1. education

Northcentral University
School of Education
Principal Leadership Certification Specialization
(PLCS) Handbook
Master of Education - Specialization in PK-12 Principal Leadership
Last Updated April 15, 2014
Northcentral University
10000 E. University Drive
Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
(928) 541-7777 or (888) 327-2877
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Table of Contents
Section
Item
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Table of Contents
Welcome from the School of Education Dean
Introduction from the Principal Leadership Specialization Coordinator
Northcentral University
Northcentral University School of Education
Accreditations: State, Regional, and National
M.Ed./PL Program Overview
Program and Specialization Requirements
Program Admission
Admission Checklist
Coursework Completion: M. Ed. Degree Candidacy
Graduation Checklist
NCU SoE Recommendation for State PK-12 Principal Certification
Certification Checklist
Course Sequence
Scheduling Courses
 Leaves of Absence
 Length of Leave
 Return from Leave
Introduction to Field Experiences and the Internship
Field Experiences
Professional Liability Insurance
Field Experience Matrix: All PL Courses
Field Experience Logs
Field Experience Rubrics
Capstone Internship
Application and Placement for the Internship
Internship Components
Action Plan for the Internship
Action Research Project and Paper
E-folio Artifacts: Programmatic Portfolio
Experiences – ISLLC Standards Aligned:
 Full-Day Shadowing
 Required
 Optional
 Individually Designed
Faculty Professional Development Initiative
Internship Logs
Internship Rubric
On-Line Seminars
Reflections
Remediation Processes and Remediation Action Plans
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Supervision and Supervisory Contacts
 Mentor Principals
 Role of University Supervisors
 Role of University Faculty/Course Instructors
 Role of the Principal Leadership Specialization Coordinator
30
Submitting Documents and Artifacts
33
Program Textbooks
34
APPENDICES
AA
A
Letter of Reference and Experience Verification (Form A)
35
B
B
Sample Course Plan Schedule
36
C
C
Mentor Principal Agreement (Form B)
37
D
D
Field Experience Log
39
E
E
Common Components: Field Experience Evaluation Rubric
40
F
F
Principal Leadership Internship Experience Matrix
41
G
G
Benchmark Matrix: Admission, Enrollment Maintenance, Degree, Certification45
H
H
NCU IRB Expedited Review Request for Action Research
46
I
I
Application for Internship
49
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Internship Action Plan
50
K
K
Internship Experience Log
52
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L
Internship Evaluation Rubric
53
M M
M
Field Personnel Evaluation
60
N
N
Action Research Evaluation Rubric
61
O
ISLLC Standards and Functions (2008)
5
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Welcome from the School of Education Dean, Dr. Cindy Guillaume
The NCU School of Education Philosophy underscores our commitment to meeting your learning needs,
fostering innovation and ongoing performance improvement, and valuing diversity of perspectives. As a
learning community, the School of Education is also committed to fostering the kinds of caring, supportive,
interconnected environments you want for your own schools as support structures for your own students. As
you prepare to begin your program of study in the area of Principal Leadership, do reach out to the NCU team
members inside and outside the School of Education who want to help you be successful. If I can be of
assistance to you during your program, please do not hesitate to contact me. Remember – with hard work and
dedication, many things are possible!
Best wishes,
Dr. Cindy Guillaume - Dean, NCU School of Education
[email protected]
Introduction from the Principal Leadership Coordinator, Dr. Mary Goggins Selke
Congratulations! You are beginning an M.Ed. program with a Specialization in PK-12 Principal Leadership
and will soon be ready to start field experiences in your principal preparation program! The field
experiences and the internship represent a key component in your academic program of study where you can
develop your applied skills in school administration. The courses, school-based experiences, introspection,
and self-assessment you experience as you progress through this program will result in more personal and
professional growth than you may have experienced since you student taught. The opportunity to work as a
beginning practitioner within your field, combined with active support from your mentor principal and
(during your internship) your university supervisor, will give you a sense of opportunities that await in
school leadership.
This handbook should be read, saved, and shared with your mentor principal as a practical guide to
rewarding and successful field experiences and internship course components. Requirements for each phase
of the program are provided in checklists on the following pages, to help you stay focused and organized. If
you have questions, please feel free to contact me and I will assist in any way I can. All the best as you
continue on your path to educational leadership!
Respectfully,
Mary J. Goggins Selke, Ph.D. - Principal Leadership Specialization Coordinator
[email protected]
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Northcentral University
Northcentral University was incorporated on August 24, 1998 as a private distance learning institution
initially located in Prescott, Arizona. It was granted initial accreditation by the Higher Learning
Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools on February 20, 2003. Northcentral
is a private university committed to online program and degree offerings.
The Northcentral learning model is best described as a one-to-one mentored approach. Students receive
personalized guidance and interact asynchronously and synchronously with faculty instructors, who
provide assistance and feedback to students in the program.
Northcentral University is divided into three schools: Education, Behavioral and Health Sciences, and
Business and Technology Management. Each school is supported by a dean, an assistant to the dean, and
full-time core faculty who perform curriculum, assessment, faculty assignment, and oversight for the
programs, students, and faculty.
NCU Mission
Northcentral University educates professionals throughout the world and provides an accessible
opportunity to earn a U.S. regionally accredited degree. Northcentral mentors students one-to-one with
highly credentialed faculty via advanced delivery modalities. Northcentral commits to helping students
achieve academically and become valuable contributors to their communities and within their professions.
NCU Vision
Northcentral University is a premier online graduate University and a global leader in providing
unprecedented access to U.S. regionally accredited higher education.
NCU Values
NCU holds all members of our community to the highest ethical standards of integrity, professional
conduct, and academic conduct:
Innovation: We envision new and innovative education delivery systems, and support proven concepts of
teaching and learning. We encourage our community to seek solutions to educational challenges that will
improve the quality of our programs and services.
Diversity: We value diversity of thought and action as a strength that allows our community to transcend
organizational and geographical boundaries. We expect members of our community to treat people with
respect and dignity.
Excellence: Our community is committed to excellence in academics and service. We value leadership
and strive for continuous improvement in everything we do. We define and measure outcomes and take
action to ensure that our community’s passion for excellence is never compromised.
Accountability: We are deeply committed to holding each member of the University responsible for their
scholarly and professional work. We expect financial responsibility in the actions of our students and
University team.
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Northcentral University School of Education
The Northcentral University School of Education is a unit that is part of the University academic structure
under the Office of the Provost of the University. The Master of Education program in the School of
Education is accredited by the national Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC). The Dean of
the School of Education is the head of the School and has all administrative responsibility for the faculty,
staff, instructors, and students within the School of Education.
School of Education degree programs consist of one baccalaureate completion program in partnership
with Rio Salado College, doctoral programs, and masters programs in Educational Leadership with 17
different specializations. The specialization in PK-12 Principal Leadership is the most recent addition and
the only graduate program housed completely in the NCU School of Education, to date, that prepares
candidates for state certification in Arizona.
School of Education Mission
The mission for the School of Education at Northcentral University is to prepare professional educators at
all levels to become effective leaders, reflective practitioners, and successful communicators within the
diverse field of education. The School of Education's mission is centered on improving teaching, learning,
research and leadership contributions throughout all levels of human development and education.
School of Education Vision
Northcentral’s School of Education is a global leader in delivering career-long professional preparation
and development through excellence in student-focused online environments.
School of Education Philosophy
Northcentral University and the School of Education recognize the keen interconnection of its
organizational culture and the beliefs, values, and expectations that guide the behavior of the members of
the institution. We are committed to meeting the needs of our students, and focus on putting the
educational needs of students first in online learning. The integrity of the School is built on a core set of
values pertaining to innovation and improvement in our performance. The School of Education values
diversity of thought and action and is committed to treating all members of the learning community with
respect and dignity.
School of Education Goals
The School of Education at Northcentral University develops professional educators who will be able to:
 Apply concepts of the disciplines.
 Effectively communicate, conduct sound, open-minded research.
 Address educational issues critically and reflectively.
 Create solutions to problems based on knowledge, research, critical thinking skills, and collaboration.
 Respect diverse cultures and backgrounds.
 Demonstrate a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards through accreditation.
 Foster effective discussion of theoretical problems within the education profession.
 Nurture a commitment to life-long learning.
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M.Ed. Program Goals
In addition to the School of Education Goals, all of the M.Ed. programs in the School of Education have a
common set of program goals across all specializations, including the M.Ed. with a specialization in PK12 Principal Leadership:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Apply education leadership principles and theories to a real-world educational problem or case study.
Analyze educational issues within your specialty area and make decisions and/or recommendations.
Effectively use technology.
Reflect on situations, theories, and/or case studies.
Apply learning in a caring and professional manner.
Communicate effectively and in a caring manner in a variety of learning contexts within a global
environment.
7. Collaborate to build and execute a shared vision.
8. Accurately integrate multiple perspectives related to diversity.
Principal Leadership Specialization Mission
The mission of professionals working with candidates in the Northcentral University School of
Education M.Ed. with a specialization in PK-12 Principal Leadership is to prepare effective, reflective
educational administrators in PK-12 schools and other settings requiring PK-12 administrative
certification.
Accreditations: State, Regional, and National
The M.Ed./PLCS was approved by the Arizona Department of Education on August 26, 2013, for an
initial period of three years. The program is also approved by the Arizona State Board for Private
Postsecondary Education (AZPPSE), is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of
the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC), and is nationally accredited by the
Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).
Program Overview: M.Ed. in Educational Leadership with a Specialization in PK-12 Principal
Leadership – Certification Preparation (M.Ed./PLCS)
Northcentral University's Master of Education (M.Ed.) program with a specialization in PK-12 Principal
Leadership (PL), is designed to prepare candidates to become eligible for institutional recommendation
for PK-12 principal certification in the State of Arizona. The M.Ed./PLCS program is designed for
individuals interested in earning a graduate degree and seeking an administrative certification to work as
principals or assistant/associate principals in PK-12 school settings or in other educational settings
wherein a graduate degree and PK-12 administrative certification are required. The program is unique
in eight ways:
1. The Principal Leadership specialization program is fully aligned with national standards/Arizona
Department of Education standards (ISLLC), NCU School of Education goals, and M.Ed. program
goals/TEAC claims.

National Standards Alignment: The Interstate School Leaders Licensure
Consortium (ISLLC), a subsidiary of the National Policy Board for Educational
Administration (NPBEA) under the auspices of the Council of Chief State School
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Officers (CCSSO), has assembled a set of six ISLLC standards to inform the design
and assessment of educational leadership programs.
[http://www.ccsso.org/Documents/2008/Educational_Leadership_Policy_Standards
_2008.pdf]
Specialization programs seeking HLC and TEAC endorsement must align
programmatic components with a set of national standards. The ISSLC Standards
are one of two national standard sets that currently meet this requirement.
The Arizona Department of Education also requires educational leaders at
universities that prepare educational administrators to align their programs with the
ISSLC standards.
In the Principal Leadership (PL) specialization within the educational leadership
M.Ed. program at NCU, all of the following are directly aligned with the six ISLLC
standards:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
Required courses,
Course learning outcomes (in PL specialization courses and M.Ed. core courses),
Signature assignments in each PL and ED course,
Required course-embedded field experiences in each PL specialization course,
Specific required and optional internship experiences, and
The programmatic e-folio artifacts which serve as evidences of learning.
The course learning outcomes and course-embedded field experiences in the PL
specialization courses are aligned with the six ISLLC standards and with the ISLLC
standard functions.

Northcentral University School of Education Goals and M.Ed. Program Goals
Alignment: The School of Education (SOE) at Northcentral University has designed
sets of programmatic goals at the school and degree (in this case, the
master's/M.Ed.) levels. All artifacts in the programmatic e-folio, provided as
representative ISLLC Standards-aligned evidences of learning, are also aligned with
School of Education goals and M.Ed. program goals/TEAC claims.
In summary, the M.Ed. program with a specialization in Principal Leadership is standards-aligned at
every level (national, state, and institutional) and in every aspect, from the required courses, to the
specific Principal Leadership specialization course outcomes, to final signature assignments, to fieldbased components, to the summative programmatic e-folio artifacts.
2. Courses are taught by full-time and part-time faculty members, all of whom hold doctoral degrees in
educational administration or similar areas. All faculty teaching in the program are experienced
practitioners in their respective fields who share knowledge and expertise in areas of school leadership,
administrative foundations and organizational theory, PK-12 legal issues, public school finance,
curriculum development, data-driven assessment, educational change, and/or the practice of
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instructional leadership. It is an NCU university-wide requirement that all full-time or part-time faculty
teaching graduate courses must hold a doctoral degree.
3. Carefully designed Bloom's taxonomy progressions characterize progression from coursework to
field experiences to the capstone internship. Courses start with the introduction of specific content
knowledge and analysis of knowledge/skills components in courses, to application of applied knowledge
through course-embedded field experiences in all PL specialization courses, to integration of and
reflection upon applied knowledge in the context of an inquiry-enhanced practicum/internship
experience.
4. Required field experiences are embedded in all Principal Leadership specialization courses. Five of
the ten courses preceding the two courses comprising the internship are PL courses which feature
specific, required, ISLLC standards/functions-aligned field experiences. Field experience scores in each
course are determined with the assistance of field experience rubrics which course instructors use to
evaluate demonstration of leadership dispositions and skills that align with School of Education and
M.Ed. goals.
5. The course of study concludes with 16 weeks of a capstone internship. The internship includes the
implementation of an action research project, designed and IRB-approved in the course taken
immediately prior to the internship, to be carried out during the internship experience. The internship is
assessed at the midpoint and in the final week with an evaluation rubric constructed around the ISLLC
standards and functions plus the same School of Education and M. Ed. program leadership dispositions
and skills assessed in specialization course-embedded field experiences.
6. Candidates prepare ISLLC standards-aligned programmatic e-folios during their internship semester.
The e-folios consist of six signature assignment artifacts (three produced during coursework and three
produced during the internship), their final internship action plan, their final internship evaluation, and a
professional resume. E-folio requirements align with NCU School of Education goals and M. Ed.
program goals/TEAC claims as well as with the ISLLC standards, which is helpful for assessment
purposes and to document and track evidences of learning. The e-folios are prepared by all candidates as
one requirement for reaching the benchmark point of successful program completion.
Monthly on-line internship seminars are provided for administrative interns and the mentor principals
and university supervisors who work with the candidates at this crucial point in their preparation.
Candidates from diverse school settings will be able to interact and learn from experiences in addition to
their own and from featured presenters in a technology-enhanced setting.
An on-line administrative induction program will be available for program graduates. The on-line
induction program is unique to other induction programs in AZ and in the USA. It is designed to foster
problem-solving collaboration, bolster the morale of fledgling school administrators, and keep NCU
graduates connected to their degree-granting university as a source of continuing on-line professional
development for our graduates and their educational administrative colleagues. Our vehicle for
delivering the induction program is the NCU Virtual Academic Center, which can help specialization
faculty design professional learning communities to facilitate professional networking, collaboration,
and professional/interpersonal support and encouragement for NCU graduates.
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M.Ed./PL PROGRAM AND SPECIALIZATION REQUIREMENTS
There are specific requirements for the NCU M.Ed. program with a specialization in PK-12 Principal
Leadership that are summarized at four benchmark points: program admission, enrollment maintenance,
degree candidacy, and recommendation for state licensure. Read requirements for each of the four
points carefully.
Transfer credits are not accepted for any of the 12 courses in the 36-credit M.Ed. program with a
specialization in Principal Leadership. The PL-prefix courses contain specific standards-aligned field
experiences; the PK-12 core courses are required of all M.Ed. candidates. However, if additional credits
are necessary to meet state-specific requirements, they may be transferred in if approved by the NCU
registrar.
Please be aware that requirements for PK-12 principal licensure vary, sometimes significantly, from
state to state. (A set of links to state education agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia is
provided in the PLCS Application document.) For example, in some states, students must complete
state-specific coursework or additional credits beyond the 36 in the PLCS. Some state departments of
education do not accept coursework completed in another state toward principal licensure. Others do.
Still others require prospective candidates to become certified in the state where the degree-granting
university is located, and in some cases gain at least one year’s experience, prior to submitting an
application for a reciprocal license in the other state.
Prospective candidates are responsible for learning and following the requirements for licensure
in the state(s) where they wish to become certified.
You are strongly encouraged to obtain documentation, via email or in written form, from the
agency that grants certification in your state, verifying that the NCU M.Ed. with a specialization
in PK-12 Principal Leadership will fulfill coursework requirements for principal certification in
the state where you want to become certified as a principal.
