Part 1 - Reflections on Domain I Competencies 1-3

The list of tasks that I had to complete so that I could fulfill each of the domains and competencies at times were overwhelming, and at others, fairly easy to accomplish. I feel that I have gained quite a bit of knowledge on how a school operates and the demands that a school administrator goes through so that a school can succeed.

Domain 1 Competency 1.1: Vision and Mission

Throughout the duration of my internship program, I have had the opportunity to work at two different schools within our district – our high school and one of our elementary schools. Our district is in the process of opening new campuses and closing older elementary campuses and combining elementary campuses due to growth (new high school opens in fall of 2014; middle school moves to renovated current high school; new intermediate opens; 7 elementary schools reduced to 4 with consolidations). Each of these campuses is a Title 1 school, meaning that a good portion of the school(s) is low-income. At the two campuses where I had the opportunity to work/observe, I noticed striking differences, particularly in vision. At the elementary school, the principal has a very clear vision for all students, regardless of race, gender, ability, or socio-economic circumstances. She is a leader, and leads her staff to that same vision of high expectations of learning and mastery. She works closely with her staff to develop programs and/or interventions for those students who struggle, and seeks to make every student be treated as a general ed student first.

At the high school, the vision is much different, particularly when it comes to race and ability. African American and Hispanic students are treated fairly if they are athletes, and special education students are treated as a bother. Discipline and the code of conduct are often used against those students who are not athletes or high achievers, and tolerance of their differences is minimal. Focus is primarily on those students who are college bound, with little regard given to those who are not. While our drop-out rate is low, it is not a clear reflection of what actually occurs on that campus. The principal is a manager, and seeks control of every department and every program, regardless of whether or not he is knowledgeable in that area or discipline. Morale is low for both teachers and students, many parents feel as if they are “at war” with school.

That is why I have chosen to take a position offered to me by the elementary school principal to teach this upcoming school year. I feel by doing so, I will be able to learn even more about how to be a good principal and leader, and will gain valuable experience under her tutelage.

Domain 1 Competency 1.2: Strategic Planning

At the beginning of the year, every employee in our district was asked to serve on the district’s Strategic Planning Committee. Employees located a central administration represented a different strategy, and served as strategy section leader/liaison.  In looking at each strategy and what its purpose was, I decided to serve on the “Community Partnerships” section of the strategic plan which would be lead by the district’s public relations superintendent. The goal of the Community Partnerships committee is to establish partnerships with real estate developers and builders within the community and to establish and strengthen partnerships with businesses and business owners in the community, establish partnerships with local churches in the community, and conduct annual reviews of existing partnerships. This has been a very rewarding part of the internship as I have gotten to know the community much better (I am a commuter-I live outside of the district). Also, as a lifelong Transition Specialist, this has served to help our special education teachers and students in finding post secondary activities such as continuing education and employment.

Domain 1 Competency 1.3: Data Collection and Analysis

For this activity, I worked with our building principals, department chairs, school counselors, and special education director. In several meetings throughout the year, we discussed the data from state standardized test scores, common assessments, and benchmarks, and compared them to previous years. We use the AYP and AEIS (for state tests) as a “report card” on how well our school does and even how well our school compares to others with similar demographics. The reports were explained as in how the campus is broken down into sub-populations, and that each sub-population is required to meet a certain percentage when it comes to standardized testing. We also discussed services and programs that were needed in order to improve these scores. These items were listed for budgetary purposes.

Domain 1 Competency 1.4: Negotiating and Consensus Building

Issue: Our high school campus began the practice of Inclusion for our special education students who were taking a Modified (M) state standardized test. In previous years, all students taking an M test (English/math) were automatically placed in a resource classroom for those subjects (no resource classes for science/social studies). This move was made to improve low test scores in the areas of English and math for special education students in high school (receiving instruction in the general education teacher who is highly qualified and receiving additional assistance from the special education teacher who is highly qualified in modifications and accommodations of content).

Method: From previous years data (AYP, AEIS, grades, ARD minutes), myself (department chair), an assistant principal with special education experience, and our special education director met to collect names based on data, of students struggling in the areas of English and math. A list of those students was generated, their current schedule placement for those classes identified, and modifications of those schedules to place them in the general education classroom with an Inclusion Support Specialist from our special education department. As class leveling occurred, adjustments were made.

Concerned Parties: As was expected, this was met with much concern and some anger. General ed teachers were very resistant to having another teacher in their classroom, and wondered why “those kids” couldn’t just be taught in special education.  Our special education teachers who had been designated as Inclusion Support Specialists were fearful of going into classrooms where they felt unwelcome, and often the students whom they were going to help were resistant because of feeling “pointed out.” Even the counselors felt that inclusion was an infringement on the general ed teacher and the general ed students, and that students who needed that type of support should be taught in special ed resource classrooms.

