3a.3. (6) bl practicum guide - wichita state...

Practicum Guide for

Educational Leadership Practicum Students, Building-Level Mentors, and Faculty Supervisors

The Department of Educational Leadership

2009-2010

Wichita State University Educational Leadership

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Wichita State University

Educational Leadership Masters' Degree Practicum Guide

The Master’s degree program in educational leadership at Wichita State University is

field-based and prepares educators to become administrators who create and maintain

effective schools. The organizational theme is effective leadership for school improvement.

Students achieve building-level certification by demonstrating through course work and

extensive field-based practicum experiences that they are able to perform effectively as

administrators. This practicum constitutes 15 credit hours of a 33 credit hour program and is

a major component in developing students’ knowledge, skills and dispositions of standards.

The College of Education’s Conceptual Framework also directs masters’ degree curriculum.

The program is based on the belief that students learn by integrating their classroom

experiences with hands-on, field-directed activities using action research. The program uses

discipline-, problem-, and situational-based learning approaches that focus upon school

improvement during seminar and practicum experiences. Each student, at the culmination of

the program, demonstrates and documents achievement of the identified program standards

through successful completion of several activities such as a comprehensive examination and

portfolio.

This booklet serves as a guide to (a) practicing administrators who are mentors, (b)

graduate students who are enrolled in the program, and (c) practicum supervisors who are

university or adjunct faculty. It briefly describes and/or defines the:

• language associated with the practicum;

• purposes of the practicum;

• process of mentoring;

• prevention and solution of potential mentoring problems;

• requirements for reporting and evaluating progress;

• outlines standards and recommended experiences; and

• practicum requirements.

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The Language of the Practicum

The words mentor, student or candidate, and practicum supervisor are used

throughout this guide. The mentor, the building-level administrator, has responsibility to

serve as a role model, teacher, guide, and assessor for a person developing in the profession.

The graduate student observes, converses, and works with and independently of the mentor

as on administrative processes and procedures at the building-level. Students also receive

instruction, guidance, and evaluation of their progress from the mentor. Practicum

supervisors, who are professors and field practitioners, provide direct field supervision and

guidance to the mentor and student.

Mentoring is defined as a relationship between a mentor and student that allows the

student to learn how to effectively perform administrative and leadership functions. The

experiences allow students to obtain knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to become

a building-level administrator. The practicum is a two-year field experience involving a

building-level mentor, a WSU graduate student who serves as an administrative practicum

student, and a practicum supervisor.

Purposes of the Practicum

The practicum is a major component of the program and the student's learning

opportunities. It is designed to provide "real-life situations" in which administrative

practicum students apply theory, content knowledge, and inquiry to the daily operation of the

school. During practicum experiences, students obtain the practical skills needed to become

effective building-level administrators and, at the same time, practice and develop effective

problem-solving and leadership skills. Students are responsible for assessing their actions and

participating in reflective practice during practicum experiences. Mentors are responsible for

assessing the administrative practicum student's ability to effectively perform administrative

responsibilities.

The Mentoring Process

Mentors and administrative practicum students are carefully selected for the program.

Credentials and application materials for students selected for the program are carefully

reviewed and approved by WSU faculty in educational leadership.

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Selecting Mentors

Each building administrator must submit a letter to the Department of Educational

Leadership stating that he or she is willing to serve as the student’s mentor. The administrator

also must submit evidence of his or her credentials. The student must coordinate mentor

changes with supervising faculty and secure a letter from the new mentor. The letter must be

included in the student’s files at the university. Practicing administrators who desire to be

mentors must meet certain criteria. A mentor must demonstrate that she or he is:

• a successful building-level administrator;

• willing to spend time and energy on mentoring activities;

• willing to implement the practicum guidelines, participate in an orientation;

• willing and able to teach the administrative skills required for the practicum

experience; and

• willing to objectively assess each student's performance at the end of each semester.

Guidelines and Responsibilities of Mentors and Practicum Supervisors

This section outlines the responsibilities of mentors and practicum supervisors and

provides guidelines for accomplishing them. The guidelines and responsibilities outlined in

this section should be considered minimum expectations. The more mentors and supervisors

are involved and committed to the practicum process, the more benefit the practicum student

derives from the practicum experience.

Mentors

The University maintains the following minimum expectations for mentors who work with

administrative practicum students enrolled in the program. These expectations include:

• communicate daily with the practicum student;

• develop a collaborative plan of long- and short-term projects with the practicum

student which meet portfolio requirements;

• develop a collaborative plan of activities that will allow the practicum student to gain

daily administrative experiences;

• provide workspace in the administrative office area for the practicum student to work

on a daily basis;

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• conduct semester evaluations of the practicum student and the practicum program

using the rubric provided by WSU faculty;

• ensure the student gains increasing levels of responsibility, including as many days as

possible serving in place of the principal, just as student teachers eventually assume

full classroom responsibility; and

• attend mentor meetings.

Practicum Supervisor

Faculty practicum supervisors are expected to:

• orient the mentors and graduate students to the program;

• assist students by placing them with alternate mentor, when appropriate, to ensure

students gain successful experiences;

• ensure that the practicum guidelines described in the handbook are followed;

• evaluate students' performance with input from mentors and other practicum

supervisors;

• meet periodically with the other practicum supervisors;

• schedule at least two meetings a year with each mentor and administrative practicum

student;

• conduct additional visits electronically when necessary;

• participate in the practicum seminar; and

• supervise the mentor-student experience.

Faculty practicum supervisors collaborate with the mentors and administrative

practicum students during the practicum experience, which consist of these tasks:

• review each student's progress and practicum experience;

• resolve problems which may arise;

• ensure that the student receives performance feedback;

• provide additional on-site or electronic visits, if necessary;

• complete a brief report after each site visit;

• meet with students on campus during seminars; and

• meet with students and mentors on-site once per semester.