PROGRAM ADMISSION
The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership with a specialization in the PK-12 Principalship is designed for
working adults: ideally working teachers, assistant/associate principals or principals on temporary or
provisional licensure needing a degree in the field to become fully licensed, or related school personnel
seeking a master’s degree that will prepare them for PK-12 school leadership positions.
The following checklist contains several requirements that must be met, with pertinent documentation
provided along with your NCU/PLCS application. You are encouraged to apply as early as possible
prior to your anticipated start date so your application can be processed and you can progress with
coursework leading to your degree and area of specialization on your preferred timeline. Please send all
of the following items on the Admission Checklist at the same time you submit your PLCS Application
(with the exception of official transcripts, which must be forwarded directly from the issuing college or
university):
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ADMISSION CHECKLIST
# Check Required Items:
list
1
Complete the online NCU/PLCS Application Packet, which includes the following items:
2
An official transcript documenting a baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally accredited college
or university, with a GPA of 2.5 or better. Unofficial (issued to student) transcript ok for initial admit;
official transcript must be received by the NCU Registrar within 90 days of starting EDU 5000. Six credits
of university-quality post baccalaureate coursework with a GPA of 3.0 or better will be accepted if
baccalaureate GPA is 2.00 - 2.49 and all other requirements are met.
3
A copy of your valid, unencumbered, current teaching certificate from Arizona or another state.
Alternative path program ok if undergraduate degree and teaching experience requirements are met. AZapproved alternative path programs based at colleges or universities may be found at:
http://www.azed.gov/highly-qualified-professionals/files/2013/04/ihealtpathcontacts.pdf
4
5
A supportive recommendation from your current supervising principal or superintendent addressing all 7
required components (see Form A-Part I in the PLCS Application).
Verification of at least three years of successful full-time PK-12 teaching experience, by your current
supervising principal, superintendent, or HR personnel (see FORM A – Part II in the PLCS Application).
Candidates applying for Arizona certification will need to provide documentation of at least three years’ full
time teaching experience to the Arizona Department of Education when applying for a PK-12 Principal
certification., using the form on the ADE website. The full listing of requirements for Arizona principal
certification may be found at: http://www.azed.gov/educator-certification/files/2011/09/principal-
certificate.pdf
6
7
8
9
Documentation of meeting your state’s and/or district’s fingerprint/criminal background check
requirements. (Many states, counties, districts, or schools require this clearance for anyone volunteering
or observing in public schools. Check local requirements carefully.) Arizona information may be found
at: http://www.azdps.gov/Services/Fingerprint/
Signed statement of intent (see PLCS Application, p. 5) regarding your status for meeting the requirement of
6 semester hours Arizona-approved Structured English Immersion (SEI)) coursework (if Arizona PK-12
Principal Certification will be sought) at the undergraduate or graduate level. Several options exist for
completing this requirement online. Arizona State-approved SEI options may be found at :
http://www.azed.gov/english-language-learners/sei/endorsement-training/
NCU has working relationships with Rio Salado College, where the required courses for SEI endorsement
are offered on-line. The first 45 clock hour course is EPD 220. The prerequisite is a copy of a current
teaching license or a transcript of a bachelor’s or higher degree. The second 45 clock hour course is EDP
233; the prerequisite is the same as the first course. Students only need to submit the prerequisite once if
both classes are needed. Contact registration at 480-517-8540. To register, go to
http://www.riosalado.edu/Schedule/pages/default.aspx or Registration may be reached at (480) 517-8540.
For more information: Arizona Structured English Immersion (SEI) requirement information http://www.azed.gov/educator-certification/files/2011/09/information-sei-fast-facts.pdf If you have not yet
met this requirement at the time of admission it must be met prior to program completion in order to apply
for an Arizona principal certificate.
Signed statement of intent (see PLCS Application, p. 5) regarding your status on obtaining a passing score
on an AZ Constitution examination and a USA Constitution examination or college course(s) in AZ
government (if Arizona PK-12 Principal Certification will be sought). A combined examination is available,
offered year-round by appointment, at test sites in and outside of Arizona. See information at :
http://www.aepa.nesinc.com/AZ_testinfo.asp?t=033. If you have not yet met this requirement at the
time of application it must be met prior to NCU clearance to apply for an Arizona principal certificate.
A signed letter of agreement (using the NCU letter provided for this purpose- see Form B in Appendix C)
from a qualified principal who is willing to serve as your Mentor Principal during your coursework and
internship.
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Coursework Completion: M. Ed./PLCS Degree Candidacy
All course and internship requirements must be satisfactorily completed for an M.Ed. in Educational
Leadership with a specialization in PK-12 Principal Leadership from Northcentral University in order to
graduate. The following checklist of requirements pertaining to the M.Ed./PLCS must be met to be
cleared for graduation:
GRADUATION CHECKLIST
#
1
2
3
Check Items:
list
A completed NCU application for graduation. (This requirement will need to be met several months
prior to the date of anticipated program completion.)
Satisfactory completion of all degree and specialization requirements, including the e-folio, the
supervised internship, and the exit conference with mentor principal and university supervisor/
course instructor.
Recommendation for degree by program coordinator and Dean. (Will be handled internally
and sent to the appropriate office; candidates are copied on this correspondence for their records.)
NCU School of Education Recommendation for State PK-12 Principal Certification
After all graduation requirements for the M.Ed. degree and PL specialization have been met, the
following checklist of requirements must be completed and forwarded to the NCU certification officer
(or her/his designee) in order to apply for state principal licensure in Arizona. (Requirements for
certification in other states will be handled in a similar manner if direct application for licensure from an
out-of-state school is permitted.) Degree candidates are responsible for learning and following the
requirements for licensure in the state(s) where they wish to become certified.
CERTIFICATION CHECKLIST
#
1
Check
list
Required Item:
A completed AZ Principal Certificate application with fee. (Will be signed by certification officer/
Dean at NCU and forwarded to the Arizona Department of Education.) You may access this form at:
http://www.azed.gov/educator-certification/files/2012/11/application-for-certification-checklist.pdf
2
3
Transcripted completion of all M.Ed. degree program course requirements with a final GPA of 3.0 or
better. (This GPA is an AZ requirement for PK-12 Principal certification). No need to request a
transcript, it will be accessed by NCU as part of the process of approving you for certification.
School or district-required security clearance. (A current Arizona IVP fingerprint card must be submitted
with any application for an Arizona PK-12 Principal Certification.) Arizona information may be found at:
http://www.azdps.gov/Services/Fingerprint/
4
5
6
Completion of any outstanding requirements regarding SEI, AZ Constitution, and/or U.S. Constitution.
(For Arizona certification only.)
Passing score on the AEPA for Arizona principal licensure. (The exam may be taken any time after
completion of PL 5050. Request scores be sent to the NCU School of Education.) Information may be
found at: http://www.aepa.nesinc.com/AZ_testinfo.asp?t=081.
Three years of verified full-time teaching in grades pK-12. For Arizona certification, this must be
verified on the form at: http://www.azed.gov/educator-certification/files/2011/09/verification-teaching-
experience.pdf.
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A copy of a valid teaching certificate is not required in Arizona but is required for administrative
certification in many other states. (A valid teaching certificate is an NCU requirement for admission to
this NCU M.Ed. program specialization.) Additional information on Arizona requirements related to PK12 Principal Licensure may be found on the following links:
Arizona PK-12 Principal Certification requirements - http://www.azed.gov/educator
certification/files/2011/09/principal-certificate.pdf. (Please be aware that requirements may be a bit
different for someone coming in from out of state who has already been a principal in another state.)
Arizona PK-12 Principal Certification application form - http://www.azed.gov/educatorcertification/files/2012/11/application-for-certification-checklist.pdf
Arizona SEI requirement information - http://www.azed.gov/educatorcertification/files/2011/09/information-sei-fast-facts.pdf
Arizona State-approved SEI options - http://www.azed.gov/english-language-learners/sei/endorsementtraining/
The form for providing evidence of successful full-time teaching experience at the time of application for
Arizona PK-12 principal certification - http://www.azed.gov/educatorcertification/files/2011/09/verification-teaching-experience.pdf
COURSE SEQUENCE: M.Ed. with a Specialization in PK-12 Principal Leadership
Course Number Course Title
Credits
EDU 5000*
Foundations of Graduate Study in Education
3
ED 5001*
Contemporary Issues in Education
3
ED 5034*
School Community Relations
3
PL 5035**
Supervision of the PK-12 Curriculum
3
PL 5016**
Instructional Supervision and Leadership for PK-12 Principals
3
PL 5004**
School Law for PK-12 Principals
3
PL 5013**
School Finance for PK-12 Principals
3
ED 5023*
Multicultural Relations in Educational Organizations
3
ED 5022*
Educational Policies and Practices
3
PL 5050**
The PK-12 Principalship
3
PL 6010***
PK-12 Capstone Internship I
3
PL 6011***
PK-12 Capstone Internship II
3
*
The five PK-12 core courses are required for all M.Ed. students in PK-12 Specializations.
** The first five specialization courses include embedded Field Experiences.
*** The final two specialization courses comprise the 16-week PK-12 Capstone Internship.
SCHEDULING COURSES
Be sure to time your courses carefully, so that courses are scheduled completely (internship courses) or
partially (PL prefix courses) when school or summer school is in session. See sample schedules in
APPENDIX B. Please note: If the course pair of PL 5035 and PL 5016 falls during a summer vacation
when planning the program schedule, and summer school supervision/ curriculum work is not possible,
the course pair of PL 5035 and PL 5016 may be exchanged for the course pair of PL 5004 and PL 5013 by
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contacting the School of Education Dean’s Office for permission to do so. Up to three weeks may be built
in between courses except for PL6010/PL6011, which must be completed in a 16-week block. However, if
a schedule is to be completed in approximately two years, plan to work as much as possible with oneweek breaks between courses or course blocks.
Candidates may elect to take breaks up to three weeks in length without needing to apply for a leave of
absence. Keep this policy in mind when planning for holidays, family vacations or celebrations, etc. as
you work with an Enrollment Specialist to design your schedule.
Leaves of Absence
Northcentral University programs are designed to allow students to pursue their educational efforts fulltime while managing other responsibilities. An Academic Leave of Absence (ALOA) may be granted for
a student who is experiencing professional or personal hardship circumstances that make effective
progress in his/her academic course of study unusually difficult. A leave of absence is defined as a
temporary break from registration with a clear intent to return to the program of study.
Leaves are only available to students who are currently in active status and have proceeded beyond the
drop period in at least one course since beginning their program of study. Students on approved ALOA
who receive Federal Financial Aid are not considered withdrawn, and a return of funds is not required.
However, students may not receive Federal Financial Aid disbursements while on an ALOA. (Policy and
procedure for students who require a leave of absence due to military deployment are outlined in a
separate Military Leave of Absence policy.)
Students considering an Academic Leave of Absence must contact an Academic Advisor to discuss
strategies to help them continue their studies prior to requesting an ALOA. A student who is in an active
course at the time he or she is granted an academic leave of absence (ALOA) receives a “W” (Withdrawn)
grade provided the request is made on or before the last day to withdraw from the course. Otherwise a
letter grade, based on course work completed to date, will be given.
Students who require an ALOA, and who are not eligible for a military leave of absence, must complete a
Request for Leave of Absence form, available in the Student Portal on the Student Programs page (ask an
Advisor if you need assistance). The request is submitted for approval to the Academic Liaison in Student
Services, who is responsible for determining if the student is eligible for a leave. Not all requests will be
approved, additional documentation may be required, and all Leave of Absence decisions are final.
When a Leave request is approved, the Academic Liaison notifies the student, instructor, and Faculty
Services (if the student is in an active course), Academic Advisor, Registrar, and Student Financial
Services. At that time, the Academic Liaison specifies the length of time approved for the ALOA, and the
course start date on which a student must start the next course after the approved ALOA return date.
Length of Leave
The permissible length of each ALOA is evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Academic Liaison.
Calendar days are used to calculate the length of time a student spends on ALOA, and the maximum
number of calendar days permissible in any case is 90 per ALOA. The allowed length of the ALOA will
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be determined during the approval process by the Academic Liaison based on the circumstances of each
leave requested.
The date specified as the beginning date of the Academic Leave of Absence depends on whether or not the
student is currently enrolled in a course or is in between courses.
- Students currently enrolled in a course: The ALOA begins on the day after the date the student last
clicked into the course room.
- Students not currently enrolled in a course: The ALOA begins on the day after the student’s last course
completion date (for most students the completion date is the official end date of the course, but it will
be an earlier date for those who complete earlier).
Regardless of whether the ALOA begins while a student is in a course or in between courses, the
maximum allowable time out of a course is 90 days. The student must return from their ALOA on a start
date such that the 90 day leave limit is not exceeded. Back-to-back requests that comprise more than 90
total days of leave are not permitted.
Time spent on ALOA counts toward program length and is included when determining if a student can
complete his or her degree program within the maximum time limits. Students in a Master’s Degree
program may take up to two ALOAs over the course of their programs.
Students on leave do not maintain access to faculty, electronic Course rooms, or the SmarThinking tutorial
service offered in the Writing Center. Other Writing Center resources and the Northcentral Library
remain available through the student portal.
Return from Leave
Students returning from ALOA remain in the degree program in which they were enrolled at the time the
ALOA was approved. Students who do not acknowledge acceptance of and payment for a course with the
next start date immediately following the date of return from leave will be administratively withdrawn
from the University. It is the responsibility of the student to work with his or her Academic Advisor to
begin a course on or before the date specified as the date of return from leave.
INTRODUCTION TO FIELD EXPERIENCES AND THE INTERNSHIP
The field experience and internship components of this program were developed using the Arizona
Department of Education’s Statewide Framework for Internship Programs for School Leaders (2008) as a
guide.The NCU field experiences/internship model contains the following attributes:
 Work in PK-12 schools involves observing (field experiences and internship), participating (field
experiences and internship), and leading (systematically required to complete program e-folio artifacts
under ISLLC standards 2 and 6).
 Field experiences are embedded in all PL specialization coursework throughout the program: 5 of the
10 M. Ed. courses prior to the 6-cr internship.
 The course-embedded field experiences prior to the internship are not only ISLCC-aligned but also
ISLLC function-aligned in order to systemically mandate specific authentic experiences in the principal’s
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role. Internship experiences – required, optional/selected, and individually designed – are all ISLLCaligned as well.
 The internship requires exploration of various school levels depending on the needs of the candidates.
(This is also encouraged in some field experiences).
 The internship includes a diversity of experiences. Candidates must complete a set number of
internship hours under each ISLLC standard in addition to required internship experiences.
 The NCU program requires a 16 week internship in addition to 110 hours of required course-imbedded
field experiences – all ISLLC-aligned.
 The combined field experiences and internship comprise a minimum of 350 hrs – 110 hours in courseembedded field experiences; plus 120 hours in each of the two 8-week sections of the 16-week internship.
 The internship requires two full-day shadowing experiences during the 16 weeks.
FIELD EXPERIENCES
As part of your admission requirements, you must have a signed letter of agreement from your mentor
principal on file with the Coordinator of the Principal Leadership program or his/her designee. (See
APPENDIX C for a copy of the letter.) You must submit the letter at the time of application.
In the five PL-prefix Principal Leadership specialization courses preceding the internship, you will be
engaging in a minimum of 110 hours of specific, course-embedded field experiences. All field experiences
are aligned not only with ISLLC standards but also with specific functions under each standard. This is
done to assure candidates have comprehensive experiences prior to beginning the internship. Field
experiences are embedded in all Principal Leadership courses: PL 5004, 5013, 5016, 5035, and 5050.
Hours of Field Experience Credit (FEC) are provided for each but are only estimates of the number of
contact hours involved. Preparation or follow-up work may involve additional time. In most courses you
may complete required field experience hours for the course at any time prior to the date on which they
are due to be submitted. However, field experience requirements must be completed, and documentation
submitted, by specific points in each course. The actual field experience takes place in the weeks prior to
submission of the field experience documentation.
You will want to read descriptions of the field experiences in all courses prior to planning your academic
program so that you can allow yourself plenty of time to complete them. You will also want to be sure
your school – or another in which you can complete the required field experiences with permission from
your mentor principal – is in session during the times when you plan to take courses with required field
experiences. Consider the course sequence and which courses contain required field experiences carefully
when planning your program. (See APPENDIX B for sample schedules. Students may take up to 3 weeks
off between courses without permission to take a leave of absence.) Field experiences for all PL courses
are summarized in the chart on the next page.