Resolution: As relationships were built by our Inclusion Support Specialists with general ed teachers AND students, this process has become much better received over the course of this school year. In going through this process, the key piece that was missing that would have made this transition much easier was training for both general ed and special ed teachers,  and collaboration WITH the general ed teachers throughout the entire process.

Domain 1 Competency 1.6: Collaborative Decision Making

Our campus is practicing the PLC model for instruction. Our general ed departments meet weekly, but our special education department had never met or been invited to meet with any of the general ed departments. Because I had been invited to a training/conference in PLC’s, I asked our principal if we/I could start our own PLC meetings within our department. With his approval, our department began meeting twice a month to discuss issues, make plans, and brainstorm better ways of working within the general ed classrooms/self contained classrooms. At first, the sessions we “gripe sessions” about how we were not welcomed and not wanted, but using the leadership skills I have learned (outlining goals, problem definition, seeking information, providing information, clarifying/elaborating, challenging viewpoints, diagnosing progress, and summarizing), we quickly moved to a more effective PLC and were able to discuss real problems and solutions, create measurable goals for our department, and integrating ourselves into the general ed PLC’s for the upcoming school year. In evaluating my effectiveness as a leader and creating collaborative decision making, I received high marks not just from my team, but from our principal as well.

Domain 1 Competency 2.6: Effective Communication

Communication is key and mandated in our department (special education). Unfortunately, communication most often comes in the form of negative communication such as failure reports, discipline issues, attendance issues, etc. This year, I challenged my team to communicate with parents in positive way, on a regular basis, and note any changes they saw in struggling students. This was foreign to many of them, and many resisted at first, but as the year progressed, our discipline referrals, failures, and attendance problems decreased with many of our most problematic students. In fact, one particular teacher in our department is a “great fan of” the disciplinary referral. I challenged her for one week to not write ANY discipline referrals, but to look for one positive (and it could be anything!) to communicate to her most difficult student and/or their parent, and to see if that changed that student’s behavior in any way. And it did! In fact, because of this one change, HER discipline referrals have reduced by over 75%! And, we have fewer special education students going to our Discipline Management Center and/or fewer Manifestation of Determination ARD meetings. Success!

Domain 1 Competency 2.7: Community / Public Relations

I met with our Public Relations Specialist who informed  me that her department has many  creates many opportunities for public relations for our district, some of which include promoting items on our website and conducting once a year parent surveys that gives the district feedback about “how parents, community members, and business prefer their communication.” She also explained how our district seeks to partner with local community businesses for creating partnerships with the businesses and the school district. These partnerships create opportunities for community based learning, job opportunities, and teacher support (new teacher supplies and gift certificates, as an example).  Although the businesses usually have an idea of what they would like to d, there are also those who are willing to do what the district feels needs to be done. For example, our district has a program called the Denison Education Foundation in which once a year several grants are awarded through the foundation to teachers who want to invest in their classrooms.  The funds for these grants come from companies that our district has partnered with. This method works twofold: the teacher and school are happy because they have received the donation, and by donating funds to a school, the company stands out among other companies in the community by showing that they want to partner with the district to support its teachers and students.

Domain 1 Competency 2.8: Parental Involvement

Throughout the 2012-2013 school year I was able attend several types of meetings or presentations that encourage and support parental involvement. Some of these meetings were focused on our special education student population, but others were aimed at the overall student population. One of the most successful meetings I was involved with was the Student Success Fair. For the fair, we invited the parents and students of those who were considered At-Risk for failure or being held back this school year. We invited local businesses and organizations (DARS, Texas Workforce Commission, Grayson County College, MHMR, etc.) to set up tables to give out information, provided onsite child care for parents and/or students with young children, free hotdogs and sodas, door prizes, and many other ways to attract parents and students. On the two nights that this event was held, our cafeteria/commons was packed with parents and students. Not only did the families have a wonderful time interacting with other families, but for many of our parents, this was the first time we had to sit down with them and their student to discuss their academic plan. As a school, we have found that many parents enjoy coming to these events. Every event that we have planned this year has been a success.

Domain 1 Competency 2.9: Climate for Cultural Diversity

I interviewed our Librarian to see the selection of books that was available to our school in our library. I was a surprised to see how much of selection we had for Spanish books. Many of the bilingual students may not be used to (or comfortable with) reading books in English. By having students read books in their native language, it is at least getting them interested in reading.

Domain 1 Competency 2.10: Community / Business Involvement and Partnerships

I interviewed our school counselors at the high school, middle school and one of the elementary campuses to find out about community involvement and partnerships. Each counselor indicated that our community has several community/business partnerships that provide for those in need. For example, if a family needs food and/or clothing, there are several agencies and churches that where they can receive assistance. If a family needs shelter, we have places like the homeless shelter that can provide assistance. For students or families that have been abused, there are agencies in the area that our counselors can refer them to (unfortunately, in our area, referrals are high in this area). There are also agencies that can help with counseling and psychiatric evaluations for those who need them.