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Progress Reporting and Evaluating the Practicum

The WSU faculty supervisor is responsible for supervising the mentoring experience.

The faculty supervisor, student, and mentor should communicate when necessary to discuss

issues that may arise. During each academic-year practicum, the mentor will evaluate the

student using a rubric based on standards. The student will do a self-evaluation of each

practicum, academic-year and summer. The supervising faculty will assign the student a final

grade using the criteria outlined in the appropriate syllabus. The faculty supervisor will

assess student’s progress at the end of year one and year two, which is transition point 3 and

4, respectively.

Guidelines and Responsibilities of Practicum Students

The problem- and situation-based practicum is designed to link research, theory, and

practice. The practicum experience requires that each student demonstrate expertise and

competence in the 6 standards of leadership. Each student will maintain a record of activities

and hours in a practicum log, as evidence of participation and completed work.

Administrative practicum students must gain and maintain proficiency in several

areas contained within the framework of standards. Some of these areas include, but are not

limited to: technology, team building, student discipline, student activities, special education,

school improvement, school-community relations, program development, action research,

personnel, legal, interpersonal skills, professional development, collaboration with family,

facility management, diversity, safety/crisis management, resource allocation/budget,

development of leadership capacity, and curriculum management.

Professional learning is enhanced when leadership practicum students participate in

problem-based experiences. Learning is strengthened when students are exposed to the

realities of building administration that require them to practice leadership skills. Leadership

practicum students should assume leadership roles, "shoulder the responsibility," and feel the

pressure of the need to act and to live with the consequences of their actions. Leadership

practicum students should work in a collaborative environment that requires prioritization of

time and resources. Another important aspect of the practicum is the student should

experience a substantial degree of self-directed learning. Self-directed learning helps

practicum students to reason through and discover what they need to know in relation to each

problem and their own skills and abilities.

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Leadership practicum student responsibilities: The practicum experience will average

approximately 12 hours per week. On an average, six of these hours may include

accomplishing projects and other administrative responsibilities, and 6 hours will be

accomplished on student or student related activities. See Guidelines for Logging Hours on

page 13. The leadership practicum student is expected to:

• communicate daily with mentor;

• collaborate with mentor to develop a plan of long- and short-term projects which

meet portfolio requirements;

• collaborate with mentor to develop a plan of activities that will allow the practicum

student to gain daily administrative experiences;

• work daily in the administration office, preferably during planning period (planning

should occur after school hours in lieu of studying for the 3 semester-hour

practicum);

• collaborate with mentor to ensure increasing levels of administrative leadership

responsibility, including as many days as possible serving in place of the principal;

• attend required meetings with mentor;

• ask probing questions of mentor to seek knowledge in areas of expertise;

• maintain a practicum log of experiences, which will be given monthly to the WSU

faculty supervisor;

• complete for each practicum a self-assessment rubric and submit the rubric to faculty

supervisor or designated person (file name: last name mentor date.doc – example:

wilson self F 09.doc); and

• coordinate with mentor to complete and submit for each practicum an evaluation

rubric to faculty supervisor or designated person (file name: last name mentor

date.doc – example: wilson mentor F 09.doc). It is extremely important that these

instructions be followed to prevent duplicated files with same title. Duplicated title

names may result in lost files.

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Facilitating Positive Mentor/Practicum Student Working Relationships

The following steps are suggested to develop positive mentor/administrative practicum

student working relationships.

• Building administrator mentor submits a letter indicating a commitment to

supervising the student’s two-year practicum experience.

• WSU faculty supervisor reviews with administrative practicum student expected roles

and responsibilities.

• Mentor and administrative practicum student develop a plan for practicum

experiences to ensure the student gains a depth of experiences across the six program

standards.

• WSU faculty members review student’s practicum plan.

• The mentor introduces the leadership practicum student to school personnel and

outlines the practicum student's role.

• The leadership practicum student initially shadows principal (mentor) to become

familiar with the scope of the principal's work.

• The leadership practicum student meets regularly on campus with members of

practicum student cohort group for seminar classes and shares experiences, progress,

and cases. The administrative practicum student will attend and participate in a

practicum seminar each semester, including summer session.

• The practicum student begins to assume responsibilities delegated by the mentor.

• The leadership practicum student and mentor reflect on day-to-day administrative

activities. The mentor provides the practicum student with ongoing feedback on

his/her performance.

• As the mentor's confidence in the leadership practicum student's abilities and skills

increases, the student assumes more responsibility.

• The mentor, in collaboration with the student, completes a performance evaluation at

the end of each semester.

• The mentor ensures that all contract commitments are met and schedules an exit

interview with the administrative practicum student at the completion of the program.

• The mentor and WSU faculty supervisor meet to discuss strategies for improving the

mentoring experience.

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Preventing and Resolving Problems1

This section of the handbook suggests ways to foster positive working relationships in

order to avoid problems that commonly occur during practicum experiences. Any problems

that do arise should be dealt with as soon as possible. Both mentors and practicum students

are encouraged to speak with WSU faculty supervisors if problems are not promptly

addressed.

Encourage Practicum Students to Learn from Mistakes

Mentors can assist students by giving them responsibilities and providing feedback.

When a leadership practicum student receives feedback, it should be analyzed and acted

upon. Future building leaders learn from mistakes as well as successes. Students must be

allowed to take risks, take responsibility for errors, and learn from their mistakes.

Ensure Practicum Experiences are Meaningful and Successful

Leadership practicum students are an extra pair of hands and can take on additional

tasks however; mentors need to ensure the student is involved in meaningful activities for

which she or he is prepared. Mentors should avoid assigning practicum students excessive

monitoring duties such as bus, cafeteria, or hall in lieu of meaningful administrative

responsibilities. Mentors should also ensure the student is ready to take on a leadership

assignment so the student can achieve success. Periodically reviewing the purposes for the

practicum and checking to see if the assigned activities fulfill the purposes of the practicum

is a good way to ensure practicum activities are both meaningful and successful.