Professional Liability Insurance: Candidates are encouraged to secure professional liability insurance
prior to beginning required field experiences. Professional liability policies, sometimes at a reduced fee,
are often available through membership in professional organizations. The website, www.ftj.com, is an
excellent website to visit to determine professional organization liability insurance options. Liability
insurance can also be obtained through private insurance companies. Mentor principals will be able to
provide information regarding professional liability in candidates’ schools. In some cases candidates are
covered by school policies but be sure of your coverage before beginning field experiences.
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PL Field Experience Matrix: Course Number/Field Experience Code, ISLLC Standard/Function, Hours Required, and Descriptions
Course Field ISLLC
Hours Field Experience Descriptions
Exp
Functions
PL 5004 FE 1
6A, 6B, 5C
10
Applying School Law-Based Policy in Daily Practice – Prior to beginning this course or in the first
week of the course, have a conversation with your mentor principal in which you share the eight focal
areas of PK-12 school law addressed in this course: attendance, building emergencies, contract
negotiations, free speech (1st Amendment), search and seizure (4th Amendment), special education law,
student safety, and teacher rights including due process. Ask your mentor principal to involve you as
much as possible in the decision-making and resolution processes regarding these issues while you are
enrolled in this course and also in the future, during the semester in which you will be completing your
internship. Examples could include issues as simple as working with a student who has worn a t-shirt
with an inappropriate saying to school or as complicated as navigating the process needed to suspend a
student for threatening another student’s life in an on-line environment.
PL 5004 FE 2
6A, 6B, 5C
10
Integrating School Law in Policy Decisions: Preparing a Policy Proposal –One of your tasks for the
signature assignment in this course will be to draft a case law supported proposal for a new or revised
school handbook policy, presented in a set of PowerPoint Slides suitable for sharing at a school
leadership team, PLC, or faculty meeting. Once you have read the policy documents, have a discussion
with your mentor principal in which you select a mentor principal-approved policy to draft or revise for
your signature assignment. It is ideal (but not required as related decisions are not under your direct
control) if the collaborative work you do for this project would provide a service to your school and the
resulting presentation would be shared as part of policy approval and implementation process.
PL 5013 FE 1
3A, 4A
20
Working with PK-12 School Finance - Be sure to plan for experience with: A) the monitoring and
management of day-to-day operating systems pertaining to the PK-12 school (and district) budget and to
associated financial areas such as fund raising for school programs, co-curricular or extra-curricular
programs, and school-associated events, and B) the collection and analysis of numerical data and
narrative information pertinent to the school (and district) budget and to financial matters in the local and
state educational environment. Pease read descriptions of the 15 field experience options and plan time to
complete field work in a minimum of five areas. Opportunities for observation and direct work with the
school budget will be partially dependent on educational setting and on the time of year you are enrolled
in this course. Because of this you may opt to substitute field experience in one individualized area of
school finance not included in the list of 15 options for one of your required five experience areas.
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PL 5016
FE 1
2D, 2F, 2I,
3E
10
PL 5016
FE 2
2D, 2F, 2I,
3E
15
PL 5035
FE 1
2B, 2C, 2H
2
PL 5035
FE 2
2B, 2H
5
Daily Instructional Supervision - Informal observations of classroom instruction are sometimes
known as ‘walk throughs’ because the intent is to observe samplings of instruction in a brief
unannounced visit. This takes place on a daily basis (some districts mandate this) or as close as possible
to a daily basis. In some schools, principals use hand-held devices that interface with ipads or laptop
computers to provide working notes and a running record of observations. Schedule time to accompany
your mentor principal and/or his or her designee (such as an assistant principal) on 10 hours of daily
walk throughs during the eight weeks of the course. Be sure that most of this time involves observing
teachers interacting with students in settings other than lunch, recess, hallway passing time, or
before/after school. You may do one or more walk throughs with other principals in the district, perhaps
at other grade levels, if your mentor principal approves and assists you in arranging to do them.
Clinical Supervision – For this field experience you will experience three formal clinical supervisory
visits, consisting of a pre-conference, observation, and post-conference. Your mentor principal will
determine the teachers with whom you will work. Approximately five hours for each visit have been
allotted to plan, meet with the teacher for the pre-conference, observe, meet with the teacher for the postconference, confer with your mentor principal, and write up the results of the clinical supervisory
process. Use whatever supervisory instrument(s) would be used by the supervising principal in the
building where you complete your clinical supervision field experience. If your school does not specific
a supervisory form, figures 14.4, 14.5, 14.6, and 14.7 in the course text provide sample forms from
which to select. When you conduct your post conference for the third visit, use one of the four
approaches in Appendix b-2 in the Glickman, Gordon, and Ross-Gordon text. Base your selection on the
developmental level of the teacher you observed. Your role in the clinical supervision process will
develop over the three visits (see syllabus for full explanations/instructions) until your mentor principal
is observing you in the third visit.
Curriculum Leader Interview - Interview the administrator, perhaps a curriculum director or assistant
superintendent for curriculum, responsible for curricular matters in your school or school district, to learn
more about contemporary trends, issues, and implementation or assessment challenges.
Curriculum Delivery Survey - Plan, conduct, analyze, and share results for an informal survey of the
teachers in the school in which you plan to do your internship. You will ask them to identify favorite
teaching techniques, technology-enhanced methods, or instructional approaches used to deliver
classroom curricula and an approach about which they would like to learn more.
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PL 5035
FE 3
2C, 2E, 2G,
2H, 5A
8
PL 5035
FE 4
2B, 2C, 2E,
2G, 2H, 5A
10
PL 5050
FE 1
1A, 2A, 3D,
5B
10
PL 5050
FE 2
1B, 1C, 1D,
1E, 6C
10
ELL Curriculum Leadership - Spend a day shadowing and talking with an administrator in your school
or district who works with English Language Learners and families whose initial language was not
English. If a traditional full day is not possible, given your current teaching or administrative duties, you
may accumulate 8 hours of shadowing on more than one day, through administrator-supervised evening
or weekend interaction with ELL parents or students, or by shadowing more than one administrator.
Individualized Curriculum Collaboration – Collaborate with or observe teachers or administrators in
an aspect of curriculum planning, delivery/teaching, or evaluation of your choice. If at all possible, spend
some or all of these hours in a building other than your own and in a content area and/or grade level
other than that of your most recent teaching assignment. Some of the hours may be after school. For
example, if you are an elementary school teacher and are able to sit in on a curriculum planning or PLC
meeting at a middle school or high school, you may count this experience toward the 10 hours. Do be
sure to include actual classroom observation time in content areas and/or grade levels outside of your
own area of curricular expertise for part of the 10 hours.
Encouraging Teacher Leadership – Speak with your mentor principal and a second additional
administrator working in a school at a level different from yours regarding their beliefs about teacher
leadership and how they go about encouraging teacher leadership in their buildings. Be aware that
teacher leadership can mean very different things to different people and be respectful of possible
differences in your definition contrasted with that of the administrator you are visiting. Keeping the four
stages of supervision from PL 5016 in mind, there may be contextually driven reasons why teacher
leadership is enacted as it is in a particular building. You may wish to address that in your reflection on
this field experience component.
Data-Driven Decision Making – Speak with your mentor principal and one additional administrator
working in a school at a level different from yours regarding their use of data to make building-level
decisions. Conversations must be held face-to-face at the other school so that you have an opportunity to
tour a building at a level different from yours even if your own work schedule does not permit you to be
present to observe instruction. It would be ideal – but not required – if you were able to work in a few
hours of shadowing the administrator in his or her building during the school day to compare and
contrast the administrative role at that level with the administrative role at your current level.
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Field Experience Logs
You will use the NCU PL Program Field Experience Log form (see APPENDIX D) to track FEC hours.
Plan to have your mentor principal, or his/her designee, initial all FEC experiences so documented.
Remember that you must have fingerprint/criminal background check clearance on file with Northcentral
University before starting the field experience courses. Field experiences are included as course
activities/projects in all PL courses. Please note: You will complete one Field Experience Log for each PL
course, even if more than one kind of field experience is required for the course, and submit the log in the
last week of the course.
Field Experience Rubrics
Your developmental progress in completing and learning from field experiences is documented with field
experience rubrics. A common field experience rubric (see APPENDIX E) is also scored once in each of
the five courses in which field experiences are required. If satisfactory progress in field-based work is not
made for any reason, a request for evaluation of the need for a formal action plan may be initiated by a
course instructor, the mentor principal, the university supervisor (during the internship), or the NCU
program coordinator.
It is critical that you exhibit professional behavior while you are completing field experiences and also the
internship. You represent yourself as a beginning school administrative leader and also Northcentral
University to members of the educational community. It is important to be mindful of your role as a
professional and as an ambassador of our university.
CAPSTONE INTERNSHIP
A minimum of 240 hours of required, optional, and individually determined internship experiences, all ISLLC
standard aligned, are required in the capstone experience. The capstone internship experience spans 16 weeks. A
summary of all ISLLC Standards-aligned required and optional professional leadership internship experiences may be
found in APPENDIX F.
Roles and responsibilities for Interns:
• Take an active role in planning and implementing your Internship Action Plan..
• Be proactive and assertive in arranging time for conversations, direction, feedback
and coaching from your mentor principal and university supervisor.
• Document your progress toward competencies by revisiting your Internship Action Plan
and the Internship evaluation rubric on a regular basis.
• Seek support and advice as needed.
• Be professional, efficient, and dependable.
• Be responsible for completing internship activities and notifying appropriate people
of any obstacles that you cannot overcome alone.
• Be a reflective practitioner.
• Develop artifacts and upload them to your e-folio.
• Follow all university, state, district, and school policies for interns.
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Application and Placement for the Internship
Students must apply for their internship prior to the first week of PL 5023, the 8th course in the M.Ed./
PLCS sequence. This works out to be approximately six months prior to beginning the internship. To be
admitted to the internship semester, requirements for satisfactory enrollment maintenance must be met (see
the Benchmark Matrix in APPENDIX G). The action research proposal must also be approved by the NCU
IRB in PL 5050, the course immediately preceding the internship (see the IRB proposal/ approval form in
APPENDIX H), in order to begin the Internship. Finally, a university supervisor must be available to
supervise the internship experience as indicated on the Internship Application form (see APPENDIX I).
Candidates are usually asked to assist in identifying and contacting potential supervisors. The supervisory
placement must be approved by the NCU School of Education, through the PLCS Coordinator’s office,
prior to the end of ED5023, preferably sooner.
Internship Components
The nine components of the full internship (PL 6010 and PL 6011) experience are:
1) Action Plan for the Internship
2) Action Research Project and Paper
3) E-folio Key Assessments
4) Experiences
 Full-Day Shadowing
 Required, Optional, and Individually Designed Experiences
5) Faculty Professional Development Initiative
6) Internship Logs
7) On-Line Seminars
8) Reflections
9) Supervision and Supervisory Contacts
All nine aspects of the internship are described below. Although the courses are graded as two separate 8week courses, and the internship evaluation rubric is completed at the end of each 8-week course, it may be
helpful to think of the internship in its entirety as a 16-week experience. The Arizona Department of
Education (ADE) requires an internship of no less than 15 weeks. The 16-week format fits easily into the
University’s 8-week delivery format and allows for contingencies such as days in which school is not in
session and illness or other emergencies.
Action Plan for the Internship
As stated in the ADE (2008) Statewide Framework for Internship Programs for School Leaders, the purpose
of a learning plan or action plan for the internship is to ensure that interns are working toward reaching
specific standards in competency-based activities that build skills through observing, participating, and then
leading. You will be demonstrating leadership level skills under a minimum of two ISLLC Standards, 2 and
6, through required internship projects – the action research project and the professional development
initiative – both of which will also result in one of the required artifacts posted to your e-folio.
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You will prepare your action plan (see APPENDIX J) for the first face-to-face meeting with your mentor
principal and your university supervisor, update it prior to the end of the first 8 weeks, and will submit the
final version during week 15 of the internship. The action plan is an Arizona Dept of Education requirement
as well as an NCU course requirement. Prepare and carry out action plans with your mentor principal’s
input and approval because they will involve school-based administrative and leadership activities.
Commit to a personal formative review of the working plan at the end of every week, update it with
everything that has been accomplished during that week, and save the revised plan as a working copy. You
may also wish to write your weekly reflection and submit your internship experience log (see APPENDIX
K) at this time. Keeping up with accomplishments on a weekly basis will make it easier for you to: 1) plan
the required ISLLC artifact submissions, 2) track and plan for your own use of time, 3) write a concise yet
informative weekly reflection, and 4) provide the revised action plan which will be required for the second
face-to-face meeting with your mentor principal and university supervisor in week 7 and the final completed
action plan copy – with a reflective summary addressing your ongoing commitment to personal life-long
learning - in week 15. The final action plan becomes part of the programmatic e-folio.
Action Research Project and Paper
You will prepare a proposal for your action research project in PL 5050 and have it approved by your course
instructor, the PL coordinator, and the NCU Institutional Review Board (IRB). You will implement the
project as soon as you begin your internship. By the time you begin the second 8 weeks of your internship,
the project will be well underway and may even be completed or close to completion. Enacting the buildinglevel action research project, focused on an aspect of PK-12 school improvement, provides you with an
opportunity to take on a leadership role under ISLLC standard 6 and possibly additional ISLLC standards,
depending upon your project. As you prepare to present your results and to write your
conclusions/recommendations/ implications for applied practice, think through the following items or revisit
them at this point in the action research process:
 School goals addressed through your work with the action research project.
 How your action research project could be a tool to help you assess organizational
effectiveness, promote organizational learning, and/or enact the school’s mission.
 How you will take on leadership roles under ISLLC standard 6, and possibly more of the
ISLLC standards, to enact the leadership project.
 What data will need to be collected and how it will be used to make educational decisions.
 How results of the study will be used to facilitate school goals and/or promote continuous
and sustainable school improvement.
 Ways to monitor and evaluate daily progress of the action research project.
 All due dates for action research components, provided on the course assignment matrix.
 Instructions for submitting final copies of the action research project to the NCU library.
Use the Glanz (2003) text to assist you in working through the steps associated with conducting the actual
action research project and writing it up, drafting sections as you work through the process.
The final action research project culminates in a paper that will be approximately 25-35 pages in length (not
counting appendices) and will consist of the following sections:
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Preliminary Components (4 pages)
 Cover page
 Acknowledgments (optional)
 Abstract (100-150 words)
 Table of Contents
Section I – Introduction (@ 5-6 pages)
Use your IRB-approved proposal as the basis for this section. The text refers to this section
as Reflection and Focus.
 Background
 Problem Statement
 Research Question (and any subquestions)
 Research Purpose
 Hypothesis (if appropriate)
 Delimitations (factors under control of research, involve conscious choices made)
and limitations (factors beyond the control of the researcher). Limitations are often
addressed in the discussion/conclusions/recommendations for practice section as
these can and often do arise during the project. Example: one of the research
subjects moves away.
 Definition of key terms used in the action research project.
Section II – Literature Review (@ 6-8 pages)
Depending on the nature of the problem, the review of research literature may be organized
in one of four main ways:
 Chronologically (tracing the history of an area of study, for example, using
technology to enhance instruction)
 By important concepts in the research question. (For example, if the question was,
“Do third grade students in classes where students are given individualized
homework assignments perform better on chapter mathematics tests than children in
classes where each student is given the same homework assignments?” the action
researcher would want to read and report professional literature on concepts such
as: third grade achievement, pros and cons of individualized homework, pros and
cons of traditional homework, factors affecting elementary students’ progress in
math, and factors affecting elementary students’ performance on textbookdetermined assessments.
 Pro-con/for-or-against. Using a similar example, if the research question were to
read, “Is there any academic value in assigning homework?” the researcher would
be seeking professional literature wherein the authors take positions in support of
homework or in opposition to homework.
 By primary viewpoints associated with the topic. For example, the same research
question in the pro/con example could be approached by seeking professional
literature in which the authors were opposed to homework, believed in homework
every night for every student, or took a position midway between the two
dichotomous extremes and supported homework under some conditions such as not
on weekends, with time limits according to grade level, only if individualized, only
for enrichment, etc.
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Section III - Research Design and Methodology (@ 3-5 pages)
 Describe, in detail, where the study is taking place and who will be involved in the study.
