Data Analysis and ALSA

Discrepancy Summary Skill 3 & 4 Vice Principal Leszynski and myself agreed that I am at the developing/emerging level for Organizational and systems leadership skill 3, protecting the privacy and confidentiality of both students and staff and skill 4 following procedures and legal requirements. As an education specialist, I have access to student records that include grades, behavior, and special education records. I understand the legality of keeping this information confidential and respecting the privacy of the student and family. In addition, following procedures and ensuring we are compliant with IDEA (Individual with Disabilities Education Act) state and federal laws is a major component of being an education specialist. We must abide by the laws and ensure we are providing appropriate supports and services as designated by the students Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

Aspiring Leaders Skills Assessment Analysis

One of my most improved skill is in visionary leadership, utilizing multiple measures of data to develop a vision of teaching and learning. This year I took on a roll as a co-chair lead teacher for the English Language Arts PLC. One of my growth plan goals last year was to gain more experience in leadership type roles since my first ALSA assessment. We all agreed I was at the beginning level for skill 2. At the end of last school year, I volunteered to be a part of our School Site Council and took on the role SBAC SPED coordinator. Both these roles allowed me to move to the developing/emerging stage. Last year, our special education department found that the needs of the students with IEP’s were not fully represented in any of the PLC groups. When looking how best to address this, we assigned SPED department members to each of the core PLC groups. I volunteered for ELA PLC because I co-teach for 11th and 12th grade ELA and have developed positive working relationships with the ELA department members. This role has provided an opportunity to facilitate PLC meetings and guide discussions centered around student data and instructional decision making. More importantly, I advocate for our students with IEP’s when looking at student data and instructional strategies. I think this has been a valuable learning lesson in how to strategically present data and information to teachers to gain support and work together towards student improvement. We all agreed that I am at the emerging/developing stage for this skill.

Dealing with Challenging PD's and Teachers

i have always believed teachers make the worst students and after observing a very dry PD a few weeks ago, I was able to see this in action. The best part was one of the trainers was able to turn things around and get the class back on track and motivated! When observing the first hour of the training, I heard the comments and how frustrated they were about the new program. I heard complaints about how challenging the program can be when entering in calculations and how errors pop up and must be resolved before moving on to other parts of the IEP. Direct Quote from Observation At one point, it almost seemed like the trainers lost control of the training and everyone was just complaining. One of the trainers stood up and moved around the room and looked at each of the participants in the face and said “I completely understand your frustrations. I was an education specialist for many years in the classroom just like you. Our goal today to make your job easier with the paperwork so you can focus on the students.” Impact of being at Observation I think the Administrator that said this quote above did an amazing job deflecting the negative comments and redirecting the frustrations. By simply addressing the teachers’ frustrations and empathizing with them, she was able to make a connection. When she said she wanted to make their job easier with paperwork, I could see how the teachers became more interested in what she had to say. This quote was powerful because it allowed teachers to be heard and acknowledged. More importantly, the statement was supportive in the efforts to help the teachers. I think this made the teachers let their guard down and listen to the information. This observation was a great example of how to deal with challenging conversations and issues that teachers face. As an administrator, sometimes we might not understand the frustrations, however, these administrators were once classroom teachers and used this to empathize with the participants. More importantly, the trainers offered support to the teachers by letting them know how they value the time spent with students. By saying they wanted to make their jobs easier with the paperwork the trainers offered support and strategies in decreasing the number of hours spent on IEP’s. As a teacher, when I hear my administrators want to offer support of how to be more effective, I feel motivated to listen and see what they have to say.

ASCD Organization Information

Association of California School Administrators Overview

Just posting some research I did on joining Professional Organizations...hope this is helpful!