knowledge and skills required by the ISLLC Standards.

Program Evaluation

Several evaluation strategies will be used to determine the program's success in preparing candidates to become school leaders. A formal evaluation will be conducted after each unit of study in which the candidates will complete written surveys and participate in focus groups. The written surveys will assess the following:

the appropriateness of the program content
the effectiveness of the instructors/supervisors
the relevance of instructional materials and assignments

The feedback from the surveys and focus groups will inform the Program Steering Committee and Design Teams how and where to make adjustments in the program design and content after each unit of study. Candidates selected for the focus groups will be asked what they liked and disliked about the program and what they would change to make the program more effective. This periodic evaluation will allow for continuous program improvement.

Questions in the surveys and focus groups will also attempt to determine how the instruction in the units of study relates to the field experiences of the candidates. Candidates will be asked about the relevance of theoretical models they study to their on-site experiences.

The final evaluation will use both qualitative and quantitative measures to determine the effectiveness of the program. The quantitative measures to be used will include:

the number of activities completed in each candidate's IPP
a comparison of each candidate's SLLA diagnostic score with the candidate's final SLLA score
the total number of candidates who pass the SLLA
the number of candidates who are hired
the length of time candidates remain in the first administrative position for which they were hired In order to collect data for quantitative measurement the following instruments will be used:
checklists of candidates' activities to determine the number of activities completed
SLLA diagnostic and final SLLA scores
school division surveys conducted annually to determine how many candidates were hired and how long they remained in their first position

The program's effectiveness can also be determined by assessing whether candidates were adequately prepared for their jobs after their training. In order to ascertain adequate preparation, the following qualitative measures will be employed:

annual assessments of candidate's job performances conducted over two years by immediate supervisors
self-assessments of candidates' progress

In order to collect data for these qualitative measurements the following instruments will be used:

questionnaires in which immediate supervisors will be asked their perceptions about the program's effectiveness based on their observations of the candidates' job performances
interviews with candidates assessing their own progress

Finally, an evaluation of the program model design will be conducted by collecting data from the groups that are important to the operation of the program - Program Steering Committee members, members of the Design Teams, Design Team Leaders, the Program Manager, mentors and site supervisors. The data will be collected by using focus groups, surveys and interviews to ascertain how well this model of school division/professional association/institution of higher education collaboration works. The questions on the instruments and in the focus groups will be concerned with the processes of communication, coordination and collaboration.

All of the evaluation instruments will be developed with the assistance of the Curry School of Education faculty members who specialize in educational research methods. The data analysis will be conducted with the assistance of graduate students at the Curry School of Education and arrangements will be made with faculty advisors and instructors for the students to receive credit for the analyses as part of their course projects.

Contact Information

J. Andrew Stamp
Executive Director Virginia School-University Partnership and Associate Executive Director, Virginia Association of School Superintendents
405 Emmet St.
Charlottesville, VA 22904
Ph: (434) 924-7925 Fax: (434) 982-2942
jas8s@virginia.edu

va-Lead is an exciting new joint venture between e-Lead and the Virginia State Action for Education Leadership Project (SAELP), which is funded by The Wallace Foundation and housed at Virginia Commonwealth University.