 Outline the specific steps that will be taken to carry out the study. Think of this as
the “recipe” for the study. The steps must be so clear and so specific that another
action researcher could take over after reading this section and know exactly what
to do in order to carry out the action research project you had in mind. Or another
action researcher could carry out the exact same project, could replicate it, in his or
her school.
Section IV – Results (@ 5-7 pages)
 Present what happened, what resulted, when you carried out your research “recipe”.
Be completely objective in this section. Describe the “what” of what happened.
Save any interpretation, analysis of what you found, discussion of why you think
the results came about until the next section.
 You are encouraged to use tables, graphs, charts, or other visuals here.
Section V – Discussion/Conclusions/Recommendations for Practice (@ 4-5 pages)
 Start by going back to your overriding research question and answer it - based on
your results.
 This is also the place to insert limitations of the study. If anything unexpected
happened – research subjects moved away, one of three test dates was cancelled due
to bad weather, or any other factor beyond your control that may have impacted the
results of the study, mention it in this section.
 Now is the time for interpretation. In this section you discuss why you think you got
the results you did. You may analyze what happened as the study unfolded. You
may write about anything you might do differently in a similar study or about
subsequent studies you would like to see done, based on what you found.
 What conclusions have you made, if any?
 The most important part – the “so what?” factor – is the recommendations for
practice. How could what you learned as a result of this action research study be
used to improve educational practice in the setting where the action research project
was carried out?
References
Appendices (if any)
One of the texts you will use for your internship courses contains a list of components of a research study
that is similar but not identical to the outline above. Be sure to use the five-section outline provided here.
(The main difference between the two outlines is that the text outline includes results in section III whereas
the results section is separate in our outline.)
Start each section at the top of a fresh page. Use section headings except for the first section: do not label it
“Introduction”, just begin writing. APA format calls for the paper to be double-spaced. Use Times New
Roman 12-point font and 1” margins for text. Be sure tables or other diagrams follow APA format, are
clearly labeled, and easy to read. You will be providing a 1-2 page update on the progress of your action
research project and paper in week 10. A simple way to provide this would be to convert the section outline
into the components of the left-side column on a three column chart. In the second column list the status of
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the step of the project in the left hand column. If the item has not yet been completed, list the anticipated
completion date in the far right column. You may also simply provide the update in narrative form. The
project is due in week 14, with any instructor-required edits made in week 15, and the final project posted to
your e-folio in week 16 of the internship.
Please see the Action Research Assessment Rubric in Appendix N.
E-Folio Artifacts – Program Portfolio
The required e-folio artifacts, comprised of signature assignments completed during program coursework
(ED and PL courses) and during the capstone internship, are aligned with the NCU School of Education and
M.Ed. Program Goals/TEAC claims as well as the ISLLC Standards:
ISLLC
Standard
1 - An education leader promotes the success
of every student by facilitating the
development, articulation, implementation,
and stewardship of a vision of learning that is
shared and supported by all stakeholders.
2 - An education leader promotes the success
of every student by advocating, nurturing,
and sustaining a school culture and
instructional program conducive to student
learning and staff professional growth.
Artifact
NCU M.Ed. Program Goals
Artifact Source
Philosophy of
Educational
Leadership
Discuss methods of
collaboration to build and
execute a shared vision (7).
Begun in PL 5050;
carried out in PL
6010/6011.
Faculty
Professional
Development
Initiative
Planned in PL 5016;
carried out in PL
6010/6011.
3 - An education leader promotes the success
of every student by ensuring management of
the organization, operations, and resources
for a safe, efficient, and effective learning
environment.
4 - An education leader promotes the success
of every student by collaborating with
faculty and community members, responding
to diverse community interests and needs,
and mobilizing community resources.
School Budget
Analysis
5 - An education leader promotes the success
of every student by acting with integrity,
fairness, and in an ethical manner.
6 - An education leader promotes the success
of every student by understanding,
responding to, and influencing the political,
social, economic, legal, and cultural context.
Multicultural
Environment Plan
Apply learning in a caring and
professional manner (5);
communicate effectively in a
variety of learning contexts
within a global environment
(6).
Apply educational leadership
principles and theories to realworld educational problems or
case studies (1); effectively
use technology (3).
Apply educational leadership
principles and theories to realworld educational problems or
case studies (1); accurately
integrate multiple perspectives
related to diversity (8).
Accurately integrate multiple
perspectives related to
diversity (8).
Analyze educational issues
within a specialty area and
make decisions and/or
recommendations (2).
1-6
Final Internship
Action Plan
Final Internship
Evaluation Rubric
Professional
Resume’
1-6
1-6
Case Study:
Facilitating
Community BuyIn
Action Research
Project Paper
All 8 M.Ed. Goals/TEAC
Claims
All 8 M.Ed. Goals/TEAC
Claims
All 8 M.Ed. Goals/TEAC
Claims
Constructed in PL
5013.
Written in ED 5034.
Designed in ED 5023.
Proposal approved in
PL 5050; project
enacted in PL
6010/6011, assessed in
6011.
Begun in PL 6010;
completed in PL 6011.
Initial evaluation in PL
6010; final in PL 6011.
Produced in PL 6011.
Page 24 of 67
Six required e-folio artifacts, three of which are designed or begun in PL specialization
courses and enacted during the 16-week internship, will be produced and uploaded during
the second eight weeks of the internship, in PL 6011:
 Professional Leadership Resume’ (part of the introductory pages to your e-folio)
 Action Research Project (ISLLC 6) – Assessed by your course instructor.
 Faculty Professional Development Initiative (ISLLC 2) - Assessed by your course
instructor.
 Final Internship Evaluation (All 6 ISLLC Standards) – Completed by your
university supervisor, with input from your mentor principal and course instructor.
 Philosophy of Educational Leadership (ISLLC 1) – Assessed by your course
instructor.
 Final Internship Action Plan (All six ISLLC Standards)
Three components have already been produced in prior courses and were posted to the efolio in PL 6010 if not prior:
 School Budget Analysis (ISLLC 3 – PL 5013)
 Case Study Analysis: Facilitating Community Buy-In (ISLLC 4 – ED 5034)
 Multicultural Environment Plan (ISLLC 5 – ED 5023)
Submitting Required Artifacts - The required artifacts for your e-folio in PL 6011 will be
submitted in weeks 13 (ISLLC 2 – Faculty Professional Development Initiative), 14
(ISLLC 6-Action Research Project), and 16 (ISLLC 1-Philosophy of Administrative
Leadership, resume’, and final evaluation).
If you would like a review of Taskstream posting processes or E-folio basics, you may
consult the tutorials linked in syllabi.
Experiences: ISLLC (see Appendix O) Standards-Aligned
A minimum of 120 internship experience hours is required for each of the two 8-week courses comprising
the 16-week internship. This works out to an average of 15 hours per week. Students who are already
serving as acting assistant/associate principals (AP) or principals will have no difficulty in exceeding this
minimum. Candidates who are currently teaching will need to plan ahead to make use of work days,
personal days, and track-out periods in the case of year-round schools, to be sure to get the rich range of
standards-driven experiences required in the NCU PL specialization.
Full-Day Shadowing Experiences: Mentor Principal and Diverse School - During the 16-week internship, a
minimum of one entire school day spent shadowing your mentor principal and a minimum of one entire
school day spent shadowing a principal in a school that is different from yours in regard to ethnic, socioeconomic, or linguistic diversity is required. You are encouraged to plan for and schedule your full-day
shadowing experiences as soon as you begin the internship. You are also encouraged to exceed the
minimum of one day shadowing in a PK-12 school setting different from the one you know best and/or
actually gain experience in another school in addition to observing.
Page 25 of 67
Required/Optional/Individually Designed Experiences - A set of potential work experiences for the
internship (see APPENDIX F) has been prepared and aligned with the ISLLC standards. ISSLC-aligned
experiences fall into three categories: 1) required experiences, 2) optional experiences, and 3) individually
designed experiences. (Please see the table linked here and included in the Internship Handbook.)
Verification of all internship experiences is provided by descriptions of the experiences on the internship log
and mention of the experiences in the weekly reflection.
 Required Experiences – These experiences are required of all PL candidates.
 Optional Experiences – Candidates will be able to choose from a list of experiences
aligned to each standard to help craft an internship experience that involves them in
all ISLLC standard areas and facilitates an internship tailored to individual interns
in specific school settings.
 Individually Designed Experiences - The set of optional experiences is by no means
a self-limiting list. Candidates and their mentor principals are encouraged to include
school-specific experiences when drafting action plans. View the ISLLC standard
functions, listed above in this syllabus, for ideas on potential individually designed
experiences.
Actual experiences under all standards may take place at any time across the 16-week internship
experience. When this is most logically done will be determined by the needs of individual schools,
interns, and mentor principals. You will document these experiences using the internship experience log
(see APPENDIX K) which will be submitted to your course instructor on a weekly basis.
Faculty Professional Development Initiative
For the final project in PL 5016, you designed and proposed a professional development initiative for
faculty members in the school in which you work and/or will be completing your internship. By this point in
the internship, you will have carried out all or part of this professional development initiative (with your
mentor principal’s permission) or will have selected another professional development offering to organize
and manage.
This project was started during PL 6010, will be due in PL 6011 week 13, and will be posted to your e-folio.
Required components include:





An overview of the proposed professional development initiative, what need it is
intended to meet, and how that need was identified. (Appendix a timeline, by week,
leading up to the professional development offering(s)/activity(s) involved in the
initative.)
Any costs or release time needed for the initiative.
How the proposed structure of the activity is supported by adult developmental
theory.
How you pre-assessed individual needs in the area to be addressed (Consider
teachers’ developmental phases and the four approaches to supervision.)
How you structured the professional development initiative and how you took
individual developmental levels into account when planning. (Appendix a program
or outline of the professional development initiative.)
Page 26 of 67



A description of how the initiative was carried out. (Pictures or video clips are
welcome if your school or district permits media images of teachers to be used for
purposes such as this M.Ed. project.)
Outcome(s) of the initiative and how they were assessed.
A paragraph or two of reflection on what you have learned from planning and
carrying out the professional development initiative.
The resulting professional development initiative report will be approximately 7-10 pages in length, not
counting the APA cover page, the references, and appendices. Please use a minimum of three professional
references as you prepare the report and write it in Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spacing the
text, and using 1” margins.
Internship Logs
Experiences during the internship will be documented on the Internship Log, submitted every week as part
of the weekly reflection. A copy of the log form may be found in APPENDIX K. PL interns are required to
submit evidence of experience under all six ISLLC standards. A minimum of 20 hours of experience must
be documented under each ISLLC standard over the course of the full 16-week internship. The resulting 120
hours 20 hrs x 6 ISLLC standards) comprises half of the minimum 240 hours of direct standards-aligned
experience required during the 16-week internship. A minimum of 120 hours is required for each of the two
8-week courses comprising the 16-week internship. However, the minimum requirement of 20 hours’
experience under each specific standard may be met at any time during the 16 weeks of the full internship.
Internship Rubric
The internship evaluation rubric (see APPENDIX L) is directly aligned with the ISLCC standards and
functions as well as with leadership dispositions and skills drawn from School of Education and M.Ed.
program goals/TEAC claims. The rubric is completed by the mentor principal and the university supervisor
at the internship midpoint, for formative purposes, and in the final week of the internship, for summative
purposes. You are also encouraged to use the rubric for self-assessment and as a guide for specific
performance level attainment during the internship.
Minimum scores on the Principal Leadership Internship Evaluation Rubric are required for successful
completion of the internship courses. The rubric is scored once at the midpoint of the internship experience
(the end of the first eight weeks) and again at the end of the full sixteen week internship. Scores for both
rubrics are entered into the data system but only the final rubric is included in the programmatic e-folio. The
maximum rubric score is 152 points. A minimum of 60 points should be achieved by the midpoint. (If this is
not achieved, an Action Plan will be collaboratively developed for the student by the student, mentor
principal, and University supervisor, copied to the coordinator of the PL specialization.) A minimum of 96
points must be achieved by the final evaluation– with no components rated ‘not observed’ or ‘not yet
competent’ and no more than one component under each ISLLC standard, leadership skill, or leadership
disposition rated ‘developing competence’. It is also expected that a majority of the scores under ISLLC 2
and ISLLC 6 be rated as ‘leadership competence’.
Page 27 of 67
On-Line Seminars
On-line Principal Leadership seminars will be pre-scheduled, held on a monthly or bimonthly basis, and
facilitated by the PL program coordinator. Virtual attendance is required for M.Ed. PL students during the
internship; students at all phases of the PL specialization are welcome to be in attendance, as are mentor
principals. (Some of the seminars will be recorded in case a seminar has to be missed and to provide
professional development opportunities for PL faculty, mentor principals, and future students.) Part of the
seminar will usually be devoted to collaborative problem solving. The remainder of the seminar may
involve analysis of a case study, a virtual simulation, a guest presenter/ responder, etc. The goal is to make
the seminars a beneficial use of your time during the internship and to give students not yet at that point an
opportunity to hear about real-world challenges and how they can be met.
Reflections
Internship reflection emails are due to your university supervisor at the end of every week of the internship.
Minimum length is 2-3 paragraphs. Weekly length will vary according to what has taken place during the
week. For example, the reflection for a week in which three days involve a holiday break would probably be
much shorter than a week in which you were involved in a suspension hearing. Content of the reflections is
not scored as they are intended to be regular communications between you and your university supervisor.
Your meeting the requirement to submit weekly emails is assessed by your university supervisor on the
internship evaluation at the end of 8 weeks and 16 weeks.
Reflections differ from logs in that logs summarize how time was spent. Reflections explore how you think
or feel about events that took place, what you believe you have learned as a result, and how that learning
will influence your subsequent work as an educational leader. Suggested prompts to help you get started –
but by no means a definitive list – are provided below:
 Share an insight gained.
 Something that went well – and why.
 Something that went wrong – and what would be done differently if a similar
situation were encountered.
 What if…
 A belief affirmed.
 A problem and how .it was or was not yet solved.
 A conflict and how it was or was not yet resolved.
 Role-related challenges.
 How theory and practice connected.
 A research-based practice used and why.
 A question to which you are seeking an answer.
 Is a situation going to recur? If so, how do you prepare or build capacity to be ready
for future occurrences?
 If a mistake was made, how can it be prevented from happening again?
 Did you note a gap in your own knowledge? What could you do to remedy this?
 What have I learned about myself as an educational leader this week in terms of my
developing strengths and areas to work on?
Page 28 of 67
Remediation Processes and Remediation Action Plans
If a candidate does not achieve a midpoint rubric rating of at least 15 points or if any other concern arises
during the internship, the university supervisor will call this to the attention of the PL program coordinator.
They will discuss whether or not intervention is needed prior to beginning the second eight weeks of the
internship experience. If it is determined that remediation is needed, at this point or at any point during the
second eight weeks of the internship, it will usually take one of the following forms. Success will be
determined in the following ways:
Remediation Action Plan Component
Revision of e-folio assignment or project is needed
to reach mastery level, as determined by rubric.
Required internship experiences not yet underway
by the midpoint of the internship and/or no
mention of them is made on the internship action
plan.
Additional internship hours needed or needed
under specific standards.
Preponderance of rubric components rated
‘developing’ at the midpoint evaluation, a rubric
score of 15 is not attained by the midpoint, or a
rubric score of 24 is not attained by the final
evaluation in week 15.
Action Plan concerns at the 7-week point.
Illness of intern during the 16-week internship.
Medical or personal complications requiring a
leave of ab
sence
Success Determined By:
Revised assignment or project is scored at satisfactory mastery level
by course instructor.
A revised action plan that includes the experiences is submitted to the
university supervisor. Weekly logs and reflections must provide
evidence that the revised action plan is being carried out.
A revised action plan that includes the necessary additional hours is
submitted to the university supervisor. Weekly logs and reflections
must provide evidence that the revised action plan is being carried out.
If mentor principal and university supervisor agree that more time will
serve the purpose of supporting the intern’s role development process,
the internship may be extended, pending approval by the program
coordinator and any resulting financial arrangements agreed to by the
intern.
The revised action plan must contain components targeting a
successful completion of the internship. Weekly logs and reflections
must provide evidence that the revised action plan is being carried out.
The Arizona Department of Education requires a 15-week internship
experience. If an intern will need to miss more than a week for
medical or other unanticipated reasons of an emergency nature, a plan
can be put in place to extend the internship by a couple days or weeks
to allow for a 15-week experience. If more than two weeks must be
missed, a leave of absence will be needed.