Make Time for Mentoring

Mentoring a prospective building administrator takes time and knowledge of

mentoring. Mentors should review their existing workload to determine if they will be able to

devote time to the mentoring process. The interaction with the WSU faculty supervisor

provides opportunities for mentors to learn how to mentor. The WSU faculty supervisor will

visit periodically with the mentor to review the quality of the administrative practicum

student/mentor experience.

1 Members of the Department of Educational Leadership at Wichita State University wish to thank Dr. Ivan Muse and his colleagues at Brigham Young University for their research in developing the list of potential problems related to the mentoring process.

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Encourage Students to Broaden Their Perspectives

The mentor continually needs to expose the student to alternative strategies and to

other administrators whose styles may be different from their own. Mentors should help the

administrative practicum student understand the order and criteria for using different options

available for achieving success in different situations.

Maintain High-Performance Expectations

Mentors should maintain high expectations and should not allow administrative

practicum students to use their status as an excuse for not attempting to do their best all of the

time. The student may use the excuse of "only an administrative practicum student" to allow

performance to slip. The mentor may want to remind the administrative practicum student of

the criteria for evaluation should the student lower his/her own performance expectations.

Clarify Practicum Student Roles and Responsibilities

When the mentor and administrative practicum student work closely together, some

teachers may conclude that talking with the administrative practicum student is the same as

talking to the mentor. The administrative practicum student may be viewed as speaking for

the mentor. Others may view the administrative practicum student as a "rubber stamp" and

unable to think or act independently of others. Mentors should caution both administrative

practicum students and their staff members that the student has a responsibility to perform

effectively in specific role areas. The mentor should advise the administrative practicum

student to develop his or her own leadership style and to concentrate on adapting rather than

adopting the mentor's particular strategies.

Mentor/Administrative Practicum Student Personal Relationships

The mentor and administrative practicum student often become close friends.

Working together may lead to the development of a familiar, personal relationship. This

sometimes leads to the mentor having difficulty maintaining objectivity in assessing the

administrative practicum student's standards. The mentor may fail to see the student's

shortcomings. The process of evaluating the administrative practicum student's progress

should be kept as objective and as free from bias as possible. The mentor may want to check

his/her perceptions of the administrative practicum student with those of other professionals

who have the opportunity to observe or work with the student. Periodic meetings with the

WSU faculty supervisor can assist here.

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If the mentor/administrative practicum student relationship results in a personality

conflict, either the mentor or the student should consult with the practicum supervisor to

assist in resolution of the situation. Frequently such conflicts can be traced to

miscommunication and lack of shared understanding.

Practicum Requirements

This section outlines practicum requirements, and includes recommended experiences

by semester as well as throughout the two-year practicum, project task guidelines, and

guidelines for documenting time and experiences. Next, it describes requirements for the

professional portfolio and reflective journal.

Practicum Experiences

Semester and summer practica should focus on, but not be limited to, those

experiences listed below. The philosophy of the extended practicum is that each student will

receive two years of building-level principalship experience. Focus should be on working

with students, staff, and community. The levels of experience should begin with observing,

being supervised, and then being mentored. A continuing dialogue between mentor and

student should occur during the process. Students must be actively involved in all practicum

experiences and assume a leadership role in most instances.

Fall Semester • Attendance and Building Report

Form • Quality Report (QPA/NCA) • Teacher Evaluation Program • Budget Management

Spring Semester • Master Schedule • Grant writing • Budget Development • Handbooks • Interviewing and hiring personnel • Teacher Supervision

School Opening • New teacher orientation • Student enrollment • Opening staff meetings • Professional development • Open house planning • Human resource assignment • Resource allocation and

distribution

School Closing • School Improvement • Inventories • Staff Checkout • Summer facility coordination • Technology/maintenance upgrades • End of Year Report

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Throughout the two-year practicum, administrative practicum students should assume

increasing levels of leadership responsibility in the areas outlined in the table. The practicum

student should also take advantage of other leadership opportunities as they arise.

• Professional development • Teacher observations • Legal opportunities

• Expulsion hearings • Special education

(e.g. IEP meetings, pre-referral processes; discipline for SPED students)

• Community Relations • Newsletters • Business partnerships • Social agencies • School and

community social functions

• Site Council • Technology

administration • Technology instruction • Counselor interactions • Social worker

interactions, if applicable • Athletics • Staff social functions • Staff school activities • School board attendance • Support staff relations

and interaction

• Staff relations • Classroom visits • Presence in the hall • Meaningful

conversations with individual staff

• Student Discipline • Crisis management • Student relations • Student activities

• Monitor events • Schedule • Organize and

coordinate

Task/Project Requirements

Each administrative practicum student should select tasks and projects that assist

school personnel in their efforts to improve schools and/or the delivery of services to those

schools. These tasks and projects should lead towards accomplishment of the 6 program

standards. Criteria include:

• Tasks or projects must be goal oriented and have unique, identifiable, and

specific results.

• Tasks or projects must have a degree of complexity. Administrative practicum

students are expected to participate in a variety of activities--hold meetings,

prepare memos, interview people, conduct conferences, survey personnel,

analyze data, assist in reports to the central office staff or the board of

education, and observe and supervise instruction and schools.

• Tasks or projects must be coordinated with other activities in the school or

district. The timing, sequencing, and resources must "mesh" with other

activities.

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• Tasks or projects must have beginning, middle, and ending phases. The

administrative practicum student should be involved in four major functions:

task/project selection, planning, implementation, and evaluation.

• Tasks or projects must benefit the school or district and be approved by the

mentor. The practicum supervisor should be kept informed of the nature and

scope of the tasks and projects in meetings with mentors and practicum

students.

