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Course Syllabus for EDAD 694 Executive Instructional Leadership

Dr. Scott Farler

Effective Date: Spring 2015

I. Course Number: EDAD 694

II. Course Title: Executive Instructional Leadership

III. Semester Credit Hours: 3

IV. Course Description: Instructional Leadership at the chief executive officer

(CEO) level is the theme of this standards-based course. The application of

strategic planning skills to enhance teaching and learning; to ensure

alignment among curriculum, curriculum resources, and assessment; and to

support the collection and use of multiple measures of success are

promulgated through the requirements of this course. Emphasis is placed on

skills designed to advocate, nurture, and sustain an instructional program

and a culture that supports student learning and staff professional growth.

Staff evaluation, improving staff performance, and effective models of

supervision are emphasized.

V. Course Delivery Method: Seminar style of discussion, applied research, and

experiential learning will form the foundation for the course. Students may

use case studies and scenarios to build skills and knowledge in executive

leadership. Cooperative learning as well as group or individual presentations

may be employed to share knowledge and experiences. Current research on

leadership and school improvement issues will form the basis for topics

studied. Students will have multiple opportunities to demonstrate writing

skills and research strategies.

VI. Required Textbooks/Resources: Glickman, D.D. (2014) SuperVision and

Instructional Leadership: A Developmental Approach (9th edition)Boston,

MA;Pearson.ISBN 978-0-13-285213-5

VII. Student Learning Outcomes: Curriculum, instruction, assessment and

professional development are the core elements of a school district that is

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striving to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind, state

accountability measures and most importantly—the optimum learning and

well-being of students as our future citizenry. Superintendents must be

knowledgeable in all of these areas in order to facilitate the strategic

planning for and continuous improvement of teaching and learning. It is

incumbent upon superintendents to continuously build their skills and grow

their knowledge in these areas that directly impact the academic growth of

the children in their care. As the leaders of districts, superintendents set the

tone for communicating the importance of effective performance in and

research-based knowledge of curriculum, instruction, assessment and

continuous professional growth. Superintendents who set an example of

continuous learning and continuous improvement have staffs that see those

commitments as the model for the work that is to be done.

The ability to lead successfully on the teaching and learning side of the

superintendents’ responsibilities not only impacts staff and public

accountability, but it also impacts the lives and futures of the children

entrusted to the district.

Objectives: The objectives of this course are the State Board of Educator

Certification (SBEC) proficiencies of the Superintendent’s Certificate.

DOMAIN II: Instructional Leadership

Competency 005:

The superintendent knows how to facilitate the planning and

implementation of strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning;

ensure alignment among curriculum, curriculum resources, and assessment;

and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student

performance.

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The Superintendent knows how to:

5.1 facilitate effective curricular decision making based on an

understanding of pedagogy, curriculum design, cognitive development,

learning processes, and child and adolescent growth and development

5.2 implement planning procedures to develop curricula that achieve

optimal student learning and that anticipate and respond to occupational

and economic trends.

5.3 implement core curriculum and design and delivery systems to

ensure instructional quality and continuity across the district.

5.4 develop and implement collaborative processes for systematically

assessing and renewing the curriculum to meet the needs of all students

and ensure appropriate scope, sequence, content and alignment.

5.5 use assessment to measure student learning and diagnose student

needs to ensure educational accountability.

5.6 evaluate district curricula and provide direction for improving curricula

based on sound, research-based practices.

5.7 integrate the use of technology, telecommunications, and information

systems into the school district curriculum to enhance learning for all

students.

5.8 facilitate the use of creative thinking, critical thinking, and problem

solving by staff and other school district stakeholders involved in curriculum

design and delivery.

5.9 facilitate the effective coordination of district and campus curriculum

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and extracurricular programs.

Competency 006:

The superintendent knows how to advocate and sustain an instructional

program and a district culture that are conductive to student learning

and staff professional growth.

The superintendent knows how to:

6.1 apply knowledge of motivational theorist to create conditions that

encourage staff, students, families/caregivers, and the community to strive to

achieve the district’s vision.

