INTERNSHIP POLICIES

FOR

PRINCIPAL AND SUPERVISOR

CANDIDATES

The Practicum and Portfolio Handbook

Master of Education in Administration and Supervision

Frostburg State University

Frostburg, MD 21532

William P. Childs, Ed.D.

Program Coordinator

Table of Contents

Authorization and Regulations...... 4

Introduction...... 5

Why Create a Portfolio?...... 5

Portfolio Uses...... 6

Benefits of the Portfolio...... 6

What is Included in the Portfolio...... 6

What Should the Portfolio Look Like?...... 7

How Lengthy Should the Portfolio Be?...... 7

The Finished Product...... 7

Sections of the Portfolio...... 8

Introduction and Resume...... 8

Leadership Framework...... 8

1. Philosophy of education...... 10

2. Philosophy of leadership...... 10

3. Vision of learners...... 10

4. Vision for teachers...... 10

5. Vision of the organization...... 10

6. Vision of professional growth...... 10

7. Method of vision attainment...... 10

Five Year Goals...... 11

Tabular Summary of Hours...... 11

ELCC Artifacts...... 11

Reflections...... 13

Aligning the Artifact ...... 15

Distribution of Hours per Internship...... 15

The Practicum Planning Guide and Activities...... 18

The Practicum Planning Guide...... 19 - 25

Maryland Instructional Leadership Framework...... 26

The Mentor’s Role...... 27

The University Supervisor’s Role...... 27

The Final Portfolio Evaluation...... 28

Practicum and Portfolio Assessment Documents and Rubrics...... 29

Self-Assessment of Final Practicum [Form 002]...... 30 - 32

Intern’s Report for First Practicum [Form 003 I]...... 33

Mentor’s Report[Form 003 M]...... 34

University Supervisor’s Report[Form 003 US]...... 35

Practicum Evaluation Rubric [Form 001]...... 36 – 42

Figures

1.1 Sample Table of Contents...... 9

1.2 Sample Tabular Summary...... 12

1.3 Sample Artifact Cover Sheet Template...... 17

1.4 Sample Agenda...... 28

Authorization and Regulations

The Practicum in Administration and Supervision is a required component of Frostburg State University’s Master of Education in Administration and Supervision. This program has been approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) and the Maryland State Board of Education (MSDE). Under Maryland’s educator licensure regulations, an individual who earns this degree qualifies for the Administrator I endorsement. In order to obtain the Administrator II endorsement, the individual must also pass the required Praxis II in Educational Administration. Note that full certification and licensure standards differ for each state, and it is the sole responsibility of the student to ascertain that the Frostburg State University program will meet their personal needs.

The Administration and Supervision program is nationally accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and its constituent partner, the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC). ELCC establishes accreditation standards for program approval, and it is this set of standards upon which all program assessments are aligned. Furthermore, the program must meet the standards under the Maryland Instructional Leadership Framework. Additionally, Frostburg State University’s College of Education and Educational Professions Department standards apply. The program reflects the most current evolution of standards, building upon previous Interstate School Leaders Licensure ConsortiumStandards for School Leaders (ISLLCS) standards.

Frostburg State University, the College of Education, the Department of Educational Professions, and the Master of Education in Administration and Supervision Program thank all individuals, agencies, school districts, and partner institutionswho collaborate to make it possible to offer a high quality program to aspiring school leaders.


Introduction

The Practicum in Administration and Supervision is designed to provide thecandidate with authentic, hands-on administrative experience in a field placement. The candidate (the student), the school mentor (administrator or supervisor), and the university mentor (professor or instructor) work together in designing, implementing, and assessing the internship experience.

The vehicle through which the experience is documented is the Internship Portfolio. In addition, conferences and oral and written evaluations provide continual informal and formal assessments throughout the internship experience. Each three-credit internship must document a minimum of one hundred eighty (180) hours of experience spread throughout the ELCC elements. Included within the 180 hours is to be at least fifteen (15) hours in the miscellaneous category which shall include four (4) hours of office administration, four (4) hours of Special Services administration, four (4) hours of student discipline administration, and three (3) hours of teacher observation and evaluation. A full description of the Portfolio organization and documentation will follow.

Why Create a Portfolio?

Since the mid-1980’s, school reform efforts have focused attention on the principal as the key person who facilitates the process of school transformation and who leads the faculty, staff, students, and community to targeted levels of excellence. Principals recognize that in order to transform schools, they must improve their own practice through study and reflection. The portfolio process is one excellent tool in the reflective experience. Additionally, the Portfolio provides authentic documentation of professional development goals, efforts, and growth, as well as leadership accomplishments. Administration and Supervision candidates practice the portfolio process throughout the internship, learning the value and transformative power of formal reflective consideration of their experience.

The Portfolio development described here is based in part on the work of Beverly J. Irby and Genevieve Brown in their 2000 book, The Career Advancement Portfolio (ISBN 076197542X). This book is an excellent resource for the portfolio process.

Portfolio Uses

The first use of the Portfolio is to measure professional and academic growth through self-assessment and analysis of behaviors as they relate to the aspiring principal/supervisor’s performance. The Portfolio serves as a checkpoint for assessing progress in relation to program goals.