Tasks and projects are coordinated with the mentor. Projects and tasks may include

responsibility for site-council, school improvement (QPA/NCA), school and curriculum

restructuring, community involvement, faculty training and development, school image,

instructional evaluation system, fund raising and/or grant writing, and school-business

alliances. This is by no means to be construed as a comprehensive list.

Guidelines for Logging Hours

Please follow the guidelines below when logging hours. It is important to remember

that only building administrator duties may count toward your practicum. Count only the

tasks in which school leaders typically participate.

Practicum time is logged in one of two categories depending on whether the task or

project is directly related to students or non-student activities. The student related category

would include such items as student discipline, conferencing with parents, supervising

student activities, and meeting with teachers about student issues. The non-student related

category includes such activities as working on the budget, curriculum, master schedule, or

conducting staff meetings. Activities may be proportioned among more than one standard.

Total activity time must equal the sum of all standard entries for the single activity. Student

will decide appropriate proportion by the weight the activity pertains to the shared standards.

• Do not log hours for tasks or projects that you would normally do as a teacher.

• You should log hours spent in research on your practicum projects in classrooms

(collecting data), at faculty meetings where you are managing the meeting

concerning your project, etc.

• You should log entries for meetings with your mentor and your WSU faculty

supervisor.

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• Keep track of hours for each leadership and administrative duty. You, your WSU

faculty supervisor, and your mentor are interested in the labor intensity of each

project.

• Use the Masters’ Degree Program approved practicum form (Excel) to log your

hours.

Time logs must be completed by the student, validated by the mentor, and placed in

the portfolio. A copy of the log will also be maintained in the student’s WSU file for

accreditation and licensure purposes. Logs will be reviewed for depth and variety of

experiences by the WSU faculty supervisor.

Portfolio Requirements

As an outcome and a continuing source of student monitoring of the practicum

experience, students will produce a portfolio of their administrative tasks, notes, and projects.

The portfolio should include evidence of actual administrative experiences related to the

leadership standards. The portfolio will serve as one type of evidence for evaluating the

student’s practicum experience and standards. Portfolio expectations are included in the table

below.

First Semester: 10% of practicum grade • Resume • Beginning of reflective process for

activities and artifacts or sections • Time logs • Leadership philosophy (from summer

school) first draft • Sections organized in a manner that

makes sense to student.

Second Semester: 20% of practicum grade • First Semester Data plus: • Reflections more detailed • Additional Artifacts • Rewrite leadership philosophy • Identify gaps in experience • Initial organizing system

Third Semester: 30% of practicum grade • Second Semester Data plus • Evidence of experience for each standard • Reassess gaps in experience • Reassess leadership philosophy • Finalize the organizing system

Fourth Semester: 40% of practicum grade • Third Semester Data plus: • Evaluate the value of artifacts • Eliminate and include artifacts, as

appropriate • Finalize reflections

Portfolio Format

*Portfolio will begin with a section containing a brief introduction of the student and

portfolio, resume, leadership philosophy, and other items that you wish to present.

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*The following six sections, in order, will contain documents and reflections for the

standards.

*The eighth section will contain practicum logs (please do not place reflective logs in the

portfolio).

*Other sections may be added as deemed necessary by the student, and considered

appropriate by the faculty supervisor.

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Reflective Journal Requirements

This section contains reflective log guidelines for the MEd program. Reflections

provide opportunities for the students to add meaning and knowledge to experiences gained

during the program. Timely reflection, timely submission of the log, and timely response by

faculty allow for a continuing conversation between student and faculty.

Purpose:

The intent of reflection is to provide opportunities to make meaning and new knowledge

from seminar, practicum, research, other life events, with focus on integration of the experiences.

Reflective logs should contain appropriate citations from the literature.

Format and Timing:

Students, in collaboration with their faculty supervisor, may determine the reflective

log format. The format, however, must include certain elements. The log will include a brief

description of the scenario or activity. Scenario or activity description will be followed by a

reflection. Students’ journal entries should include reflections on significant events that

occurred during the practicum, meaningful knowledge gained in class that caused them to

think differently, and/or meaningful experiences during the field study or action research that

changed the way you think or broadened your understanding. Again, integration of

experiences and literature support is a focus of the reflection.

Students will submit electronic copies of logs monthly logs to their faculty supervisors.

Student should reflect and write about the events as soon after they occur as possible. As a

minimum, one journal entry per week is required. It should cover the entire week, but should not

contain a list of everything you did during the week.

Reflections and logs are due by the 5th day of the following month. Reflections and logs

should be completed for the months of September – April. May and August activities, which are

not part of the School Opening or School Closing practica, should be logged and reported with

the September log.

Guidelines:

1. Describe a brief scenario(s) on which the reflection is based. The description

should be succinct, clear, and relevant to your learning as a professional educational

leader.

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2. Articulate your reflection. The reflection should explain your cognitive, and

perhaps emotional and physical reactions. It should also explain your learning from

the reflective process. Reflections should, in most cases, indicate an integration of

experiences. Class readings and material and/or literature should be used to enhance

meaning of the reflection.

Examples of reflective questions include:

1. What did I learn?

2. What did I do well?

3. What could I differently next time?

4. How do I feel about what I learned?

5. How can I use what I learned?

6. How does my new knowledge relate to systems thinking?

These questions are offered to guide your reflection and are not intended to dictate the

questions that you pose to yourself. It is not intended or recommended that you answer this

array of questions per each reflection.

Faculty:

Faculty supervisors will respond timely to all student reflective logs. Responses allow

for the student and faculty supervisor to conduct a continuing dialogue. Feedback may also

identify areas for improvement of the reflective process.