6.2 facilitate the implementation of sound, research-based theories and

techniques of classroom management, student discipline, school safety to

ensure a school district environment conducive to learning.

6.3 facilitate the development of a learning organization that encourages

educational excellence, supports instructional improvement, and incorporates

best practice.

6.4 facilitate the ongoing study of current best practice and relevant research

and encourage the application of this knowledge to district/school

improvement initiatives.

6.5 plan and manage student services and activity programs to address

developmental, scholastic, social, emotional, cultural, physical, and leadership

needs.

6.6 establish a comprehensive school district program of student assessment,

interpretation of data, and reporting of state and national data results.

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6.7 apply knowledge of special programs to ensure that students with special

needs are provided with appropriate resource and effective, flexible

instructional programs and services.

6.8 analyze instructional resource needs and deploy instructional resources

effectively and equitably to enhance student learning.

6.9 analyze the implications of various organizational factors for teaching and

learning.

6.10 develop, implement, and evaluate change processes to improve student

and adult learning and the climate for learning.

6.11 ensure responsiveness to diverse sociological, linguistic, cultural,

psychological, and other factors that may affect student development and

learning and create an environment in which all students can learn.

Competency 007:

The superintendent knows how to implement a staff evaluation and

development system to improve the performance of all staff members and

select appropriate models for supervision and staff development.

The superintendent knows how to:

7.1 enhance teaching and learning by participating in quality professional

development activities and studying current professional literature and

research.

7.2 develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive professional

development plan to address identified areas of district, campus and/or

staff need.

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7.3 facilitate the application of adult learning principles to all professional

development activities, including the use of support and follow-up

strategies to facilitate implementation.

7.4 implement strategies to enhance professional capabilities at the campus

level.

7.5 work collaboratively with other district personnel to plan, implement, and

evaluate professional growth programs.

7.6 deliver effective presentations and facilitate learning for both small and

large groups.

7.7 implement effective strategies for the recruitment, selection, induction,

development, evaluation and promotion of staff.

7.8 develop and implement comprehensive staff evaluation models that

include both formative and summative assessment and appraisal

strategies.

7.9 diagnose organizational health and morale and implement strategies and

programs to provide ongoing assistance and support to personnel.

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VIII. Course Requirements / Assignments

IX. Class Participation and Formative Assessments: Students are

expected to be prepared for each class and to participate actively in

class discussion. Most presentations by the instructor will be followed

by a symposium style of discussion of items presented and/or related

issues emerging from students’ readings. Brief oral and/or written

quizzes may be given periodically throughout the course to gauge

comprehension of key concepts.

Review of Professional Articles (Individual Research): Each student will

select and read three current (2010-present) professional articles dealing

with designated themes and write a 1-2 page paper for each. Be prepared

to discuss at least one article with the class. The paper should include the

major points of the topic that the student will want to discuss in class.

Essay posted on Blackboard: Students are to create a paper regarding

the importance of a mission and vision for their prospective district.

Delineate the steps necessary for development and state why the mission

and vision are important from the superintendent’s perspective. Site 5

references. Each student is required to post comments on individual

essays. Post on or before Wednesday, Feb. 18th. Class members have 2

weeks to post comments on each essay.

Field-Based Activities:

1. Participation in a State or Regional Professional Conference or Training Session: Students should participate in a training session or conference regarding curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional development, teacher evaluation, or other topic related to the competencies of this course. A brief presentation, along with an analysis of how this learning could impact the performance or professional growth of the superintendent should be presented in class.

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--OR--

2. The student will prepare and give a 15-20 minute presentation to a

school, community or political group OR submit an article for publication

in a regional, state, or national journal. In the presentation/article, the

student will communicate a major initiative of his/her own school

district. The documentation product will be the instructor’s attendance,

or an agenda with the presentation listed, a copy of the article, or other

as agreed upon by the instructor and student. It must address one or

more of the Domain II competencies.