If the intern is not able to continue in the internship for medical or any
other reasons, the situation would be handled as it would be should
this happen during any other NCU course and the details of a leave of
absence plus re-entry plan would be determined and agreed upon by
the intern, mentor principal, and program coordinator.
Supervision and Supervisory Contacts
You will be supported during your internship by your Mentor Principal, your University Supervisor, and the
Instructor of the two 8-week PL 6010/6011 courses comprising the 16-week internship:
Mentor Principal – Your mentor principal has daily supervisory responsibility for overseeing your
internship experiences. He or she also has the final word on what can and cannot be done in his or her
school and will work with you on the logistics of carrying out your action research project. (If the NCU
candidate is already a working principal, completing the internship experience on-the-job in their own building, the
licensed mentor principal from another school or the central office could assist with providing experiential options in
the case any conflict of interest issues should arise.) It is hoped that the work invested in serving as your mentor
Page 29 of 67
will be balanced by the assistance to your mentor principal and the service to the school that you will
provide. You will probably have several on-the-run conversations or email exchanges during the week but
schedule a regular time to talk uninterrupted with your mentor principal on a weekly basis. Conversations
need not be long. You may also wish to forward your mentor principal a copy of your weekly action-planin-progress. Your mentor principal will join you and your university supervisor for three on-site visits
(during or as close as possible to weeks 1 and 8 in PL 6010; week 11 in PL 6011); will join you, your
university supervisor, and your course instructor for the four-way email exchange (with optional conference
call/Skype visit if needed) in week 4, and for the final 4-way conference call or Skype meeting to discuss
your final internship evaluation in week 15.
If you are a teacher, assistant/associate principal, or a full-time student, the mentor principal will probably
be your building principal. If you are already a PK-12 principal working in a private school and/or under a
provisional license, your mentor principal may be a licensed principal from a nearby school or a buildingcertified administrator at the central school district office level.
It is understood that Mentor Principals may change jobs during the course of the candidate’s principal
preparation degree program. If this should occur, NCU requests that you assist the student in locating a
school administration professional who is able and willing to assume the role of the candidate’s Mentor
Principal.
Mentor principals must hold a minimum of a master’s degree in educational leadership, school
administration, or a similar area and be a certified, practicing PK-12 school principal. Mentor principals
sign a letter of agreement as part of the application process. The mentor principal agrees to provide support
and guidance to the PL candidate in the completion of all required field experiences and during the 16-week
internship - including required, optional, and individually determined internship experiences.
The mentor principal completes the field experience rubric and provides a copy to the course instructor by
the start of the last week of each PL course. The mentor principal is available to meet with the university
supervisor at predetermined times of mutual convenience during the internship. The mentor principal also
completes an internship evaluation rubric at the midpoint and end of the 16-week internship.
The Arizona Department of Education (2008) suggests seeking mentor principals with the
following characteristics:
• Demonstrates effectiveness as school leader
• Models continuous learning and reflection
• Encourages open communication
• Ability to handle the unexpected with professionalism
• Follows district and board policies
• Builds confidence in intern
• Expresses an interest in being a mentor
• Is culturally competent
• Demonstrates generosity in sharing ideas and resources
• Provides introductions and networking opportunities for intern
• Instills a sense of trust and support
• Willing and able to devote dedicated time to the intern on a regular basis
• Listens well and serves as a sounding board
• Is accepting of differences
Page 30 of 67
Mentor Principals agree to support interns by doing the following:
• Welcome intern to the district.
• Socialize the intern to the community and school culture.
• Help intern decide on the sequence of developmental activities most appropriate for
the internship (creating the action plan), given the intern’s needs and the district’s and
school’s needs.
• Provide coaching for skill development.
• Facilitate/design opportunities for completion of internship activities.
• Engage in conversations about activities and daily events; promote self reflection and
problem solving.
• Help intern form relationships with people in the district.
• Observe intern on a regular basis.
• Allocate time for frequent, regular contacts with intern.
• Provide emotional support to intern.
• Model leadership competencies and make one’s leadership choices transparent.
• Track intern progress against standards.
• Consult with university supervisor and/or program coordinator.
• Facilitate leadership in the intern without telling the intern what to do.
• Assist intern in developing the e-folio.
• Assist intern in gaining entry to other settings or schools, as needed.
• Listen to intern with sympathy without necessarily condoning or condemning what
may seem to be ineffective or inappropriate actions.
• Make sure that the intern gets a thorough picture of the duties of the principal.
University Supervisor – Your university supervisor is an experienced school administrator who is
contracted by the University to be the local connection between your school and the University. In most
instances your university supervisor will also be your course instructor for PL 6010/6011 and ideally for
PL5050. Your supervisor will be responsible for working with you to schedule all supervisory contacts.
This involves making three on-site supervisory visits (in weeks 1, 8, and 11); scheduling a 4-way email
exchange (and optional conference call/Skype visit) with you, your mentor principal, and your course
instructor in week 4, and scheduling the 4-way final evaluation meeting, conference call, or Skype meeting
in week 15.
University supervisors provide developmental supervision for interns by doing the following:
• Meet with interns at the start of the internship to identify needs, explain internship
procedures, and help to set expectations.
• Meet with mentor principals and interns to discuss the initial Internship Action Plan,
suggest revisions as needed, and help decide on the sequence of developmental
activities most appropriate for the internship, given needs of the intern, school, and
district.
• Observe intern as scheduled.
• Attend monthly seminars for interns.
• Maintain contact with interns.
• Provide emotional support to interns.
• Provide feedback to interns.
Page 31 of 67
• Consult with mentor principals, support them in their work with interns, and provide
constructive feedback.
• Assist interns in developing e-folios.
• Track intern progress against standards.
• Evaluate interns and assign grades, with input from mentor principals.
• Help evaluate internship program effectiveness.
• Uphold all university, district, and state requirements for interns.
Course Instructor – Your course instructor will work with you on writing your action research project,
submitting your required ISLLC artifacts and weekly reflections, and making sure all necessary
components are uploaded to your electronic portfolio. He or she will also be included in the
email/Skype/conference call check-in during week 4; will be copied on your action plan in weeks 1, 7, and
15; and will participate in your final evaluation meeting, conference call, or Skype meeting in week 15.
The NCU Principal Leadership supervision model calls for one professional to act as university supervisor
and as course instructor. In cases where this is not possible, for instance if the only available university
supervisor is an experienced K-12 superintendent who does not hold a doctorate in the field, the on-site
university supervisor and course instructor could potentially be two different professionals. You will have
an opportunity to evaluate field personnel (mentor principal and University supervisor on the same
leadership skills and dispositions on which you are assessed in all field experiences and the internship
after your 16-week internship has ended (See APPENDIX M). You will also evaluate your course
instructor, using the same NCU course evaluation as is used in other courses.
Submitting Artifacts and Documents
The following documentation is submitted to your university supervisor: weekly reflections; action plans
in weeks 1, 7, and 15. Your university supervisor and PL course instructor are both copied on the action
plans in week 1, week 7, and in week 15 when the final plan showing the accomplishment of all
requirements should be completed. Unless otherwise specified, any formative working drafts of the action
plan from other points in the internship are shared only with your mentor principal. (Your university
supervisor is also invited to monthly on-line seminars but his or her attendance is not required: it is a
courtesy invitation and may be considered professional development for purposes of maintaining his or
her own certification.)
The following documentation is submitted to your PL 6010 course instructor: action plan in weeks 1, 7,
and 15; action research components; internship logs; ISLLC-aligned artifacts; philosophy of educational
leadership. Again, if your university supervisor is also your course instructor, as intended, submission of
documentation will be simple as it will all go to one person.
Your mentor principal is available to support and guide you as well as to have final authority over what
you may do in his or her building in regard to educational leadership activities and experiences. He or she
is not responsible for any grading or paperwork other than contributing to the midpoint and final
evaluations of your internship work.
Page 32 of 67
PROGRAM TEXTBOOKS
At the time this Handbook was posted/went to press, the following list of textbooks was in use for PL and
ED courses. Do not purchase texts until you confirm they will be needed when registering for your courses.
However, if you should find low-cost or no-cost books as listed below you may choose to obtain them.
Alexander, K. & Alexander, M.D. (2012). American Public School Law (8th ed). Independence,
KY: Wadsworth.
Glanz, J. (2003). Action research: An educational leader’s guide to school improvement
(2 ed.). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.
nd
Glatthorn, A.A., & Jailall, J.M. (2009). The principal as curriculum leader: Shaping what is
taught and tested (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Glickman, C. D., Gordon, S. P., & Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2014). SuperVision and instructional
leadership: A developmental approach. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Kowalski, T. (2011). Case Studies on Educational Administration (6th ed). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson.
Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural
Education. NJ: Pearson.
Noll, J. (2012). Taking sides: Clashing views on educational issues. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Rubin, R., Abrego, M., & Sutterby, J. (2012). Engaging families of ELLS: Ideas, resources, and
activities. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
Sergiovanni, T. J. (2009). The principalship: A reflective practice perspective (6th ed).New
York, NY: Allyn and Bacon.
Sorenson, R. D. & Goldsmith, R. M. (2012). The principal’s guide to school budgeting (2nd
ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
A copy of the ISSLC Standards and Functions may be found in APPENDIX O.
If you have questions regarding any aspect of this Handbook or any component of the NCU M.Ed. program
in Educational Leadership with a specialization in PK-12 Principal Leadership, please contact the PLCS
Coordinator, Dr. Mary Goggins Selke, at [email protected] or the School of Education Dean, Dr. Cindy
Guillaume, at [email protected].
Page 33 of 67
APPENDIX A
Admissions.)
FORM A (Please complete the online version of the form, available from NCU
Northcentral University School of Education
Letter of Reference (PART I) and Experience Verification (PART II)
M.Ed., Specialization in PK-12 Principal Leadership (Certification Preparation)
Candidate Name:___________________________ School:____________________________________
Job Title:__________________________________ Years in Most Recent Position: _______________
Total Years of Successful Full-Time Teaching Experience (all schools/districts):_________________
PART I - Applicants to the M.Ed./PLCS must provide a supportive recommendation from their current (or most recent)
supervising principal or superintendent, addressing the following attributes. Please download this form; type or paste
responses into the matrix below, expanding the cells as needed; and upload the form as an attachment.
#
Candidate Attributes
1
Aptitude for school leadership
Rating:______
NO – Not
Observed
1
2
3
4
Too soon to tell,
still developing
as a teacher
Demonstrating
teacher leadership in
grade level or
content area
Demonstrating
educational leadership
in specific projects
or areas
Already
demonstrating
educational
leadership skills
Developing
skills in both
problem solving
approaches
Competent with
autonomous
approaches;
developing
collaborative skills
Competent with
collaborative
approaches;
developing
autonomous skills
Already
competent with
both approaches
Difficulty handling
complex situations
and multiple tasks
simultaneously
Difficulty handling
complex situations
or multiple tasks
simultaneously
Handles complex
situations and
multiple tasks
simultaneously
Consistently
handles complex
situations and
multiple tasks
simultaneously
Not yet
demonstrating
commitment to
professional ethics,
integrity, and
practices
Beginning to
demonstrate
commitment to
professional ethics,
integrity, and practices
Demonstrating
commitment to
professional ethics,
integrity, and practices
Consistently
demonstrating
commitment to
professional ethics,
integrity, and
practices
Working to
account for time
limits, be prompt,
meet or beat
deadlines
In some instances
plans to account for
time limits, be
prompt, meet or
beat deadlines
Usually plans to
account for time
limits, prompt,
meets or beats
deadlines
Plans to account
for time limits,
prompt, meets or
beats deadlines
Avoiding technology
to support
educational practice.
Beginning to use
technology to support
educational practice.
Using technology to
support educational
practice.
Seeking innovative
technology to
support educational
practice.
Optional Explanation::
2
Ability to solve problems
collaboratively or autonomously
Rating:_______
Opt
ional Explanation:
3
Working style
Rating:_______
Optional Explanation:
4
Professionalism
Rating:_______
Optional Explanation:
5
Time Management
Rating:_______
Optional Explanation:
6
Use of Technology
Rating:_______
Optional Explanation:
Page 34 of 67
7
Written Communication
Rating:
Working toward
professional,
organized, error-free
written
communication.
Usually professional
and organized with
minor mechanical
errors in written
communication.
Professional and
organized, with mostly
accurate mechanics in
written communication.
Professional and
well-organized with
accurate mechanics
in written
communication.
Optional Explanation:
8
Is there anything else you would like NCU to know about the applicant’s readiness for a Principal Preparation Program?:
Principal or Superintendent Providing Recommendation:______________________________________
Signature: ______________________ Date:_____________ Phone:__(
)________________________
PART II - Verification of at least three years of successful full-time PK-12 teaching experience, by your current or most recent
supervising principal or superintendent (or HR office) may also be provided separately, on school or district letterhead, or by
using the same form that will be used to verify this experience after completion of the M.Ed./PLCS if applying for Arizona PK-12
Principal licensure. (The AZ form may be found at: http://www.azed.gov/educator-certification/files/2011/09/verificationteaching-experience.pdf )
School (Most recent 1st)
and Location
Beginning Date Ending Date Grade Level(s) and/or Content Areas Taught
(month/year)
(month/year)
Principal, Superintendent, or HR Personnel Verifying Information:___________________________
Signature: ______________________ Date:_____________ Phone:__(
)______________________
Page 35 of 67
APPENDIX B – COURSE SCHEDULE OPTIONS – M.Ed./PLCS
Option 1 – Approximately 1 year and 10 months
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
EDU 5000-8
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
ED 5034-8
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
PL 5035-8
33
34
35
36
37
38
38
40
41
PL 5016-8
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
PL 5004-8
ED 5001-8
49
50
51
52
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
ED 5022
PL 5013
ED 5023
PL 5050
PL 6010
PL 6011
Option 2 – Just over 2 years
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
EDU 5000
45
46
11
12
47
48
49
50
51
52
1
2
PL 5004
39
40
PL 6010
41
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
ED 5001
42
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
PL 5013
43
44
45
46
47
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
ED 5034
48
49
50
11
12
52
1
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
PL 5035
13
14
ED 5023
51
28
15
16
17
18
19
20
37
38
38
40
41
42
43
44
30
31
32
33
34
35
PL 5016
21
22
23
ED 5022
24
25
26
27
28
29
36
PL 5050
2
PL 6011
* Candidate Schedule Planning: If the course pair of PL 5035 and PL 5016 fall during a summer vacation when planning the program
schedule, and summer school supervision/ curriculum work is not possible, the course pair of PL 5035 and PL 5016 may be exchanged for
the course pair of PL 5004 and PL 5013. Up to three weeks may be built in between all courses except PL6010/PL6011 which must be
completed in a 16-week block.
Page 36 of 67
37
38
44
APPENDIX C FORM B (Please complete the online version of the form, available from NCU Admissions.)
Northcentral University School of Education Mentor Principal Agreement
Name:________________________________ School: ______________________________________
School Address/City/State/Zip:__________________________________________________________
School Phone:___________________________Cell Phone (optional):__________________________
Graduate Degree(s):_______________ Degree Granting School(s):____________________________
Administrative Certification(s)/ST(s)/YR(s) (You may attach a certificate copy.):________________
By signing the Mentor Principal Agreement you commit to the following:
Preparation Responsibilities:
Participate in an hour-long, on-line Mentor Principal meeting with the Coordinator of the M.Ed./PLCS
within the first two months of the candidate’s beginning EDU 5000, the first course in the program.
Meetings are held monthly, on a different evening each month, usually at 7:00 pm ET.
Field Experience Responsibilities:
Oversee and sign off on the administrative candidates’ field experiences.
Facilitate the completion of standards-aligned course-imbedded field experiences.
Schedule uninterrupted time to communicate with the candidate on a regular basis (biweekly minimum).
Complete each course-specific field experience rubric and provide a copy to the course instructor by the start of the
last week of each PL course.
Internship Responsibilities:
Oversee and sign off on the administrative candidates’ 16-week internship.
Facilitate the completion of required and optional standards-aligned internship requirements.
Support the candidate in planning and carrying out the action research project. Action research projects are
school improvement oriented; approved by the mentor principal, course instructor, and the NCU
Institutional Review Board (IRB) in the course preceding the internship, and completed during the
internship.
Page 37 of 67
Review weekly action plan-in-progress documents as requested by the intern.
Participate in Supervisory Conferences: Schedule uninterrupted time to talk about internship progress on a
weekly basis.