Diversity Experience

Each student will accomplish a diversity experience during each of the two school

opening practica. The diversity experience will be conducted in a setting different than the

setting where the student is accomplishing his or her practicum. Students assigned to an

urban setting will accomplish their first-year diversity experience in a rural setting with

different diversity of student population. Students assigned to a rural setting will accomplish

a diverse experience in an urban, inner city setting. The second-year diversity experience

may occur in similar geographic setting with dissimilar population diversity. Each diversity

experience will represent approximately one day in the differing diverse setting. The

experience will be documented by in a reflection log, which will be submitted to the school

opening practicum supervisor, as well as to their faculty supervisor. The time will be logged

on the practicum log.

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Action Research

Each student will conduct action research during each of the two years in the

program. The action research will integrate inquiry, practicum, and seminar. Team members

are encouraged, when possible, to research similar topics. This will allow team members to

support others in a team structure. In no instance shall a team research more than three topics.

More than three topics are excessively difficult for a faculty to manage; plus it is not

conducive to the desired level of team performance. Support from the mentor by allowing the

action research to be conducted in the building will greatly enhance the project.

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Appendix A

BUILDING LEADERSHIP

Early Childhood through Late Adolescence/Adulthood

PreK-12

Standard #1 The building level administrator is an educational leader who promotes the

success of all students by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation and

stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school and community.

Knowledge

1. The building level administrator has an understanding of effective communication skills.

2. The building level administrator has an understanding of information sources, data

collection, and analysis strategies.

3. The building level administrator has an understanding of effective consensus-building

and negotiations skills.

4. The building level administrator has an understanding of the principles of developing and

implementing a school improvement plan.

Performance

1. The building level administrator promotes the vision of the board of education.

2. The building level administrator leads faculty and staff in developing the building

mission and goals.

3. The building level administrator leads faculty and staff in implementing the building

mission.

4. The building level administrator utilizes research, data, and effective teaching strategies

to increase student learning for regular education and exceptional children and youth.

5. The building level administrator communicates effectively with multiple publics.

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success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a building climate and

instructional programs conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.

Knowledge

1. The building level administrator understands principles of effective instruction for

regular education students and students with exceptionalities.

2. The building level administrator understands diversity and its meaning for instructional

programs.

3. The building level administrator understands adult learning and results-based

professional development models.

4. The building level administrator understands the role of technology in promoting student

learning and staff professional growth.

5. The building level administrator understands the principles of instructional strategies and

curriculum development for exceptional children.

Performance

1. The building level administrator designs results based professional growth activities aligned

with curriculum and designed to increase student achievement.

2. The building level administrator integrates instructional programs designed to meet the needs

of exceptional students within the general school setting.

3. The building level administrator implements technology into the instructional program

for regular education students and exceptional children and youth.

4. The building level administrator utilizes technology for effective student management

practices.

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success of all students by ensuring management of the organization, operations, and resources

for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.

Knowledge

1. The building level administrator understands human resource management and laws

pertaining to certified and classified staff.

2. The building level administrator understands school finance at the building level.

3. The building level administrator understands principles, issues, and laws relating to

school facilities and use of space.

4. The building level administrator understands principles and issues relating to school

safety.

Performance

1. The building level administrator develops and utilizes appropriate human resource

procedures.

2. The building level administrator develops a school budget incorporating general fund

expenditures and special education expenditures.

3. The building level administrator uses knowledge of facilities and staff to promote effective

instruction.

4. The building level administrator demonstrates knowledge of school safety, including crisis

intervention, through the use of effective problem solving skills.


success of all students by collaborating with families and community members, responding to

diverse community needs and interests, and mobilizing community resources.

Knowledge

1. The building level administrator has knowledge of issues and trends that potentially

impact the school community.

2. The building level administrator has knowledge of community resources.

3. The building level administrator has knowledge of successful models of business and

school partnerships.

4. The building level administrator has an understanding of federal and state laws that apply

to students with exceptionalities.

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Performance

1. The building level administrator maintains a high visibility and presence in the school

community.

2. The building level administrator participates in activities to foster communication among

the various school publics.

3. The building level administrator facilitates the implementation of business and school

partnerships.

4. The building level administrator implements IDEA and Section 504 to meet the needs of

students identified as in need of special education supports and services.


success of all students by acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner.

Knowledge

1. The building level administrator has knowledge of the role of education and

leadership in a modern society.

2. The building level administrator has knowledge of and values the diverse school

community.

3. The building level administrator understands professional codes of ethics.

4. The building level administrator has knowledge of the philosophy and history of

education.

Performance

1. The building level administrator practices a personal and professional code of ethics.

2. The building level administrator demonstrates values, beliefs, and attitudes that inspire

others to higher levels of performance.

3. The building level administrator accepts responsibility for school operations.

4. The building level administrator applies laws and procedures fairly and accurately.

5. The building level administrator treats people fairly, equitably, and with dignity and

respect.

6. The building level administrator protects the rights, confidentiality, and privacy of

records for students and staff.

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success of all students by understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political,

social, economic, legal, and cultural context.

Knowledge

1. The building level administrator understands the political, social, economic, and cultural

context of the school community.

2. The building level administrator understands the importance of diversity and equity in a

democratic society.

Performance

1. The building level administrator demonstrates the ability to work with all the members of the

school community.

2. The building level administrator demonstrates the ability to address trends, issues, and

changes occurring in the school environment.

3. The building level administrator maintains an ongoing dialogue with diverse populations

in the school community.

4. The building level administrator maintains a visible presence in the school community.

Standard #7 The building level administrator must complete an internship supervised by

the recommending institution as part of the performance assessment for this license. The

candidate must enroll in 2-3 hours a semester during the first year under the conditional license as a

full-time employee. If the employee is working only half time, the internship can be spread out over

two years. A mentor should be provided by the employing district from the same endorsement field

and under conditions described in 91-41-1 through 91-41-4. The university must supply a supervisor

who makes a minimum of two visits per semester with additional communications between visits.

The university will then make the recommendation for licensure after the internship has been

completed successfully.