3. The student will develop an interview document of 8-10 questions to use

in interviewing a superintendent regarding five of the major

competencies of this course. Draft questions may be reviewed by the

class and the instructor. The student will complete a two page reflection

on the interview posted on BlackBoard.

4. The student will evaluate their district plan to determine strengths and

Weaknesses and develop a list of recommendations for improvements to

The Plan. The student will post their recommendation list to BlackBoard.

All assignments should be double spaced with indented paragraphs. All

written assignments must be your own words or appropriately cited

references to the work of others. Plagiarism will result in a grade of zero

for the assignment and possibly an F in the course. All papers must be

posted to Blackboard assignment dropbox.

Summative Assessment: A final exam will be given at the end of the

semester. The exam will cover the material addressed throughout the

semester. Essay and/or objective formats may be used. Exam will be

posted on Blackboard. Date TBA.

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X. Course Outline:

January 31, 2015

Introductions

Review Syllabus

Discuss issues presented by the by instructor

Tuesday, Feb. 10—class does not meet this date but you review

of professional articles are due on BlackBoard

Wednesday, Feb. 11

Review of Professional Articles lead by each student

Chapter 12—Assessing and Planning Skills

Chapter 22—Building Community

Wednesday, Feb. 18—class does not meet on this date; however

students must submit an essay regarding the importance of a mission

and vision for the school district. Discuss the steps needed to create this.

Site 5 references. Post your assignment on Blackboard, each student will

be required to read and post comments on all essays. Comments may be

made up to two weeks after original post.

Wednesday, Feb. 25

Chapter 15—Direct Assistance to Teachers

Chapter 16—Group Development

Chapter 17—Professional

Development

Chapter 18—Curriculum Development

Discuss Mission and Vision

On or before Monday, March 9 – Class does not meet this date. Posting of the 8-10 superintendent interview questions is due.

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Wednesday, March 11

Study Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) report, provided for

students – Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR)

PEIMS collection (Public Education Information Management System)

Chapter 14—Evaluation Skills

On or Before, Monday, April 6—Class does not meet this date

Posting of superintendent interview reflection is due.

Wednesday, April 8

Discuss superintendent interviews

Chapter 2 - The Norm: Why Traditional Schools are as They Are

Chapter 3 - The Dynamic School

Chapter 4 - Adult and Teacher Development Within the Context of the

School

Chapter 5 - Reflections on Educational Beliefs, Teaching, and Supervision

Discuss competencies expected of the Superintendent On or before April 20 – Class does not meet this day. Recommendation list For district improvement plan is due. Wednesday April 22 Discuss district improvement plans

Wednesday April 29 – Class does not meet this day. Field activity 1 or 2 is Due today. May 9

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Final face-to-face class session Final Exam on BlackBoard TBA

XI. Methods of Evaluation:

Class discussion and participation 15

Mission/Vision essay 10

Formative assessments 5

Professional literature article

(3 @ 5 points each) 15

District Imp. Plan Review 10

Field based activity (1 or 2) 15

Field based—interview 15

Summative assessment 15

Total 100

Grading Scale: A = 90-100%, B = 80-89%, C = 70-79%, D = 60-69%, F = 0-59%

Dr. Scott Farler – Cell 972-832-2401 (quickest way to get in contact with me)

Office 903-756-7071

Include the following required statements in each course syllabus.

XIII. Disability Accommodations: Students with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations through the A&M-Texarkana Disability Services Office by calling 903-223-3062.

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XIV. Academic Integrity: Academic honesty is expected of students enrolled in this course. Cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration, falsification of research data, plagiarism, and undocumented use of materials from any source constitute academic dishonesty and may be grounds for a grade of ‘F’ in the course and/or disciplinary actions. For additional information, see the university catalog.

XV. A&M-Texarkana Email Address: Upon application to Texas A&M University-Texarkana an individual will be assigned an A&M-Texarkana email account. This email account will be used to deliver official university correspondence. Each individual is responsible for information sent and received via the university email account and is expected to check the official A&M-Texarkana email account on a frequent and consistent basis. Faculty and students are required to utilize the university email account when communicating about coursework.

