Standard Two - Instructional Leadership
Element 2a. Focus on Learning and Teaching, Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment:
The school executive leads the discussion about standards for curriculum, instruction and assessment based on research and best practices in order to establish and achieve high expectations for students.
As one of West Millbrook Magnet Middle School's newest leaders, it was very important for me to build relationships with staff and students. However, it was equally important that I familiarize myself with the culture, academic performance, attendance, and overall teaching working conditions. Therefore, I completed a Holistic Needs Assessment of West Millbrook by using both qualitative and quantitative data regarding student performance trends and other performance indicators. To obtain this information, I met with my principal mentor, assistant principals, and the School Improvement Team to analyze EOG scores. Then I compiled information from other data sources such as NC School Report Cards, the School Improvement Plan, WCPSS district facts, and Powerschool to create a comprehensive analysis of my school. I provided a copy of my Holistic Needs Assessment for NCSU Evaluators only.
This year, I conducted my own learning walks and participated in some group learning walks to familiarize myself with middle school content, observe student engagement, and make sure IB lessons and skills were being taught with fidelity. Below are the templates I used to capture what I saw in classrooms.
While teaching at Brooks Elementary, I conducted a data audit. This audit was an assignment for Dr. Drake's, Data Use for School Leaders MSA class. For this audit, I created a spreadsheet that listed 30 different data sources collected at Brooks. This spreadsheet included the name of each data source, whether it was qualitative or quantitative, its purpose, and origin. This helped me determine which data I needed to use to create a digital data story of Brooks that was focused around an overarching theme. By the end of this experience, I learned that school leaders should carefully examine the data that is being utilized at their schools and determine whether or not each piece of data is contributing to school improvement.
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Element 2b. Focus on Instructional Time:
The school executive creates processes and schedules which protect teachers from disruptions of instructional or preparation time.
One of the assignments I was given at the beginning of my residency at West Millbrook was to become familiar with the school's visual master schedule board and compare it to a computer-generated draft. As I reviewed both schedules, I checked for alignment and scheduling errors. Although this task was time consuming and required me to give meticulous attention to each schedule, it was absolutely necessary, because I was able to learn the names of teachers, courses they teach, and team planning times. Furthermore, I was able to identify scheduling discrepancies and determine whether or not some courses were over or under enrolled. From this experience, I learned that an effective master schedule is one of the most important resources an instructional leader possesses, because it drives the functionality of a school.
At the end of last school year, the administrative team worked diligently to revise the school-wide bell schedule. Our current bell schedule consists of A and B days and (6) sixty-four minute class periods. To minimize classroom disruptions and maximize student learning time, we made the implementation of "First 10 Last Ten 10" a school-wide expectation. During the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes of each period, all students are expected to use this time for the completing bell work and writing down homework. To sum it up, school leaders must be strategic in creating processes that safeguard instructional and planning time.