Electronic Evidence 6 Leadership and Collaboration Project Fall Internship I (EDU 4134, EDU 4144, EDU 4154, EDU 4164, EDU 4174) Fall EDU 3100 Collaboration in General Education Description Using the current Internship I placement each candidate will be required to analyze current descriptive school information including the school report card, School Improvement Plan, AYP data, and collaborative practices by stakeholders at the school level. Utilizing a framework developed by Wiggins and Damore (2006), each candidate will be required to interview school stakeholders and assess current school efforts related to the elements of collaboration. Candidates will develop interview questions based both upon the framework and their findings from the analysis of the School Improvement Plan and other available school data. Candidates will be expected to obtain relevant information from key school personnel including general education teachers, special education teachers, elective or specials teachers, school principals, school counselors and other stakeholders, such as parents and community members. During the process, the candidate will focus on the areas of Positive Attitude, Team Process, Professional Development, Leadership, Resources and Benefits as related to the collaborative process within a school (Wiggins & Damore, 2006). Based on the analysis of collected data, a proposed action plan for the school indicating areas for improvement and corresponding tasks and responsibilities will be developed. It is the expectation that the initiative or project will allow the candidate to demonstrate collaboration and leadership. The action plan and the summary/reflection completed by the candidate will be presented to professional colleagues at both the school and university level. Candidates are encouraged to lead the enactment of the action plan at the school during Internship 1 or Internship 2. If logistics of the plan make implementing during that timeframe difficult, candidates are encouraged to participate in the planning and foundational aspects of plan enactment and collaborate with school staff during the enactment of the plan. Components for Completion 1) Analysis of the School Improvement Plan The HPU Intern will analyze available documents regarding school performance and functioning in order to develop a profile of the school. Researching the school profile should involve visiting the school s website, reviewing the school report card and AYP data, and thoroughly analyzing the School Improvement Plan. The demographic and introductory information will be included in the candidate s summary/reflection (see item 8). The analysis of the School Improvement Plan and available data will be written as a separate one-page summary. This document should be an investigative summary of the School Improvement Plan and should identify key areas in the plan, note strengths and weaknesses of the school, comment on any changes/improvements made from the prior year s plan, and stipulate any areas the candidate feels the school should focus on while
implementing the School Improvement Plan. The candidate will refer to information learned during this analysis when developing guiding interview questions. 2) Guiding Questions The HPU Intern will develop guiding questions to be used during the interview process (described below). Using the Elements of Collaboration: Rubric, the Intern will develop 8-10 questions, which address the criteria listed for the following elements: Positive Attitude Team Process Professional Development Leadership Resources Benefits The purpose of the guiding questions will be to focus the interview session and allow the intern to complete the Elements of Collaboration: Checklist form at the end of the process. Examples of Guiding Questions: How would you describe staff attitude about collaboration at your school? (Positive Attitude) Are there co-teaching teams at your school and, if so, which grade levels/areas? (Team Process) What types of professional development sessions targeting collaboration will staff at your school participate in during this school year? (Professional Development) How are teachers chosen to participate in co-teaching situations and is there a common planning period for the team? (Leadership and Resources) How does the school track the progress of general education and special education students who receive instruction in a collaborative setting? (Benefits) The Guiding Questions must be submitted and approved by an HPU Instructor teaching EDU 3100 prior to the interview(s). 2) Interview Process It is required that the interviews be conducted face-to-face with the following school personnel: General Education Teacher o It is the expectation that the general educator that is interviewed is one that has instructional contact with your assigned students.. Special Education Teacher
o It is the expectation that the special educator that is interviewed is one that has instructional contact with your assigned students. Encore or Specialty Subject Teacher Examples: I am a PE major so I will interview a general education teacher responsible for core content (English/Language Arts, Math, Science or Social Studies), an EC teacher who provides instruction to students I am working with and my cooperating teacher. I am a Special Education major so I will interview a general education teacher responsible for core content (English/Language Arts, Math, Science or Social Studies) instruction to students I work with, an encore or specialty subject teacher, and my cooperating teacher. Administrator o The candidate should interview either the principal or an assistant principal. School Counselor HPU Student Intern This checklist should reflect your own observations. Other Stakeholder Optional: Other stakeholders could include other teachers, curriculum facilitators, administrators, or parents who could offer insight. This interview is not required, but if completed would be considered Accomplished on the Electronic Evidence #6 Leadership and Collaboration Project Rubric for Standard 1b.1. If there are several HPU Interns at one school, it is appropriate and expected that the HPU students collaborate to develop the guiding questions. It is also appropriate to schedule one interview with the principal, counselor and special education teacher (if that teacher is shared ). It is the expectation that all HPU Interns be present at the interview session. It is also appropriate to utilize technology (Skype, recording) to conduct the meeting as long as all the participants are present. Example: There are 5 HPU interns at one elementary school. The Interns meet and develop guiding questions to be used when interviewing the principal and counselor and as appropriate, possibly the special education teacher. The Interns collaborate and determine who will be responsible for setting a meeting time up with the school personnel. All Interns are present and participate equally in the interview process. Each Intern is responsible for completing his/her own Elements of Collaboration: Checklist using the Elements of Collaboration: Rubric based on his/her individual interpretation of the meeting. 3) Examination of Data An Elements of Collaboration: Checklist form will be completed for each stakeholder interviewed. It is the expectation that the Elements of Collaboration: Rubric be utilized to complete the checklist. Each checklist should be signed by the student, indicate the date of the interview, and the name and title of the person who was interviewed.