XVI. Drop Policy: Effective with the Fall 2013 semester, the administrative

drop policy as it relates to non-developmental courses will be

discontinued. Students who no longer wish to attend their course(s) will

be required to submit the necessary paperwork to the Registrar’s Office

in order to be officially dropped/withdrawn from their course(s). Those

students who do not follow the correct drop/withdraw procedure will

remain registered in their course(s) and receive the grade issued by the

instructor. Students may find the drop/withdraw form on the

“Dropping/Withdraw a Class” page of the Registrar website.

The policy for developmental courses will remain the same. Any

student who is registered in a developmental course and fails to attend

may be administratively dropped/withdrawn from all courses.

Include the following explanation for web-enhanced and online courses.

XVII. Class Participation: Students are responsible for beginning their participation on the FIRST CLASS DAY by logging on and completing assignments according to the COURSE CALENDAR. Failure to submit online

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assignments between the first day of classes and the University census date (according to the University schedule) will result in an ADMINISTRATIVE DROP from the course.

XVIII. Student Technical Assistance:

• Solutions to common problems and FAQ’s for your web-enhanced and web courses are found at this link: http://www.tamut.edu/Training/Student%20Training/index.html

• If you cannot find your resolution there, you can send in a support request detailing your specific problem here: http://www.tamut.edu/techde/support.htm

• Blackboard Helpdesk contacts (office hours are: Monday - Friday, 8:00a to 5:00p)

Julia Allen (main contact) 903-223-3154 julia.allen@tamut.edu

Nikki Thomson (alternate) 903-223-3083 nikki.thomson@tamut.edu

Jayson Ferguson (alternate) 903-223-3105 jayson.ferguson@tamut.edu

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XVIII. Technical Requirements:

Minimum Windows PC Requirements:

• Pentium IV 1.5GHz+ (preferred: Core Duo)

• 1 GB RAM minimum (preferred: 2 GB)

• 128MB Video Card minimum - Sound Card is required for some courses

• 56K modem minimum (Cable or DSL required for some courses)

• Windows 2000, XP, Vista or 7

• Web browser (Internet Explorer 7.0+; Firefox 3.0+)

• Microsoft Word, minimum Office 97

Some courses will need plug-ins such as Flash player 10 +, QuickTime player 7.0+, Adobe Reader 9.0+, Java Runtime Environment (Java 1.6.0_15), Windows Media Player 10+, RealPlayer, and Macromedia/Adobe Shockwave.

Some online courses may also require a CD ROM (8x minimum, higher recommended)

Blackboard has certified the following browsers for computers running Windows Operating Systems:

• Internet Explorer 8 or 9 (IE is not supported on Windows XP)

• Mozilla Firefox 3.6+

• Google Chrome

Minimum Apple Macintosh Requirements:

• Intel Core 2.0GHz+

• 1 GB RAM (preferred: 2 GB)

• 128MB Video Card minimum - Sound Card is required for some courses

• 56K modem minimum (Cable or DSL required for some courses)

• Web browser (Firefox 3.0+ ; Safari 3.0+)

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• Microsoft Word, minimum Office 97

Some courses will need plug-ins such as Flash player 10+, QuickTime player 7.0+, Adobe Reader 9.0+, Java Runtime Environment, RealPlayer, and Macromedia/Adobe Shockwave.

Some online courses may also require a CD ROM (8x minimum, higher recommended)

Blackboard has certified the following browsers for computers running Macintosh Operating Systems:

• Mac OS 10.2 (Jaguar): (Safari 1 is compatible)

• Mac OS 10.3 (Panther): Safari 1.2 (Firefox 1.5 is compatible)

• Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger): Safari 2 and Firefox 1.5

• Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard): (Firefox 2.0 is compatible)

I-OS and Android Devices

These devices are currently supported using the Blackboard Mobile App, available for free from your App Store or scan the code below:

To access Texas A&M University - Texarkana, there is an individual license fee of $1.99 per year or $5.99 lifetime. This fee gives you access to the university from all your (same platform) devices; it is not necessary to pay the fee for each device you own.