24

Appendix B

Wichita State University

Thinkers, Doers, Movers, Shockers

Conceptual Framework

for the Preparation of

Teachers and Other School Personnel

at Wichita State University

(Approved by Undergraduate Teacher Education Program Committee, January 29, 2003); Teacher Education

Faculty, February 7, 2003; ACES April 28, 2003; CDS Feb 3, 2003; KSS October 14, 2003)*

As the WSU motto suggests, we are all "Thinkers, Doers, Movers, and Shockers." Not only

does this motto refer to the Wichita State University's historic mascot, the Wheat Shocker, it

also symbolizes our Teacher Education Unit's commitment to preparing Thinkers (who are

knowledgeable), Doers (who apply skills and abilities), Movers (who are proactive in

advocating positive change) and Shockers (who are proud representatives of WSU within the

school and the community).

The vision for preparing teachers and other school personnel at Wichita State University is of

candidates who are competent, collaborative, reflective professionals.

Norman Cousins (1978) once said: “A book is like a piece of rope; it takes on meaning only

in connection with the things it holds together” (p. 11). Just like Cousins’ simile, Wichita

State University’s vision for the preparation of education professionals and other school

personnel is like a rope that connects guiding principles and binds constituents together. This

* Note: College of Education faculty voted10/3/02 to allow UTPC and Teacher Education Faculty

to be the appropriate body for final design and approval of this Conceptual Framework for initial

programs and each Education department for advanced programs. Two departments

inadvertently delayed formal approval.

25

vision of a rope represents a set of commonly agreed upon ideas and commitments and

provides direction for individual and corporate efforts. Each strand of the rope represents one

guiding principle: Professionalism and Reflection; Human Development and Diversity;

Connection of Teaching Experiences and Assessment; Technology; Content Knowledge,

Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Alignment with Standards; and Collaboration.

The rope derives its strength through the twisting of the strands, or guiding principles, into

one powerful entity.

26

WSU Guiding Principles

Professionalism and Reflection

Human Development and Diversity

Connection of Teaching Experiences

and Assessment

Technology

Content Knowledge, Pedagogical Content

Knowledge and Alignment with Standards

Collaboration

1. Professionalism and Reflection (PR). Uses a reflective model (e.g., What? Why? So

What? Now what?) to improve professional practice. Knows and implements the

legal and ethical practices of the profession.

2. Human Development and Diversity (HDD). Knows basic theories of human

development and learning and understands diversity (e.g., ethnicity, race, socio-

economic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, and

geographical area). Applies this knowledge to learning, teaching, guiding, and clinical

situations.

3. Connection of Teaching Experiences and Assessment (CTA). Understands the

cyclical and interactive processes of good teaching (e.g., analysis, preparation,

instruction, assessment [qualitative and quantitative], adjustment). Applies this

understanding to learning, teaching, guiding, and clinical situations.

27

4. Technology (T). Demonstrates skills in the use of technology appropriate to the

respective disciplines. Uses technology to enhance professional productivity in

planning, teaching, learning and assessment.

5. Content Knowledge, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, and Alignment with

Standards (CKS). Knows the content and continues to build knowledge in the

disciplinary field(s). Applies this knowledge to teaching within the structure of the

standards.

6. Collaboration (C). Knows processes to work and advocate collectively and

professionally with students/clients and colleagues from different positions and/or

organizations toward mutual goals. Collectively plans, builds, and gathers resources

to create innovative solutions to existing problems.

The Guiding Principles support the vision for preparing teachers and other school personnel at

Wichita State University as follows: Candidates who are competent (Guiding Principles 2-5),

collaborative (Guiding Principle 6), reflective professionals (Guiding Principle 1).

Element One: Vision and Mission of the Institution and the Unit

Wichita State University’s vision for the preparation of educational professionals is built upon

the mission statement of the University supported by the missions of the colleges represented in

the unit: the College of Education, College of Fine Arts, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and

Sciences, and the Graduate School.

The Mission, Role, and Scope of Wichita State University is to provide comprehensive

educational opportunities in an urban setting. Through teaching, scholarship, and public

service, the University seeks “to equip both students and the larger community with the

educational and cultural tools they need to thrive in a complex world, and to achieve both

individual responsibility in their own lives and effective citizenship in the local, national and

global community.” This statement specifically highlights the strands of human

development and diversity and collaboration and implies the relevance of technology in

being an effective citizen of the global community.

28

The colleges represented in the unit support the vision with their missions of providing

foundations for learning and/or specialized training. The Fairmount College of Liberal Arts

and Sciences provides foundations for learning by cultivating intellectual curiosity and

fostering contemplation of the human experience and the natural world. The background for

the achievement of the strands of connection of teaching experiences and assessment and

content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and content aligned with

professional and state standards is implicit in this mission.

The Colleges of Education and Fine Arts further add to the foundations of learning and

provide specialized training. The College of Education prepares professionals to benefit

society and its institutions through the understanding, the facilitation and the illumination of

the learning process. The College of Fine Arts provides instruction in the visual and

performing arts both for general knowledge and in specific fields. In addition, the College

Fine Arts offers cultural enrichment for the campus community and the greater Wichita area.

The strands of human development and diversity, connection of teaching experiences

and assessment, and content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and content

aligned with professional and state standards are further developed through these mission

statements.

The primary goals of the Graduate School are to encourage independent scholarship and to

develop competence in research and other creative activity. Students are expected to master

special fields as well as to develop appropriate methods of inquiry for future professional

growth (http://webs.wichita.edu/gradsch/intro.pdf). Graduate programs in the unit all contain

an element of collaboration. The guiding principles of connection of teaching experiences

and assessment and collaboration are further developed through these mission statements.

Underlying these missions as well are the principles of professionalism and reflection.