Participate in Formative Conferences: Meet with your intern and the university supervisor for three on-site
visits (during or as close as possible to weeks 1 and 8 in PL 6010; week 11 in PL 6011) and participate in
one four-way email exchange (optional conference call/Skype if needed) in week 4.
Participate in Summative Conference: Contribute to the meeting, conference call, or Skype meeting to
discuss the final internship evaluation with the intern, and university supervisor/course instructor in week
15.
Complete an internship evaluation rubric at the midpoint and end of the 16-week internship and provide a copy to
the NCU supervisor.
The Arizona Department of Education provides the following role guidelines for Mentor Principals:
• Welcome intern to the district and socialize the intern to the community and school culture.
• Help intern decide on the sequence of developmental activities most appropriate for
the internship [creating the NCU action plan], given needs of the intern and the school/district.
• Provide coaching for skill development and provide overall support to the intern.
• Facilitate/design opportunities for completion of internship activities.
• Engage in conversations about activities and daily events; promote reflection and problem solving.
• Help intern form relationships with people in the district.
• Observe intern on a regular basis and allocate time for frequent, regular contacts with intern.
• Model leadership competencies and make one’s leadership choices transparent.
• Track intern progress against standards [via NCU the evaluation rubrics].
• Communicate with university supervisor and/or program coordinator as needed.
• Facilitate leadership in the intern, as much as possible without telling the intern what to do.
• Assist intern in developing the e-folio.
• Assist intern in gaining entry to other settings or schools, as needed.
• Listen to intern with sympathy without condoning or condemning apparently ineffective actions.
• Make sure that the intern gets a thorough picture of the duties of the principal.
Mentor Principals are invited to complimentary CEU-granting professional development offerings, such as
bimonthly Principal Leadership seminars, and have access to the NCU on-line library through their NCU
email accounts.
By signing this agreement I commit to providing support and guidance to the NCU Principal Leadership
candidate in the planning and completion of all required course-embedded field experiences; the action research
project; and the required, optional, and individually determined internship experiences. I will also provide input to
the course instructors of PL-prefix courses wherein field experiences are embedded and to the NCU supervisor
during the Internship by scoring the rubrics developed for these purposes.
Mentor Principal Signature:____________________________________ Date:______________
Mentor Principal Printed Name:_________________________________
Page 38 of 67
APPENDIX D
Field Experience Log – NCU Principal Leadership Program
Principal Candidate Name, Email, and Phone__________________________________________________________________
Date Day Time Time Description of Experience(s)
ISSLC
Site and
Principal (or
In *
Out *
Standard(s) & Contact Phone
Designee)
Functions
* Round to nearest .25 hour.
Page 39 of 67
Initials
APPENDIX E
Common Components: Field Experience (FE) Evaluation Rubric
The common components of the Principal Leadership Field Experience Evaluation Rubric are scored five times: once for every PL course in which required field experiences are included.
A rating of more than one “not yet competent” on the common component strands or course-specific field experience component strands in the first two PL courses (PL 5035 and 5016)
and any “not yet competent” ratings in the third, fourth, or fifth PL courses (PL 5004, 5013, and 5050) will trigger an evaluation for an Action Plan.
Competence Levels:
Not Yet Competent
Developing Competence
Basic Competence
Advanced Competence
0 Points
.25 Points
.50 Points
.75 Points
Leadership Dispositions
Commitment to professional ethics,
Not yet demonstrating
Beginning to demonstrate
Demonstrating commitment to
Consistently demonstrating
integrity, and standards of practice.
commitment to professional
commitment to professional
professional ethics, integrity,
commitment to professional
ethics, integrity, and standards
ethics, integrity, and standards of and standards of practice.
ethics, integrity, and standards
of practice.
practice.
of practice.
Demonstrated respect for diverse cultures Working toward demonstrating Demonstrating tolerance for
Demonstrating respect for
Demonstrating ability to
and backgrounds
respect for students, teachers,
diverse students, teachers, and
diverse students, teachers, and
interact respectfully and
and/or families from different
families.
families.
effectively with diverse
backgrounds.
students, teachers, and families.
Leadership Skills
Ability to solve problems in
Not yet taking initiative to
Beginning to take initiative to
Beginning to approach problem Approaching problem solving
administrative practice
attempt problem solving.
solve practice-generated
solving collaboratively or
collaboratively or
problems.
independently as needed.
independently as needed.
Apply educational leadership principles
Beginning to identify
Identifying principles/theories
Identifying principles/theories
Beginning to identify
and theories in practice, with emphasis on principles/ theories that may
that may inform practice
and how they inform practice
principles/ theories and how
the ISLLC functions aligned with field
inform practice examples.
examples.
after practice examples take
they inform practice as it takes
experiences in this course.
place.
place (reflection in action).
Effective written communication.
Working toward professional,
Usually professional and
Professional and organized,
Professional and wellorganized, error-free written
organized with minor
with mostly accurate mechanics organized with accurate
communication.
mechanical errors in written
in written communication.
mechanics in written
communication.
communication.
Numeracy skills
Working to process, analyze,
Beginning to analyze or use
Analyzing and using
Beginning to explain as well as
explain, and use admin. data.
administrative data.
administrative data.
analyze and use admin. data.
Oral communication.
Working toward professional,
Usually professional and easily
Professional and usually easily
Professional and easily
easily understood, grammatical understood with minor oral
understood with mostly correct understood with correct oral
oral communication.
grammar errors.
oral grammar.
grammar.
Use of technology
Avoiding common
Beginning to use common
Using common technological
Beginning to seek innovative
technological applications to
technological applications to
applications to enhance
technology applications to
enhance administrative
enhance administrative practice.
administrative practice.
enhance administrative
practice.
practice.
Page 40 of 67
APPENDIX F
Principal Leadership Internship Experiences
ISSLC Standards Alignment to Optional Experiences, Required Experiences, Required Internship E-Folio Components
ISLLC Standard
Optional Internship Experiences
Required Internship
Required E-folio
Experiences
Artifacts
ISLLC 1 - An
Drafting or revisiting/revising a school vision and/or mission and/or
Philosophy of
Revisit and revise your
education leader
goals.
Educational
working Philosophy of
promotes the success
Educational Leadership. Leadership
of every student by
Analyze the areas of fund raising that are conducted by various
facilitating the
(Begun PL 5050;
development,
organizations in the building and how the money is spent to achieve
articulation,
revised PL 6010/6011)
the vision of the school.
implementation, and
stewardship of a vision
of learning that is
shared and supported
by all stakeholders.
ISLLC 2 - An
education leader
promotes the success
of every student by
advocating, nurturing,
and sustaining a
school culture and
instructional program
conducive to student
learning and staff
professional growth.
Added to e-folio
during PL 6011.
Facilitate focus groups associated with school improvement planning.
Attend or lead PLC meetings – in an area or grade level outside your
teaching focus or content area(s) of expertise.
Coach adults, especially those with much more or less experience.
Conduct clinical supervisory processes (if you are permitted to do so
in your school).
Participate in supervisory walk-throughs. (Be sure to maintain and
analyze acquired data, follow up with teachers as needed, etc.)
Work with teachers in the planning and/or delivery of instruction.
Work with the administration processes associated with high stakes
standardized tests.
Facilitate efficient use of instructional planning time to improve
student achievement.
Demonstrate leadership
level skills by planning
and coordinating a
professional
development initiative
for a small or large
group of faculty
members.
(Leadership level skill
demonstration is an ADE
requirement.)
Assist in the implementation of project-based learning.
Conduct data analysis of student achievement for the purpose of
Page 41 of 67
Faculty Professional
Development
Initiative
(Plan written in PL
5016; carried out in
PL 6010/ 6011)
Added to e-folio
during PL 6011.
informing professional development for teachers.
Work with budget planning or allocation of funds for professional
development based on data analysis .
Do an analysis of the previous year’s professional development
budget, how funds were disbursed, how outcomes were measured.
ISLLC 3 - An
education leader
promotes the success
of every student by
ensuring management
of the organization,
operation, and
resources for a safe,
efficient, and effective
learning environment.
Connect data with best practices when recommending budget
allocations.
Facilities management – shadow a head custodian for all or part of a
day
Ride a bus route before or after school. (And don’t sit up front.)
Supervision at during or after school events – augment safety; prevent
or counter bullying.
Re: student safety, evaluate supervision in open areas such as parking
lots, hallways, cafeterias, lounges, lobby areas, etc.
Review safety and work with plans for all drills, fire, intruder,
tornado, etc including communication with parents, police, media,
counseling, etc.
Review an entire fiscal
year budgeting processcan be from a year or
two prior-at the building
level. (If you have the
opportunity to view
budgets for a building
that differs from yours
in regard to
demographics and/or
building level, do so to
compare and contrast
the two.)
School Budget
Analysis
(PL 5013)
Devote a minimum of
20 hrs to working with
parents and other
external community
members, either one-on-
Case Study Analysis:
Facilitating
Community Buy-In
(ED 5034)
Added to e-folio
during PL 6010.
Analyze student achievement data for the purpose of informing
acquisition of materials and supplies.
ISLLC 4 - An
education leader
promotes the success
of every student by
collaborating with
faculty and
Special Needs Students, IEPs, MFEs, etc.
Communication: Internal and External – systems, what and to whom
and when, software used?
Page 42 of 67
community members,
responding to diverse
community interests
and needs, and
mobilizing community
resources.
ISLLC 5 - An
education leader
promotes the success
of every student by
acting with integrity,
fairness, and in an
ethical manner.
Attend a school board meeting.
one or in groups.
Added to e-folio
during PL 6010.
Devote a minimum of
20 hrs to working with
students, parents, and
teachers whose cultural
background is different
from yours. (You may
use hours from your
required out-of-building
shadowing experience to
meet this requirement.)
Multicultural
Environment Plan
(ED 5023)
Participate in a presentation at a school board meeting.
Represent the school at a civic or community meeting.
Develop or expand systems and services to help your school reach out
to English Language Learners and their families. Potential options
include but are not limited to: review of programming model(s),
teacher methods, funding allocations, ways to facilitate students’
academic and social successes, ways to create a welcoming school
culture. Tip: Use your Rubin, Abrego, &Sutterby (2012) text as a
resource.
Identify your own skill areas of strength and challenge.
Develop a personal vision and mission statement for you work as a
school principal. Why are you in this field?
What questions do you ask yourself before making a difficult decision
especially when ethics are involved?
Practice what Donald Schon would call “reflection in action”.
Learn to distinguish situations requiring immediate attention from
those that would benefit from time and reflection.
Know when to ask for help or a second opinion, and from whom.
What educational leadership positions – in additional to school
principal-would you be interested in? Entering the profession as an
assistant/associate principal is more common and the job skills are
different for this role. Spend time shadowing or working with an AP.
Page 43 of 67
Added to e-folio
during PL 6010.
ISLLC 6 - An
education leader
promotes the success
of every student by
understanding,
responding to,
and influencing the
political, social,
economic, legal, and
cultural context.
Plan for your own continuing professional development.
Integrating School Law in Policy Decisions: Facilitating a Policy
Change (The proposal was written in PL 5004 – candidates have the
option to implement all or part of it in 6010/6011)
Have a conversation with a school or school district attorney, asking
what best advice would be given to a beginning school administrator.
Possible topics
If local elections are coming up, learn the education-related positions
of all candidates.
Whether or not elections are imminent, learn the education-related
positions and voting records of elected officials.
Demonstrate
collaborative leadership
level skills by carrying
out the action research
project, focusing on
school improvement at
the building level.
(Leadership level skill
demonstration is an ADE
requirement.)
Augment the connections between local businesses and your school.
Draft a budget for materials and supplies to support teaching based on
data analysis
Analyze previous year’s materials and supplies budget
Analyze previous year’s federal budget allocations by title area
Discuss with central office leadership how they plan to allocate
budget dollars for specific schools
Write or manage the budget component of a grant or mini grant
Participate in planning or expenditure of funds for a competitive grant
Examine a large federal or state grant such as Race to the Top;
participate in any part of the process that includes planning or
expending grant dollars.
Page 44 of 67
Action Research
Project Paper
(Begun in PL5050,
continued in PL 6010,
and completed in PL
6011)
Added to e-folio
during PL 6011.
APPENDIX G - Benchmark Matrix - M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, Specialization in PK-12 Principal Leadership
Benchmark Checkpoints: Program Admission, Enrollment Maintenance, Degree Candidacy, Certification Candidacy
Assessment Points: Program Admission
Enrollment Maintenance
Program entrance (Prior to
At the end of each course
Criteria:
beginning EDU 5000.)
Coursework and/or Program/Specialization-Related Requirements
Applications
PLCS application form with all
Register for courses on time.
required Admission docs.
Certification
Valid, unencumbered, AZ or other
Maintain a valid, unencumbered
state teaching certificate (Alt. path
teaching certificate .
program ok if degree requirement met.)
Degree/
Transcripted baccalaureate or MAT
Complete course projects and
Coursework
from a regionally accredited college or assessments at a graduate level of
university
work.
E-folio
Plan to purchase required materials for Complete coursework
e-folio completion (Taskstream)
components of the e-folio.
GPA
Undergraduate (or MAT) GPA of 2.5 Maintain graduate GPA of
or better.
3.0 or better.
Interviews
Recommendations
Supervision
Discuss degree program plans with
Admissions counselor, Enrollment
Specialist, Advisor, etc.
Supportive recommendation form
completed by current or most recent
principal or superintendent.
Signed letter of agreement from a
qualified mentor principal.
Arizona Department of Education Requirements
Fingerprint/Criminal Documented meeting of your State’s
Background Check
and/or district’s fingerprint/criminal
Clearance
background check requirements.
AZ State Tests/
Statement of Intent for AZ-approved
Requirements
SEI training; AZ Constitution exam
(or college course) ; U.S. Constitution
exam (or college course).
Teaching
At least 3 years of successful
Experience
full-time PK-12 teaching
experience.
Regular meetings with mentor
principal, advisor, and supervisor
as scheduled or requested.
No concerns re: progress
brought to program coordinator
or Dean by program faculty.
Qualified university supervisor
and Internship course instructor
identified by end of ED 5023.
Degree Candidacy
AZ Principal Certification
End of the Capstone Internship
Upon completion of all degree
requirements, including internship
A completed application for
graduation.
Have maintained a valid, unencumbered
teaching certificate.
A completed AZ (state) PK-12 Principal
certificate application with fee.
Meet all requirements and apply
for Arizona (state) PK-12 Principal
Certificate.
Earned M.Ed./PLCS degree from
Northcentral University.
All course requirements completed
for degree/specialization.
Complete and upload all components of
the e-folio.
Complete all program course
requirements with a GPA of 3.0 or
better :AZ requirement.
Successful internship exit conference
with mentor principal, university
supervisor, and course instructor.
Recommendation for degree by
program coordinator and Dean.
Satisfactory completion of supervised
internship as determined by final scores
on the Internship Evaluation Rubric.
Maintain school or districtrequired security clearance.
Have maintained school or districtrequired security clearance.
Work toward completion of any
conditional admission entry point
requirements regarding SEI,
AZ or US Constitution.
Completion of any conditional
admission entry point requirements
regarding SEI, AZ or US Constitution.


Page 45 of 67
NCU maintains e-folio data as evidences
of learning under the 6 ISLLC standards.
GPA of 3.0 or better in M.Ed. with PL
specialization.
(Prepare for employment-focused
interviews.)
Paperwork for Principal
Certification signed by certification
officer at NCU.
Verification of successfully completed
internship that meets or exceeds State
requirements.
A photocopy of a current Arizona IVP
fingerprint card must be submitted
with the Application for Certification.
Passing score on the Arizona
Principal Licensure Examination.
Three years of verified (official
letterhead from district superintendent)
full-time teaching in grades pK-12.
APPENDIX H
NCU Institutional Review Board
IRB Administrative Expedited Review Request
M.Ed. Program – Principal Leadership Specialization, School of Education
Title of Research Project: _________________________________________________________________
Student Investigator Name: ____________________Email:__________________Phone:_______________
Indicate the date of on-line CITI Human Subjects Training completion_______:________________________
School Site for Internship:_________________________________________________________________
School Mailing Address: ________________________________School Phone:_______________________
Mentor Principal Name:_____________________Email:___________________Phone:_________________
Principal Investigator’s Statement of Responsibility
As the principal investigator, my signature verifies that I have successfully completed the CITI On-Line
Human Subjects Training in Education and have read and understood the University Policy and Procedures
for the Use of Human Subjects in Research. All research enacted for this project will be conducted exactly as
outlined in the attached proposal. Any change to this protocol will be submitted to my course instructor, my
mentor principal, my specialization coordinator, and the IRB for approval prior to implementation.