Domain 1 Competency 3.11: Position Goals and Requirements

The job description that I chose to analyze was for a Structured Teach Classroom Teacher, someone who works with students with special needs, particularly in the area of Autism. Depending on the number of students, the teacher normally has one to two aides to assist with the students. According to the job description, the requirements/summary of the job includes:
-Texas teacher certified with Special Education Endorsement
-Appropriate certification for instructional level (K-12)
-Three years of experience as a classroom teacher with special needs in a public school setting or state-approved facility.
-Must be able to develop and deliver instruction to students identified on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or students with similar special needs through the use of visual support strategies.
- Familiarity of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) which include, sensory integration strategies, discrete trail, music/rhythm interventions, structure learning schedules, applied behavior analysis (ABA), and other strategies deemed appropriate and successful for students on their individually identified needs.

Our district uses a state adopted method known as the Professional Development and Appraisal System, also known as PDAS.  Since this evaluation is standard across the state, it may seem difficult to apply these standards to a teacher who is working with special needs, however, it does ask the teacher to “…apply strategies deemed appropriate and successful for students on their individually identified needs.” It can also be noted that the first five of the eight domains were related strictly to the classroom. Standards six, seven and eight dealt more with issues outside of the classroom.

Domain 1 Competency 3.12: Philosophy / History of Education

I interviewed a retired teacher of 20+ years who had grown up, graduated from, and eventually worked for our district (she still substitutes in our district regularly). She has lived in the community for about 35 years. When asking her about the history and expansion of our district she had stated that it really took off fast, and continually seems to grow bigger. She was excited over the recent bond election that has enabled this district to build a brand new, modern high school, and allowed for the renovation of the current high school to become the new middle school, the renovations and consolidations of our elementary campuses, and the building of the new intermediate high school. She also likes the fact that many teachers in this district are actually graduates from this district, and many stay for the duration of their career. As for the future of our district, she sees our district as a “premier district” based on the fact that the school district maintains a high standard for students and teachers alike.

Domain 1 Competency 3.13: Ethics

I interviewed our PIEMS clerk about ethics. In the PIEMS department, unethical behavior may include: grade entry, attendance reports, and the PEIMS “snapshot of the school” submission. There are deadlines in place so that the she can go back and double check if there are any errors. If these deadlines were not in place, it would be easy to “fudge” on the data being requested. Student confidentiality regarding a student’s grades or other student data, for example, is also unethical to be shared with other teachers. For instance, a senior level English  teacher would not be allowed to go and ask for information about a student’s grades as a freshman, sophomore or junior. She suggested that there needs to be a more consistent system of accountability in place.

Domain 1 Competency 3.14: Interpersonal Relationships

When I took the position of department chair for special education three years ago, I had already stepped outside of my comfort zone. I was quite happy dealing with my little corner of the world, and staying out of the way and “under the radar.” When I was asked to consider taking this position, I knew I would really have to change my approach to interpersonal relationships. The first year, I pretty much operated the way I always do – keeping my head down, nose to the grindstone, doing the work. I found that while the “doing of the work” was appreciated, what was needed more from me was the working with people aspect. I adjusted my approach and now am doing what I consider to be a more leadership style of approaching my job. I still “do the work,” but now, I make it my business to be seen in the hallways during passing periods; I visit classrooms on a daily basis (sit in on the lessons, visit with the students and teachers, unofficially observe); stop by the counseling center daily to offer my support and help as needed; am available during the lunch periods for support; and am basically just available as needed. I even wear a radio like the principals do in order to be contacted immediately as needed. This has most definitely changed the way in which students, teachers and administrators view me. What I found out is that by staying to myself and focusing on the work, I was seen as standoffish and uncaring. By being visible I have forged new and better relationships with students and teachers, and have built a trust factor with both. Being visible has changed others perceptions of me from manager to leader.

Domain 1 Competency 3.15 School Board Policy and Procedures / State and Federal Law

This was my first experience in attending a school board meeting.  I had the opportunity to attend two of them for my Lamar Internship. Each meeting lasted for about an hour or so. I was given an itinerary for the evening when I entered, there were also questionnaire cards that were available for those who wanted to ask the school board members any questions or comments.  The majority of the time was spent on reports, old business, and past agendas. For any new business, an administrator or department chair would come up to the podium to inform the Superintendent and the school board know what they were requesting. In one meeting, there were two main proposals that stood out- proposals to the 2012-2013 calendar (drafted earlier in the year; needed to be approved by the school board), a proposal from the Energy Management Policy for ways that the district could cut 5% from their energy budget (his suggestion included installing a timing system for all of the lights at each campus to shut off at 8:00 p.m., and then turning back on around 11:00 p.m. so that the custodial staff could walk to their vehicles, then shutting off at 11:15).

The last item of business was a “Closed Session.” The public (including myself) was asked to leave while Superintendent and the board members discussed classified material.