29

Element Two: Unit Philosophy, Purpose, and Goals

The unit’s programs are based upon fundamental beliefs in the dignity and inherent

worth of all people and in the central role of education in a democratic society. These

fundamental beliefs are supported by underlying beliefs about learning, learning

environments, and professional programs.

Learning is a life-long process in which both teachers and students are partners;

learning is characterized by inquiry and reflection that is translated into appropriate best

practices. Professional educators create diverse, appropriate learning environments based

upon research and best practice. Such learning environments are relevant, inclusive and

equitable, recognizing individuals' commonalties while affirming diversity in all its forms.

Finally, quality professional preparation programs are characterized by a commitment to

learners and learning that builds a sense of community and fosters pride in the

accomplishments of colleagues and students.

The unit’s purpose is to prepare professionals for an increasingly complex accountability-

focused society and to advocate responsibly for the profession and for the education of all

learners.

The goals of the unit are connected to the guiding principles as follows:

Goals Guiding Principles

1. Professional preparation programs that are

experiential, collaborative, problem-based, and

reflection-oriented; designed around specified

outcomes; guided by research and best practice,

and based upon appropriate discipline

knowledge.

• Connection of Teaching

Expe-riences & Assessment

(CTA)

• Collaboration (C)

• Professionalism and

Reflection (PR)

• Content Knowledge,

Pedagogical Content

30

Knowledge, and Alignment

with Standards (CKS)

2. An institutional culture that is technology rich,

seeks a highly qualified and diverse faculty, and

encourages creative and innovative solutions to

opportunities and challenges,

• Technology (T)


• Human Development and

Diversity (HDD)

3. Graduates who have the interpersonal skills, as

well as the professional knowledge, skills and

dispositions, necessary to become effective

practitioners in a variety of settings and are

informed critics and risk-tolerant leaders capable

of advancing professional practice,


Reflection (PR)


Pedagogical Content



• Human Development and

Diversity (HDD)

4. A dynamic organizational structure that

promotes participatory decision-making and

responsible citizenship among all stakeholders,

and is capable of responding rapidly to emerging

opportunities and challenges, systematic inquiry

designed to answer fundamental and compelling

questions that inform both theory and

professional practice,


Reflection (PR)



Experiences and Assessment

(CTA)

5. A reward structure that reinforces the unit’s

vision, encourages innovation, collaboration and

cross-disciplinary work as well as individual

accomplishment.




(CTA)

6. An assessment system that provides timely

feedback to candidates on their professional

progress as well as in forms the unit and its



(CTA)

31

faculty about the effectiveness of programs, • Professionalism and

Reflection (PR)

• Technology (T)

7. Partnerships that advance the profession,

professional preparation and practice,


Reflection (PR)



Pedagogical Content



8. Professional leadership at local, state, national,

and international levels.


Reflection (PR)


Pedagogical Content



Element Three: Knowledge Bases

Wichita State University’s vision for educators and other school personnel has rather

extensive support in education literature.

PROFESSIONALISM AND REFLECTION

The code of standards for the ethical behavior of teachers includes a commitment to students,

to the district, and to the profession (KSDE, 1988). As teachers, NEA suggests, “The

educator strives to help each student realize his or her potential as a worthy and effective

member of society. The educator therefore works to stimulate the spirit of inquiry, the

acquisition of knowledge and understanding, and the thoughtful formulation of worthy goals”

(NEA, 2002). The commitment to the profession recognizes that “the education profession is

32

vested by the public with a trust and responsibility requiring the highest ideals of professional

service. In the belief that the quality of the services of the education profession directly

influences the nation and its citizens, the educator shall exert every effort to raise

professional standards, to promote a climate that encourages the exercise of professional

judgment, to achieve conditions that attract persons worthy of the trust to careers in

education, and to assist in preventing the practice of the profession by unqualified persons.”

To fulfill this obligation, students understand, recognize, and practice their legal and ethical

responsibilities with respect to the profession.

Good teaching has been characterized variously: the emphasis on the academic (the liberal

arts paradigm); the execution of effective teaching skills and professional standards

(behavioristic/technical); the expression of psychological maturity and openness to growth,

with students’ perceived needs as the core of good practice (personalistic); assimilation of the

craft knowledge of wise practitioners (tradition/craft); and the continual weaving of the

effects of reflection on ethics, politics and pedagogy into everyday practice (the inquiry-

oriented paradigm) (Zeichner, 1983).

We embrace a developmental path through the various characterizations of good teaching

(the academic, technical, clinical, personal and critical) (Valli, 1992). Our goal is to help

students think in varied ways about their actions in the classroom and the larger purposes that

schools serve, to move between the worlds of essentialist certainty and the evolving

possibilities articulated by postmodernism (Stone, 1992). At the heart of this endeavor is

valuing our students’ voices (Reichert, 1992) as a starting point for encouragement to evolve

through the different levels of reflection -- from technical to interpretive, from interpretive to

critical (van Mannen, 1977).

Thus, we believe students must engage with the knowledge base of effective teaching

research, judge their own performance relative to these behaviors, examine whether a

particular strategy or strand of research is something each values, ‘read’ contexts of teaching

and respond with power and awareness, negotiate among competing conceptions of pressing

issues in education, locate their own knowledge construction within the debate, and

33

recognize the moral responsibility to help interrupt the perpetuation of unjust social practices

(Valli, 1992).

CONNECTION OF CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, FIELD/CLINICAL

EXPERIENCES AND ASSESSMENT

Education that is interpreted as a liberatory, transformative process (Freire, 1968/1986)

inherently represents assessment as ongoing, recursive, and intended to inform the process.

Alternative models of teaching (Joyce & Weil, 1980), rubrics, authentic assessment, and

concurrent evaluation of portfolios (Glasser, 1993) that provide successive approximations of

accomplishment provide guidelines for both the learners and those who provide feedback on

and set the guidelines for the learning process.

DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSITY

Human growth and development generally means all the physical and psychological changes

a human being undergoes in a lifetime; thus, development is, above all, a study of change

(Overton, 1998). When we think about understanding the development of children and

helping them to become competent, responsible adults, we generally consider that common

sense will provide us with answers. Whereas common sense may be a legitimate approach, it

sometimes leads us into error when trying to intervene (Bukatko & Daehler, 2001). For

example, common sense might indicate that prenatal development is an automatic process

and that the fetus is nourished through the mother. However, we now know that those first

nine months are the most crucial to an individual’s well being and that environmental trauma

can impede or stop development. For example, we know that both radiation and alcohol

during early prenatal development interfere with the development of the brain (Berndt,

1997). Thus, the study of human growth and development is built on a century of research

and study; and educators, like parents, benefit from a knowledge of child development by

helping identify the things that all children need to grow up healthy and “point us toward

ways to intervene in the lives of children who need assistance” (Steinberg & Meyer, 1995, p.

6).

34

In the classic Democracy and Education, philosopher educator John Dewey (1916) raised

concern about stratification of separate classes if we did not emphasize what binds us

together in cooperative pursuits and results. The implication of cooperation is equal

involvement, shared participation. In words of eloquent empowerment, Paulo Freire (1968)

“cautioned that any situation that prevents others from engaging in the process of inquiry is

one of violence” (p. 73). An educator involved in this empowerment is aware of and

comfortable with his or her own cultural background in the dynamics of facilitating that

awareness for others (Huber, 2002, p. 17). What multicultural education aims to accomplish

is the appreciation of others and the skills to work collaboratively toward the

accomplishment of a democratic nation in an interconnected world. Multicultural education

as a strategy involving multiple approaches to learning and teaching, enables educators to use

students’ cultural backgrounds to develop effective classroom instruction and school

environments (Gollnick & Chinn, 2002, p. 5) responsive to multiple and continuously

interacting microcultures including race, ethnicity, gender, language, religion,

exceptionality/ability, age, geography, class (p. 9). The parameters documented by G. Pritchy

Smith (1998, 2001) in his definitive work on the Knowledge Bases for Diversity, under gird

the approach to education that is multicultural.

TECHNOLOGY

“Technology has been here for a long time, it’s here to stay, and there’s more on the way”

(Carroll & Witherspoon, 2002). “To live, learn, and work successfully in an increasingly

complex and information-rich society, students and teachers must use technology

effectively” (ISTE, 2002). The tools found in homes, schools and universities provide

valuable mechanisms for communication, research, problem solving and decision making, all

tied closely to the vision and mission of education. When well integrated into the teaching

and learning process, technology allows candidates to learn content and technology skills

simultaneously.

35

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE, PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE, AND

ALIGNMENT WITH STANDARDS

“The idea that a good education requires that every student receive a rigorous academic core

experience is not a new one. A report prepared by the illustrious group of scholars, the

Committee of Ten, published in 1894, forcefully called for an established academic

curriculum for all high school students, whether or not they were going to college. In many

ways this report could have been written today” (Jones, 1996). Fundamentally concerned

with equity, authentic, standards-based reform departs radically from the tracking and instead

“aims to hold high expectations and provide high levels of support for all students, teachers,

and educational leaders” (Thompson, 2001). This connecting to standards requires

collaboration among those who have a widely shared understanding of common educational

goals while simultaneously responding to the demands for public accountability. In Freirean

(1968/1986) pedagogy, knowledge emerges only through participatory, critical, values-

oriented, multicultural, student-centered liberatory, experiential, research-minded, and

interdisciplinary education. Thus, problem-posing education rejects the banking model of

indoctrination to embrace liberatory communication with learners and educators engaged in

the process as co-learners (pp. 57-74; Good & Brophy, 1991, pp. 541-542). Reflective,

critical inquiry (Schon, 1983) nurtures the awareness that both curriculum making and the

learning that it engenders are complex political and social processes as well as intellectual

and academic ones that continue to evolve and transform to maintain relevancy in an ever-

changing world.

COLLABORATION

Collaboration is a requisite skill for lifelong learning. Critical components of collaboration

include that (a) it is voluntary, (b) it requires parity among participants, (c) it is based on

mutual goals, (d) it depends on shared responsibility and decision-making, (e) resources are

shared, and (f) all team members are accountable (Friend & Cook, 2003; Turnbull &

Turnbull, 2001). Turning to key authorities, the following definitions guide further

understand of collaboration components: “Interpersonal collaboration is a style for direct

interaction between at least two coequal parties voluntarily engaged in shared decision

making as they work toward a common goal” (Friend & Cook 2003, p. 5). Collaboration

36

among professionals: “An educational team is a set of interdependent individuals with unique

skills and perspectives who interact directly to achieve their mutual goal of providing

students with effective educational programs and services” (Friend & Cook, 2000, p. 28).

Collaboration can be between families and professionals: “Collaboration refers to the

dynamic process of families and professionals equally sharing their resources (motivation

and knowledge/skills) in order to make decisions jointly.” (Turnbull & Turnbull 2001, p. 50).

Collaboration can also include students: “Collaboration is a style of professional interacting

between and among professionals, parents and families, and, where appropriate, students

themselves to share information, ti engage in collective decision making and to develop

effective interventions for a commonly agreed upon goal that is in the best interests of the

students” (Mostert, 1998, p. 16).

Element Four: Performance Proficiencies Aligned with the Expectations in

Professional, State, and Institutional Standards

The unit’s vision calls for candidates who are competent, collaborative, reflective

professionals. Such a vision highlights the importance of standards set by the state (Kansas

State Department of Education) and professional organizations. Several programs in the unit

also seek external accreditation through the standards set by their professional societies, for

instance, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the National Association of School

Psychologists (NASP), the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

3a.3. (6) bl practicum guide - wichita state...

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