The second use of the Portfolio is as a summative evaluation and external judgment of the effectiveness of the candidate’s leadership potential. Through the analysis of artifacts and reflections, the university mentor and field mentor will judge the candidates performance in the field of educational administration.

Benefits of the Portfolio

  • Assists in anticipating problems or conflicts
  • Provides direction for improvement
  • Provides for the development of short- and long-term goals
  • Promotes thoughtful actions or solutions to problems rather than quick-fixes or superficial solutions
  • Assists in the identification of needed resources
  • Provides a nonthreatening formative evaluation structure for the candidate
  • Promotes data-driven decision making
  • Encourages risk taking and innovation
  • Maintains the focus on student performance
  • Demonstrates to teachers and others a commitment to continuous professional growth

What is Included in the Portfolio?

Starting a Portfolio is difficult. What should be included? Where does one start? By referencing the applicable standards, focus on the project emerges. It is vital to remember that the Administrative Candidate’s Internship Portfolio is the tool through which knowledge, skills, and dispositions are effectively demonstrated to prospective employers. The Portfolio also becomes the means by which accomplishments are celebrated.

What Should the Portfolio Look Like?

Determining the physical, organizational and conceptual structure is the first step. Because the Portfolio represents the candidate to the reader, it is important to portray a professional image and to invite the review by the reader. The Portfolio should be arranged in a logical and readable manner with its organization readily apparent, and it should always include a table of contents that lists each section with page numbers. Sections should be clearly indicated; tabbed pages or color-coded dividers are commonly used. Each page should be numbered. It is permissible to hand-number original artifacts.

Selection from among collected artifacts for inclusion in the Portfolio should be based on providing a comprehensive display of a wide range of experiences, competencies, and original products that present a true picture of the individual’s values and leadership styles. Thus, it is necessary to prioritize and to select the highest quality artifacts that constitute the most effective representation to the reader.

How Lengthy Should the Portfolio Be?

The Portfolio must meet two needs: it must be comprehensive and representative of the wide range of the candidate’s growth and experience,and it is to be succinct, efficient, and effective. Even though the contents and styles of portfolios vary depending upon individual preference, certain components must be included in this presentation. Note in Figure 1.1 that the ELCC Standards and Elements comprise the organizational structure for the Portfolio. These are fully discussed in the following sections and a full listing of the ELCC Standards and the Maryland Instructional Leadership Framework appearthroughout this guide for reference.

The Finished Product

The finished Portfolio will be large since it does document the entire internship experience comprising at least 360 hours. Typically, a Portfolio will be one 6” three-ring binder, although at times two binders have been submitted. It is not unusual to document in excess of 500 hours, and full-time interns in administratively-assigned jobs have documented more than 1000 hours. It is vital to remember that a wide range of experiences are to be documented, quality of leadership skills are to be demonstrated, and positive and proactive leadership dispositions are to embedded throughout the Portfolio.

There is an inherent beauty and logic in a well-organized Portfolio. The sample Table of Contents (Figure 1.1) demonstrates the backbone of the organization. It is through the Tabular Summary and Overview (Figure 1.2) that the reader sees the connection to the supporting evidence. The reader should then see the cited Standard and Element within the Tabular Summary, thumb over to that place in the Portfolio to discover the Artifact Cover Sheet (Figure 1.3) that replicates the hours listed in the Tabular Summary and fully explains the artifact through the reflection, and turn to the next page to find the complete artifact. This cycle is repeated throughout the Portfolio. A double-entry system of hours tabulation emerges, and the candidate and reader can be assured that the standards have been documented and met. Organize the artifacts in order of the ELCC Standards, Elements, and Indicators and presented in the full list above.

Sections of the Portfolio

Introduction and Resume

The introductory statement in the Portfolio should be no more than one to two pages. It is to explain the purpose and the organization of the Portfolio and briefly introduces the candidate to the reader. The internship Portfolio is designed to provide the reader/reviewer with concrete examples of the candidate’s work. A current resume is to follow the Introduction. A listing of certifications and endorsements, professional teacher licensure, education, experience, areas of concentration, skills, and strengths should be included.

Leadership Framework

The Leadership Framework is a succinct analysis of the candidate’s primary beliefs and attitudes regarding educational leadership. This will be the first written reflection in the portfolio development process. The Leadership Framework provides the first step towards a better understanding of the candidate as a prospective leader, and it should support the artifacts that follow. “All of our actions are predicated on our beliefs and values.” (Irby and Brown, 2000) The following areas are to be addressed in components of the Leadership Framework:

  1. Philosophy of education. This component provides insights into basic beliefs about the purposes of education and the mission and importance of schools to society.
  2. Philosophy of leadership. Included here is what the candidate believes about effective leadership and its impact.
  3. Vision of learners. This includes an in-depth analysis of the candidate’s beliefs about how children learn and the role of the leader in the development and facilitation of learning.
  4. Vision for teachers.The candidate addresses what it means to be a teacher, what is the role of the teacher in the learning environment in the classroom and within the campus community, and how the teacher should relate to students and the wider community.
  5. Vision of the organization. This is a discussion of the candidate’s vision for the organization or school community and provides an image of who the candidate thinks the professional organizational environment should or could be. Within this component the candidate should comment on:
  6. Climate
  7. Community
  8. Collaboration
  9. Communication
  1. Vision of professional growth.In this section the candidate examines the purpose and effect of professional growth and development on student achievement and the effectiveness of schools. Personal and faculty professional development needs are determined and addressed.
  2. Method of vision attainment. Visions are elusive abstract illusions unless a strategy exists for obtaining their implementation. In discussing how to move the organization toward the vision, the candidate will need to address the following:
  3. Decision making
  4. Encouragement, initiation, and facilitation of change
  5. Support during change

Although the Leadership Framework should be comprehensive, it should not be lengthy. One or two paragraphs for each above component are sufficient. Greater discussion of the Standards and Elements is expected in the reflection of each artifact.

Five Year Goals

The inclusion of goals in the Portfolio conveys to the reader that the candidate knows and has a plan for attaining desired professional aspirations. This section is simply a one page listing of the candidate’s goals for the next 1 to 5 years. The focus should be on milestones, contributions, and anticipated career and professional choices.

Tabular Summary of Hours

This is simply an indexed listing of the items documented within the artifacts, by Standard and Element, including hours referenced in each included Artifact, subtotaled by Standard and totaled at the end of the Table. A simple one-page sample of a table in progressfollows (Figure 1.2). Each of the six ELCC Standard areas is listed separately, as is the Miscellaneous category not covered in the ELCC areas. This Table is to be maintained and up to date throughout the practicum, and it is to be available to the mentor and university supervisor during conferences.

ELCC Artifacts

This is the bulk and heart of the Portfolio because it provides authentic examples of the candidate’s work and the candidate’s interpretation of the effect and significance of the work as measured by ELCC Standards. The archiving of the artifacts and the related reflection of each provides critical information to the Portfolio reviewer regarding the candidate’s abilities, professionalism, character, and potential as an educational leader. The remainder of the Portfolio consists of the artifacts and reflections representing areas of leadership that the candidate wishes to emphasize.

“This was an excellent experience.”


The following is a brief sample list of possible artifacts, but it is in no way meant to be all inclusive. A more concise focus will be developed in collaboration with the Mentor and University Supervisor in the Activities Plan described later in this handbook.

  • Student achievement data
  • Agendas of meetings conducted
  • Outlines and evaluations of staff development sessions
  • Data from school surveys
  • Pages from curriculum development documents
  • Peer coaching and mentoring data
  • Schedules, certificates of attendance at professional meetings, conference, etc.
  • District, county, and school budgets with data analysis
  • Long-range and action plans for program implementation
  • Action research projects and data
  • Letters of commendation or support from the candidate’s school parents, colleagues, principals, or supervisors.
  • School Improvement Team plans

Portfolio development requires much thought, time, and effort. As noted above, each candidate will spend a minimum of 180 hours working in the internship setting for each three-credit experience. It often takes 20 or more hours to organize and assemble the Portfolio. The purpose of this guide is to make that process less cumbersome and daunting. Once a plan for developing the Portfolio is established, updating, amending, and assembling the Portfolio is much more efficient as the internship progresses.

Reflections

Each artifact contains an Artifact Cover Sheet (see Figure 1.3) describing the artifact, the Standard and Element demonstrated, and a reflection of the artifact that explains the professional and personal connection the candidate makes to the Standards and Elements. The artifact can be meaningless to a reader without a quality reflection. Inherent in reflective portfolio development are (a) insights into strengths and weaknesses, (b) planning for professional growth, (c) pathways to improved practice, and (d) enhancement in personal and school effectiveness that produce improved student learning. Research on highly effective leaders suggests that they are reflective, particularly with regard to problem solving, self-awareness in group dynamics and interpersonal skills, and delegation and empowerment of others through transformational leadership. Thus, the portfolio process becomes a catalyst for transformationalprofessional and personal change.

Mentoring

The following can serve as a guideline in writing reflections, realizing that each reflection is highly individualized in purpose and significance.

  1. Select the artifacts that most represent the Standard and Element being assessed. The candidates should ask: What documents or artifacts most graphically represent my involvement or activities for this standard? Which relate directly to the goal or proficiency and will demonstrate success or growth? Which reveal the most about my capabilities or skills in this area?

  1. Describe the circumstances, situation, or events related to the experience. Address the Four W’s (Who? What? When? Where?).
  2. Analyze the experience. Dig deeper into the “Why” of the selection and “How” it relates to the events, leadership issues or beliefs, circumstances, and how the decisions occur.
  3. Appraise the actual self-assessment, interpreting the event, evaluating the impact and appropriateness of the leadership action, and relate them to personal values and beliefs.
  4. Transform insights gained from the reflection into developing plans designed to improve and transform practice using interpreted data, projections, and goals.

Aligning the Artifact with ELCC Standards and Elements: The Artifact Cover Sheet