Investigator:___________________________________________________Date:_____________________
(Signature of principal investigator)
(date)
Faculty/Staff Sponsor Signatures:
As faculty sponsors, these signatures verify that we have reviewed this proposal. The Mentor Principal and
PL Coordinator will continue to support the candidate’s action research work, to be joined by the assigned
University Supervisor and Internship course instructor once the candidate begins the capstone internship.
The action research project will be conducted during the two 8-week courses of the internship.
Mentor Principal:_________________________________________________________________________
PL 5050 Instructor:______________________________________Instructor’s Email:___________________
Principal Leadership Specialization Coordinator:________________________________________________
Coordinator Email:_______________________ Phone:____________________Fax:__________________
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS TO THE IRB ARE CONSIDERED SIGNED VIA AN ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE.
Upon obtaining the Mentor Principal’s signature, submit the proposal to the PL 5050 Course
Instructor to forward to the PL Specialization Coordinator who will forward it to the IRB
representative working with M.Ed. PL proposals. All proposal documents must be in one email
attachment file.
*************************************************************************************************
For IRB office use only Review
Decision and Feedback:
Approved:_____ Approved with Revisions to be Monitored by Instructor:_____ Revise and Resubmit:_____
IRB Reviewer: _____________________Signature: ___________________________Date:_____________
Page 46 of 67
PL Action Research Proposal Template/Outline
Topic:
Overriding ISLLC Standard and Connection of the Topic to Your Specialization:
Background: [Background puts the topic in a context for a reader and targets the focus, makes the topic
much more specific Do use third person – ‘the author’ – if referring to yourself or your school.]
Problem Statement: [Problem statement gets very specific and puts a spotlight on an area to explore,
seek new information on, help solve, or clarify.]
Research Question: [Ask a very specific, focused question that you have the time, resources, and interest
to answer.]
Research Purpose: [Explain exactly what you want to find out and why you want to know, how it may
help you make a decision or recommendation as an educational leader.]
Proposed Data Collection Method: [Explain what you will do to collect data and how you will analyze
the data. If you are using a pre-existing test or data collection instrument you may include a hyperlink to
the instrument and/or information about it but do not need to appendix a copy of the instrument. If your
data collection instrument will be self-designed – for example a survey or questionnaire - explain how you
will construct the survey, emphasizing the protection of human subjects.]
Page 47 of 67
Letter of Implied Informed Consent
Date:
To: _____(faculty members and/or parents)____________
From: _______[NCU M.Ed./PL graduate student|_______________
As you may know, I am working toward my master’s degree in Principal Leadership at
Northcentral University. One of my course requirements is to conduct an action research project
during my administrative internship semester. These projects are designed to help explore the
effectiveness educational practices and to find out if something new would work better. Trying
new approaches to leadership and instruction is an important part of an educational leader’s job.
Action research helps us to formalize the process a bit. It helps us focus on the reasons for trying
something new and what steps to take. It also helps us understand the research results and how to
use them to help make schools better for students.
My research project is going to explore_____________________________. The main question I
am asking is______________________. The purpose of my project is
to_________________________.
When I write about the project, the identity of our school and the teachers or students in the
study will be kept completely confidential. Pseudonyms will be used. Any grades or test results
will be reported in my research project in ways that protect the identity of individuals. Nobody
reading my project, even my professors, will be able to connect specific information with a
particular student or teacher.
Participation in this research project is completely voluntary. You are free not to participate or to
stop participating at any time. If you have any questions about my research project or your
child’s or your child’s teacher’s participation, please contact me. I am looking forward to
conducting my action research project. I hope it helps me find more ways to make our best
school practices even better.
Sincerely,
M.Ed.
Candidate:_____________________________________________________Date:________________
_
Email
Address:_______________________________________________________Phone:______________
Candidate’s
Principal:______________________________________________________Date:________________
Email
Address:_______________________________________________________Phone:______________
NCU Principal Leadership Specialization Coordinator:________________Date:__________________
Email
Address:_______________________________________________________Phone:______________
Page 48 of 67
APPENDIX I
Northcentral University School of Education Internship Application
Name:___________________________________ NCU Student Number ___________________
Internship School Site:______________________________________________________________
School Address/City/State/Zip:_______________________________________________________
School Phone:______________________________Your Cell Phone (Optional):_______________
Mentor Principal (signed NCU agreement on file):______________________________________
NCU-Contracted University Supervisor:_______________________________________________
(NCU Supervisors need to go through a hiring and preparation process which can take 2 months or
more. Be sure to select a proposed Internship supervisor well in advance of beginning ED 5023. This
form must be submitted prior to beginning ED 5023.)
Date to Begin PL 610 (Select a Monday):_______________________________________________
Date to Begin PL 611 (Select a Monday):_______________________________________________
(You may allow up to three weeks between PL 610 and PL 611.)
Mentor Principal Signature:_____________________________________________ Date:_______
NCU Supervisor Signature:______________________________________________ Date:______
Candidate Signature:___________________________________________Date Submitted:______
NCU PL Coordinator Signature:__________________________________________ Date:______
Candidates are responsible for obtaining signatures and emailing the form to the NCU Dean’s Office.
Page 49 of 67
APPENDIX J
NCU Principal Leadership Internship Action Plan
Candidate:______________________________________ Email:_____________________________ Phone:____________________________
Candidate Signature:_____________________ Mentor Principal Signature:___________________ University Supervisor Signature:________________________
Week
ISLLC 1
ISLLC 2
ISLLC 3
ISLLC 4
ISLLC 5
ISLLC 6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Total
Number
Hours
Page 50 of 67
Action Research
Professional Dev
Initiative
Instructions:
Complete the Action Plan template by writing the required, optional, and school-specific ISLLC Standards-aligned experiences in the
planning matrix. It will also be helpful to plan for the specific tasks pertaining to your action research project.
Download the Action Plan matrix and expand the cells as needed. When completing the Action Plan for PL 6010, weeks 1-8 must be
included in the plan. (Drafting weeks 9-16 are optional at this point but encouraged.) When completing the Action Plan for PL 6011,
include what has been accomplished in weeks 1-8 and what is planned for weeks 9-16. The Action Plan is a work-in-progress and it is
ok to revise it from week to week. You will probably accomplish some tasks sooner than anticipated or need more time with a specific
task. You may also have on-the-job opportunities for experiences that cannot be pre-planned. (For example, your principal is out of the
building for a district administrative meeting, leaves you as administrator in charge, and the local fire marshal appears to conduct an
unannounced fire drill.)
It is suggested that you draft an initial electronic copy of the action plan and devise a code for it, such as your initials, the plan, and the
week (MGSActionPlanWeek1). Commit to a weekly review of the working plan at the end of every week, update it with everything that
has been accomplished during that week, and save the revised plan as the second draft (MGSActionPlanWeek2). Keeping up with
accomplishments on a weekly basis will: 1) make it easier for you to plan the required ISLLC artifact submissions, 2) help you track and
plan for your own use of time, and 3) make it much easier for you to provide the Action-Plan-to-date which will be required for the
second face-to-face meeting with your mentor principal and university supervisor in week 7. You are also required to upload a
completed Action Plan to your e-folio at the end of your internship.
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APPENDIX K
Weekly Internship Experience Log – NCU Principal Leadership Program
Candidate Name, Email, and Phone____________________________________________ Mentor Principal Initialed______
Date
Day Exp
Hours*
Description of Daily Experience(s)
ISSLC
Standard(s) &
Functions/Hrs
Mo
Tu
We
Th
Fr
Wk
End
* Round to nearest .25 hour. (Weekend hours are not required but time spent in leadership tasks such as student supervision, committee
meetings, supervision work involving weekend instructional programs, etc. may be counted toward required hours.)
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APPENDIX L
Northcentral School of Education PK-12 Principal Leadership Internship Evaluation Rubric
This rubric is scored once at the midpoint and again at the end of the full sixteen week internship. Scores for both rubrics are entered into the data system but only the final rubric is
included in the programmatic e-folio. The maximum rubric score is 152 points. A minimum of 60 points should be achieved by the midpoint. A minimum of 96 points must be achieved
by the final evaluation– with no components rated ‘not observed’ or ‘not yet competent’ and no more than one component under each ISLLC standard, leadership skill, or leadership
disposition rated ‘developing competence’. It is expected that a majority of the scores under ISLLC 2 and ISLLC 6 be rated as ‘leadership competence’ in the final version. Students will
also be encouraged to use the rubric for self-assessment and reflection purposes.
ISLLC 1 - An education leader promotes the success of every student by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is
shared and supported by all stakeholders.
Comments:
Composite ISSLC 1
Score:_____
1A - Collaboratively
develop and implement a
shared vision and mission.
Score:_____
1B - Collect and use data
to identify goals, assess
organizational
effectiveness, and
promote organizational
learning.
Score:_____
1C - Create and
implement plans to
achieve goals.
Score:_____
1D - Promote continuous
and sustainable
improvement.
Score:_____
1E - Monitor and evaluate
progress and revise plans.
Score:_____
Not
Observed
Not Yet Competent
0
Little or no
documented work with
vision or mission
statements.
Little or no assessment
of organizational
effectiveness, propose
organizational goals,
or promote an
organizational vision
of learning.
Little or no work with
creating or
implementing
learning-focused
school goals.
Developing Competence
1
Analyze vision and/or
mission statements.
Little or no work
engaging faculty in
plan(s) for contributing to ongoing content
area/grade level or
schoolwide
improvement.
Little or no work with
monitoring or revision
of schoolwide or grade
level/content area
Engage faculty in plan(s)
for contributing to shortterm content area/grade
level or school wide
improvement.
Work with data to assess
organizational
effectiveness, propose
organizational goals, or
promote an organizational
vision of learning.
Assist with the
implementation of plans to
achieve grade-level,
content area, or school
goals.
Assist with monitoring or
revision of content
area/grade level
improvement plan(s).
Basic Competence
2
Independently draft
or revise all or part of
a school vision and/or
mission.
Work with data to
assess organizational
effectiveness,
propose org. goals,
and promote an
organizational vision
of learning.
Collaboratively
create/revise or assist
with implementation
of plans to achieve
grade-level, content
area, or school goals.
Engage faculty in
plan(s) for
contributing to
ongoing content
area/grade level or
schoolwide
improvement.
Assist with
monitoring or
revision of
schoolwide
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Advanced Competence
3
Collaborate with faculty
to revise or develop all or
part of a school vision
and/or mission.
Work with data to
collaboratively plan for
the improvement of org.
effectiveness or set
organizational goals and
articulate a shared vision
of learning.
Collaboratively create
/revise and assist with
implementation of plans
to achieve grade-level or
content area goals.
Leadership Competence
4
Collaborate with faculty and
other stakeholders to revise
or develop all or part of a
school vision and/or mission.
Work with data to
collaboratively plan for the
improvement of
organizational effectiveness,
set organizational goals, and
articulate a shared vision of
learning.
Collaboratively create/ revise
and assist with
implementation of plans to
achieve school-wide goals.
Facilitate identification of
individual strengths and
engage all/most faculty in
plan(s) for contributing to
ongoing content
area/grade level
improvement.
Contribute to
development of ways(s)
to monitor or revise
schoolwide improvement
Facilitate identification of
individual strengths and
engage all/most faculty in
plan(s) for contributing to
ongoing content area/grade
level and schoolwide
improvement..
Contribute to development of
ways(s) to monitor and revise
schoolwide improvement
plan(s).
improvement plans.
improvement plan(s). plan(s).
ISSLC2 - An education leader promotes the success of every student by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student
learning and staff professional growth.
Comments:
Composite ISLLC 2
Score:_____
2A - Nurture and sustain a
culture of collaboration,
trust, learning, and high
expectations.
Score:_____
2B - Create a
comprehensive, rigorous,
and coherent curricular
program.
Score:_____
2C - Create a personalized
and motivating learning
environment for students.
Score:_____
2D - Supervise
instruction.
Score:_____
2E - Develop assessment
and accountability
systems to monitor
student progress.
Score:_____
Not Yet Competent
0
Work with faculty,
staff, and students
does not usually
demonstrate
expectations for trust,
learning, and high
expectations.
Little or no work
assisting faculty with
curricular selection or
implementation.
Developing Competence
1
Work with faculty, staff,
and students in ways that
usually demonstrate
expectations for trust,
learning, and high
expectations.
Little or no active
involvement or
support in the creation
of personalized,
motivating
environments for all
students.
Little or no experience
with walk-throughs,
clinical supervision,
and subsequent
follow-up.
Support faculty and staff in
the creation of
personalized, motivating
environments for all
students in a grade level or
content area.
Little or no
involvement with
assessment and/or
accountability systems
to monitor student
progress.
Support the
implementation of
assessment and/or
accountability systems to
monitor student progress.
Make recommendations to
faculty regarding curricular
selection or
implementation.
Conduct routine walkthroughs and/or 3-step
clinical supervisory visits,
working to improve
subsequent follow-up with
teachers.
Basic Competence
2
Consistently work
with faculty, staff,
and students in ways
that demonstrate
expectations for trust,
learning, and high
expectations.
Collaborate with
faculty to make
decisions regarding
curricular selection or
implementation.
Support faculty and
staff in the creation
of personalized,
motivating
environments for all
students, schoolwide.
Advanced Competence
3
Collaborate with faculty,
staff, and students to
develop a culture of trust,
learning, and high
expectations.
Leadership Competence
4
Collaborate with faculty,
staff, students, and families
to develop and sustain a
culture of trust, learning, and
high expectations.
Collaborate with faculty
to make decisions
regarding curricular
selection and
implementation.
Actively work for the
creation of personalized,
motivating environments
for all students in a grade
level or content area.
Collaborate with faculty to
make research-based
decisions regarding curricular
selection and
implementation.
Actively work for the
creation of personalized,
motivating environments for
all students, schoolwide.
Conduct routine
walk-throughs or 3step clinical
supervisory visits,
subsequently
following up with
teachers.
Develop, revise,
and/or recommend
ways to implement
assessment and/or
accountability
systems to monitor
student progress.
Conduct routine walkthroughs and 3-step
clinical supervisory visits,
subsequently following up
with teachers after walkthroughs or clinical
supervisory visits.
Collaborate with teachers
to develop/ revise or
implement assessment
and/or accountability
systems to monitor
student progress.
Conduct routine walkthroughs and 3-step clinical
supervisory visits, following
up with teachers after both
kinds of supervision.
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Collaborate with teachers to
develop/ revise and
implement assessment and/or
accountability systems to
monitor student progress.
2F - Develop the
instructional and
leadership capacity of
staff.
Score:_____
Prefer models that
confine curricular
leadership to school
administrators.
Support curriculumfocused leadership roles if
requested by faculty.
Suggest curriculumSupport faculty in
Recruit faculty for
focused leadership
curriculum-focused
curriculum-focused
opportunities for
leadership roles that build leadership roles that build
faculty that build
upon individual strengths. upon individual strengths.
upon individual
strengths.
2G - Maximize time spent
Little or no active
Collaborate with faculty in Collaborate with
Collaborate with faculty
Collaborate with faculty in
on quality instruction.
involvement with
the identification or
faculty in the
in the identification or
the identification and
Score:_____
faculty in the
implementation of
identification and
implementation of
implementation of effective,
identification or
effective instructional
implementation of
effective, research-based
research-based instructional
implementation of
practices
effective instructional instructional practices
practices.
instructional practices
practices
2H - Promote the use of
Little or no observed
Support faculty in the
Support faculty in the Collaborate with faculty
Collaborate with faculty in
the most effective and
support for effective
identification or
identification and
in the identification or
the identification and
appropriate technologies
technology-enhanced
implementation of
implementation of
implementation of
implementation of effective,
to support teaching and
instructional practice.
effective, technologyeffective, technology- effective, technologytechnology-enhanced
learning.
enhanced instructional
enhanced
enhanced instructional
instructional practices.
Score:_____
practices
instructional practices practices
2I - Monitor and evaluate
Little or no work with
Monitor or evaluate the
Monitor or evaluate
Monitor and evaluate the
Implement transparent
the impact of the
monitoring and
impact of instruction.
the impact of
impact of research-based
processes to monitor and
instructional program.
evaluating
research-based
instruction.
evaluate the impact of
Score:_____
instructional impact.
instruction.
research-based instruction.