4) Action Plan Based on the examination of the interview data (item 3) and the analysis of the School Improvement Plan (item 1), the HPU Intern will develop an action plan for the school using the Action Plan: Elements of Collaboration form, which will encompass the following areas, related to the six elements of collaboration. What Needs Improvement? Information in this section is based upon the findings indicated on the Elements of Collaboration: Checklist, Elements of Collaboration: Rubric, and the analysis of the School Improvement Plan. Task? The HPU Intern is responsible for identifying and explaining a process to be used by the school to improve collaboration. Who is Responsible? Identify the stakeholders who will have a role in carrying out the task. Completion Date? The HPU Intern will determine a reasonable date for completion. Example: Element Leadership What needs improvement? The school needs to continue to find ways to motivate teacher leadership and decision making Task? Develop a teacher interest survey and/or a professional development interest survey. Who is Responsible? Principal, Curriculum Facilitator, Lead Grade Level Teacher. Completion Date? December 2014 5) Summary /Reflection The HPU Intern will write and submit a summary/reflection reporting the findings of the project. The summary/reflection should be a minimum of 1000 words, 12 pt. font doublespaced. The summary/reflection should include: o A short profile of the school (demographics) o Information the student has learned about collaboration in general and in the individual school setting o Key information from the interviews o Key information from the analysis of the School Improvement Plan o A detailed explanation of one element from the Action Plan: Elements of Collaboration should be provided. The explanation should go into depth regarding the choice of the improvement, task, person responsible, and date of completion. o A reflection on the impact the project has had on his/her professional growth and development as related to professional goals
6) Presentation of Electronic Evidence 6 Project The presentation portion of the project is two-fold. The HPU Intern is expected to develop a short presentation of their findings, summary, and action plan. The project will be presented informally at the school level and documented by the cooperating teacher using the Cooperating Teacher Documentation Form. The presentation will also be viewed by a group of professional colleagues at the University. The student is encouraged to utilize technology to make the presentation visually engaging. 7) Submission of Electronic Evidence 6 All documents (listed below) must be scanned into one PDF file and uploaded to Foliotek. School Improvement Plan Analysis Guiding Questions Six Elements of Collaboration: Checklist forms Action Plan: Elements of Collaboration form Summary/Reflection Cooperating Teacher Documentation Form 8) Scoring The final project will be graded using the Electronic Evidence #6 Leadership and Collaboration Project Rubric. The first submission of the project will count as the assignment grade for EDU 3100. The student must score Proficient in each area indicated on the rubric in order for the project to meet state requirements. If an area is scored Emerging/Developing the student will be required to revise the corresponding portion of the project to at least a proficient level, however the assignment grade for EDU 3100 will not change. Likewise, if the student chooses to showcase their leadership skills by enacting the action plan at the school (i.e. starting a food pantry at the school, organizing an after school tutoring program, hosting a parent forum, conducting an international fair at the school, etc.) during their Internship II placement, the rubric would be revised in Foliotek to reflect accomplished on item 1c.2. References Wiggins, K. C, & Damore, S. J. (2006). Survivors or friends? A framework for assessing effective collaboration. Teaching Exceptional Children, 49-56.
Action Plan: Elements of Collaboration Element Positive Attitudes What Needs Improvement? Task? Who Is Responsible? Completion Date? Team Process Professional Development Leadership Resources Benefits
Elements of Collaboration: Checklist Element Initial Emerging Effective Comments Positive Attitude Feelings and views toward collaboration Commitment and motivation Roles, clarity, understanding and acceptance Accountability: for teacher and student performance Philosophy, goals, and expertise Team Process Communication and work relationships Processes: routines, roles, expectations, meetings Team roles Professional Development Focus Teacher Voice Connection with classroom practice Use of in-house expertise and talent Scheduling and delivery options Sense of community Leadership Leader(s) Work climate Teacher Leadership and decision making Accountability/motivation to lead Resources Targets needs (time, people, finances, scheduling, supplies, space, and other) Benefits Identified and evident Lived vs. abstract Effort is publicly acknowledged
EDU 3100 Leadership and Collaboration Project I participated in a short presentation given by in which the student outlined their findings, summary and action plan related to the Leadership and Collaboration Project. Cooperating Teacher Signature Date