Supporting an Effective Student Learning Environment

Major Assessment 5:  Supporting an Effective Student Learning Environment

This assessment is designed to provide the candidate the opportunity to demonstrate the skills necessary to support an effective P–12 student learning environment. Candidates will collect and analyze a variety of information on a school’s student learning environment and develop plans for achieving the school’s goals and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning. They will develop a master schedule and develop strategies for advocating for student success. The assessment addresses the need for principals to be able to apply best practice to student learning through facilitating and managing a positive school culture that is aligned with the school’s goals. Review your field experience artifacts and reflect on those experiences and the discussions you have had with your principal mentor.  These experiences and discussions will guide you as you develop some plans using responses that address the prompts outlined in Parts A, B, C, and D.

Note: Prior to writing your responses, review the rubric requirements.  Your response to this assessment must follow APA (American Psychological Association) guidelines and must include 10–15 citations that address the context of the assessment.  Please refer to the APA Publication Manual sent to you with previous course materials. Your response to this assessment will be sent back to you if it does not demonstrate scholarly writing.   Assignment length: 12–15 pages

Part A. Developing School Plans

1. Based on the learning resources and your collaborative field experiences, describehow collaboration with school stakeholders was used to develop implementation plans to achieve school goals, including one of the following:

• Useof evidence-centered research strategies and strategic planning processes
• Creation of school-based strategic and tactical goals. (ELCC 1.2, Rubric row 1)

2. Develop a transformational change plan to promote continuous and sustainable school improvement. Include practices to build the school’s capacity to promote continuous and sustainable school improvement to support the change plan.  (ELCC 1.3, Rubric row 2)

3. Create strategies for how to monitor program development and implementation of school goals that include an evaluation process to assess the effectiveness of school plans and programs and interpreting data to the faculty and community. (ELCC 1.4, Rubric row 3)

Part B. School Culture

School Culture and Instructional Program

4. Review your school’s instructional program and activities. Create a plan to monitor the instructional program and activities to ensure a personalized diverse learning environment with high expectations for students, including:

• How diversity is recognized, celebrated, and incorporated into programs, curriculum, and instructional practices
• Strategies for how trust, equity, fairness, and respect are promoted among students, parents, and school staff in a manner that honors all
• Facilitating the use of appropriate culturally diverse content-based learning materials and learning strategies. (ELCC 2.1, Rubric row 4)

Social Justice

5. Review and critique school policies, programs, and practices within the Field Experience setting to ensure that student needs inform all aspects of schooling, including social justice, equity, confidentiality, acceptance, and respect between and among students and faculty members within the school. (ELCC 5.5, Rubric row 5)

Part C. Supporting Learning by Managing Time Effectively

6. Analyze school policies to ensure that teacher and organizational time focuses on supporting high-quality school instruction and student learning. Develop a school master schedule that demonstrates policies to ensure teacher and organizational time focuses on supporting high-quality school instruction and student learning.   (ELCC 3.5, Rubric row 7)

Part D. Advocating for Student Success

7. Create strategies for how to analyze laws and policies related to student learning so that they are applied consistently, fairly, and ethically within the school and how you will serve as a respectful spokesperson for students and families. (ELCC 6.1, Rubric row 7)

8. Describe how to advocate for school policies and programs that promote equitable learning opportunities and student success and how you will communicate those policies and programs to appropriate school stakeholders. Include specific strategies and examples.   (ELCC 6.2, Rubric row 8)

3/2018