ISLLC 3 - An education leader promotes the success of every student by ensuring management of the organization, operation, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective
learning environment.
Comments:
Composite ISLLC 3
Score:_____
3A - Monitor and evaluate
the management and
operational systems.
Obtain, allocate, align,
and efficiently utilize
human, fiscal, and
technological resources.
Score:_____
3B - Promote and protect
the welfare and safety of
students and staff.
Score:_____
Not Yet Competent
0
Little or no direct
involvement with the
management human,
fiscal/budgetary, or
technological
resources
Developing Competence
1
Direct involvement with
the management of one of
the following: of human,
fiscal/budgetary, and
technological resources.
Basic Competence
2
Direct involvement
with the management
of two of the
following: of human,
fiscal/budgetary, and
technological
resources.
Advanced Competence
3
Direct involvement with
the management of
human, fiscal/budgetary,
and technological
resources.
Leadership Competence
4
Direct involvement with the
management of human,
fiscal/budgetary, and
technological resources;
extensive work in one or
more areas.
Needs to take a more
active role in knowing
and following safety
policies and
Knows and follows safety
policies and procedures.
Take an active role in
assuring that
everyone in the
building knows and
Take an active role in
conducting safety drills
and assuring that
everyone in the building
Take an active role in
conducting and following up
on safety drills and assuring
that everyone in the building
Page 55 of 67
procedures.
3C - Develop the capacity
for distributed leadership.
Score:_____
Prefer models that
confine leadership
roles to school
administrators.
Support leadership roles
that build upon individual
strengths if requested by
faculty or staff.
follows safety
policies and
procedures.
knows and follows safety
policies and procedures.
knows and follows safety
policies and procedures.
Suggest/provide
leadership
opportunities for
faculty that build
upon individual
strengths.
Support formal
policies and informal
practices to make
maximal use of
instructional time.
Support faculty or staff in
leadership roles that build
upon individual strengths.
Support faculty and staff in
leadership roles that build
upon individual strengths.
3D - Ensure teacher and
Little or no evidence
Know school and/or
Work to implement
Work to implement formal
organizational time is
of support for policies
district policies pertaining
formal policies and
policies and informal
focused to support quality
regarding use of
to use of instructional time.
informal practices to
practices to make maximal
instruction and student
uninterrupted
make maximal use of
use of instructional time and
learning.
instructional time
instructional time.
minimize interruptions.
Score:_____
ISLLC 4 - An education leader promotes the success of every student by collaborating with faculty and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs,
and mobilizing community resources.
Comments:
Composite ISLLC 4
Score: _____
4A - Collect and analyze
data and information
pertinent to the
educational environment.
Score:_____
4B - Promote
understanding,
appreciation, and use of
the community’s diverse
cultural, social, and
intellectual resources.
Score:_____
Build and sustain positive
4C - elationships with
families and caregivers.
Score:_____
4D - Build and sustain
productive relationships
Not Yet Competent
0
Little or no evidence
of skills re data
collection and
analysis.
Developing Competence
1
Developing skills re data
collection and analysis.
Basic Competence
2
Work with faculty to
collect and analyze
data.
Advanced Competence
3
Collaborate with
administration and faculty
to collect and analyze
data.
Maintain the school
isolated from the
community.
Cooperate when
approached by community
members.
Invite community
members to the
school for special
programs or
occasions.
Bring community
opportunities to the
attention of teachers and
students.
Interaction with
families and
caregivers ineffective
or erratic.
Interaction with
community partners
Interact cooperatively with
families and caregivers.
Interact positively
with families and
caregivers.
Take initiative to interact
positively with families
and caregivers.
Take initiative to interact
positively and assist families
and caregivers.
Interact cooperatively with
community partners.
Interact positively
with community
Take initiative to interact
positively with
Take initiative to interact
positively and assist
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Leadership Competence
4
Collaborate with
administration and faculty to
collect, analyze, and make
instructional decisions based
on data.
Organize opportunities for
reciprocal involvement
between school community
members and community
personnel.
with community partners.
ineffective or erratic
partners.
community partners.
Score:_____
ISLLC 5 - An education leader promotes the success of every student by acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner.
Comments:
community partners.
Composite ISLLC 5
Score:_____
5A - Ensure a system of
accountability for every
student’s academic and
social success.
Score:_____
5B - Model principles of
self-awareness, reflective
practice, transparency,
and ethical behavior.
Score:_____
Leadership Competence
4
Involve all faculty in carrying
out and planning or
evaluating systems of
accountability for student
learning.
Consistently demonstrate
behaviors associated with
self-awareness, reflective
approaches to practice,
transparency, and
professional ethics-even in
difficult situations.
Not Yet Competent
0
Not involved with
systems of
accountability for
student learning.
Developing Competence
1
Support the concept of
systems of accountability
for student learning.
Basic Competence
2
Monitor systems of
accountability for
student learning.
Advanced Competence
3
Involve all faculty in
carrying out systems of
accountability for student
learning.
Demonstrate behaviors Demonstrate behaviors
Demonstrate
Demonstrate behaviors
associated with only
associated with two of four behaviors associated
associated with selfone or none of four
areas: self-awareness,
with three of four
awareness, reflective
areas: self-awareness,
reflective approaches to
areas: self-awareness, approaches to practice,
reflective approaches
practice, transparency, and reflective approaches transparency, and
to practice,
professional ethics.
to practice,
professional ethics.
transparency, and
transparency, and
professional ethics.
professional ethics.
5C - Safeguard the values
Demonstrate
Demonstrate behaviors
Demonstrate
Consistently demonstrate
Consistently demonstrate
of democracy, equity, and
behaviors not
associated with democracy, behaviors associated
behaviors associated with behaviors associated with and
diversity.
associated with
equity, or diversity.
with democracy,
democracy, equity, and
actively advocates for
Score:_____
democracy, equity,
equity, and diversity. diversity.
democracy, equity, and
and diversity.
diversity.
5D - Consider and
Need to apply
Apply knowledge of
Apply knowledge of
Consistently apply
Consistently apply
evaluate the potential
knowledge of school
school law or precedent
school law and
knowledge of school law
knowledge of school law and
moral and legal
law and consider
being set or followed when precedent being set or and precedent being set or precedent being set or
consequences of decisionprecedent being set or
considering courses of
followed when
followed when
followed when considering
making.
followed when
action.
considering courses
considering courses of
courses of action, and knows
Score:_____
considering courses of
of action.
action.
when to seek additional legal
action.
advice or counsel.
5E - Promote social
Rarely base schooling- Base some schoolingBase schoolingBase most schoolingBase all schooling-related
justice and ensure that
related decisions on
related decisions on what is related decisions on
related decisions
decisions primarily on what
individual student needs
what is in best
in best interests of students what is in best
primarily on what is in
is in best interests of students
inform all aspects of
interests of students as as individuals and as a
interests of students
best interests of students
as individuals and as a
schooling.
individuals or as a
community of learners.
as individuals and as
as individuals and as a
community of learners.
Score:_____
community of
a community of
community of learners.
learners.
learners.
ISLLC 6 – An education leader promotes the success of every student by understanding, responding to, and influencing the political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context.
Page 57 of 67
Comments:
Composite ISLLC 6
score:_____
6A - Advocate for
children, families, and
caregivers.
Score:_____
Not Yet Competent
0
Minimal support for
needs of children,
families, and
caregivers in the
school community.
Developing Competence
1
Support needs of children,
families, and caregivers in
the school community.
6B - Act to influence
local, district, state, and
national decisions
affecting student learning.
Score:_____
Appear uninformed
regarding policies and
practices affecting
student learning.
Support local and/or
district policies and
practices affecting student
learning
6C - Assess, analyze, and
anticipate emerging trends
and initiatives in order to
adapt leadership
strategies.
Score:_____
Rarely keep up with
local and national
news pertinent to
education and no
ongoing plan for
professional
development.
Keep up with local and
national news pertinent to
education and have an
ongoing plan for
professional development.
Basic Competence
2
Advocate for the
needs of specific
subgroups of children
in the school
community; support
needs of families and
caregivers.
Act to influence local
and/or district
policies and practices
affecting student
learning.
Advanced Competence
3
Advocate for the needs of
all children in the school
community; support the
needs of families and
caregivers.
Leadership Competence
4
Advocate for the needs of
children, families, and
caregivers in the school
community.
Act to influence local
and/or district policies
and practices affecting
student learning within
state and/or national
context.
Keep up with local and
national news pertinent to
education, reference
professional association
resources and conference
information, and follow
an ongoing plan for
professional development.
Collaborate to influence local
and/or district policies and
practices affecting student
learning within state and/or
national context.
Basic Competence
2
Advanced Competence
3
Leadership Competence
4
Demonstration of
commitment to
professional ethics,
integrity, and
standards of practice.
Demonstrated ability
Consistent demonstration
of commitment to
professional ethics,
integrity, and standards of
practice.
Demonstrated ability to
Consistent demonstration of
commitment to professional
ethics, integrity, and
standards of practice, even in
difficult situations.
Demonstrated ability to
Keep up with local
and national news
pertinent to
education, reference
professional
association resources
or conference info,
and follow ongoing
plan for professional
development.
Keep up with local and
national news pertinent to
education, use professional
association resources and
conference information to
inform practice, and follow
an ongoing plan for
professional development.
7 Leadership Dispositions – Aligned with School of Education and M.Ed. program goals.
Comments:
Composite School/M.Ed.
Leadership Dispositions
Score:
_____
7A - Commitment to
professional ethics,
integrity, and standards of
practice.
Score:_____
7B - Demonstrated
Not Yet Competent
0
Not yet demonstrating
commitment to
professional ethics,
integrity, and
standards of practice.
Demonstrated
Developing Competence
1
Beginning to demonstrate
commitment to
professional ethics,
integrity, and standards of
practice.
Observable respect for
Page 58 of 67
respect for diverse
cultures and backgrounds
Score:_____
tolerance for diverse
students, teachers, and
families.
diverse students, teachers,
and families.
to interact effectively
with diverse students,
teachers, and
families.
interact respectfully with
diverse groups of
students, teachers, and
families.
interact respectfully with
diverse groups of students,
teachers, families, and
community members.
8 Leadership Skills – Aligned with School of Education and M.Ed. program goals.
Comments: (Include requirement of weekly email/reflection communication.)
Composite School/M.Ed.
Leadership Skill
Score:_____
8A - Ability to solve
problems in
administrative practice
Score:_____
8B - Apply educational
leadership principles and
theories in practice, with
emphasis on ISLLC
functions.
Score:_____
8C - Use of technology
Score:_____
8D - Oral communication
Score:_____
8E - Effective written
communication
Score:_____
8F - Numeracy skills
Score:_____
Not Yet Competent
0
Developing Competence
1
Basic Competence
2
Advanced Competence
3
Leadership Competence
4
Not yet taking
initiative to attempt
problem solving.
Beginning to take initiative
to solve practice-generated
problems.
Beginning to identify
principles/theories that
may inform practice
examples.
Can identify
principles/theories that
may inform practice
examples.
Beginning to approach
problem solving
collaboratively or
independently.
Can identify
principles/theories and
how they inform
practice after practice
examples take place.
Approach problem solving
collaboratively or
independently as needed and
know when to seek advice.
Can identify
principles/theories and how
they inform practice as
practice examples take place
(reflection in action).
Avoid common
technological
applications to
enhance administrative
practice.
Working toward
professional, easily
understood,
grammatical oral
communication.
Working toward
professional,
organized, mechanical
error-free written
communication.
Working to process,
analyze, explain, and
use administrative
data.
Begin to use common
technological applications
to enhance administrative
practice.
Use common tech
applications to
enhance administrative
practice.
Approach problem
solving collaboratively
or independently as
needed.
Beginning to identify
principles/theories and
how they inform practice
as practice examples
take place (reflection in
action).
Beginning to seek out
innovative technological
applications to enhance
administrative practice.
Usually professional,
usually easily understood,
minor grammar errors.
Professional, usually
easily understood,
mostly correct
grammar.
Professional, easily
understood, correct
grammar.
Usually professional and
organized, minor
mechanical errors.
Professional,
organized, mostly
accurate mechanics.
Professional, wellorganized, accurate
mechanics.
Professional, easily
understood, correct grammar;
able to adjust oral
communication style to fit
preferred style of audience.
Professional, well-organized,
accurate mechanics; able to
write in a variety of styles.
Analyze or use
administrative data.
Analyze and use
administrative data.
Beginning to explain as
well as analyze and use
administrative data.
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Seek out innovative
technological applications to
enhance administrative
practice.
Explain, analyze, and use
administrative data.
APPENDIX M
NCU Principal Leadership Internship - Field Personnel Evaluation
The Field Personnel Evaluation Instrument is completed by the intern at the end of PL 6010 and PL 6011 and submitted to the office of the PL program coordinator. If
concerns are noted at the midpoint of the 16-week internship, especially if the candidate’s ability to complete internship requirements is at stake, the PL program
coordinator (or his/her designee) will hold problem-solving conversations with the mentor principal and/or university supervisor.
Quality of Support and Role Modeling Provided to the Administrative Intern
Minimal
Adequate
Strong
Consistently Strong
By the Mentor Principal
Leadership Dispositions
Commitment to professional ethics, integrity, and standards of practice.
Demonstrated respect for diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Leadership Skills
Ability to solve problems in administrative practice.
Apply educational leadership principles and theories in practice.
Use of technology
Oral communication.
Effective written communication.
Data-focused numeracy skills
Comments:
Quality of Support and Role Modeling Provided to the Administrative Intern
By the University Supervisor
Leadership Dispositions
Minimal
Commitment to professional ethics, integrity, and standards of practice.
Demonstrated respect for diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Leadership Skills
Ability to solve problems in administrative practice.
Apply educational leadership principles and theories in practice.
Use of technology
Oral communication.
Effective written communication.
Data-focused numeracy skills
Comments:
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Adequate
Strong
Consistently Strong
APPENDIX N - Northcentral School of Education PK-12 Principal Action Research Evaluation Rubric Strands from the first part of this
rubric are used to score the Action Research Proposal in PL 5050; the full rubric is used to score the final Action Research Project in PL 6011.
Not
Not Yet Competent Developing Competence
Basic Competence
Developed Competence
Observed
0 Points
.25 Points
.50
.75 Points
Preliminary Components (comments):
Action Research Project
Cover Page
Abstract
Table of Contents
Cover page does not
follow PL 5050
proposal template.
Inaccurate
information included
or so much
information provided
there is no need to
read the paper.
Table of Contents
missing or lists
components out of
order.
Cover page follows PL
5050 proposal template
with one error.
Presents accurate
information, <100 or
>150 words.
Page numbers in the
document do not align
with page numbers in the
Table of Contents.


Advanced Competence
1 Point
Cover page follows PL 5050
proposal template.
Presents accurate
information, 100-150
words.
Presents accurate
information, overviews
key findings and/or
unique design aspects,
<100 or >150 words.
Presents accurate
information, overviews key
findings and/or unique design
aspects, 100-150 words.
Accurate and wellorganized, with
headings for the main
sections and most of all
rubric components
included.
Accurate and wellorganized, with a
minimum of all rubric
components included.
Accurate and well-organized,
with headings for the main
sections and a minimum of
all rubric components
included.
Related to leadership and
student achievement in
specific PK-12 school(s).
Provides history and current
context, informed by
literature base and local data.
Section 1: Introduction - Reflection and Focus (10 points – Week 2) (comments):
Topic
Background
ISLLC Standard
Connection
Problem
Unrelated to
education or PK-12
schooling
History and current
context missing or
vague.
Unrelated to PK-12
schooling but related to
education
Provides history or
current context of
problem or issue.
Related to specific PK12 school(s)
Related to leadership in
specific PK-12 school(s)
Provides history and
current context of
problem or issue.
ISLLC Standard(s)
not mentioned or not
aligned to the project.
Does not involve a
gap in the education
knowledge base,
proposed course of
action, or
ISLLC Standard(s)
mentioned but alignment
to the project is vague.
Involves a theoretical gap
in education knowledge
base or malfunction.
ISLLC Standard(s)
indirectly aligned to the
project.
Involves a theoretical
gap in PK-12
knowledge base or PK12 malfunction.
Provides history and
current context, informed
by literature base or local
data.
ISLLC Standard(s)
directly aligned to the
project.
Involves a specific gap in
PK-12 knowledge base,
proposed course of action,
or PK-12 malfunction to
overcome.
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ISLLC Standard(s) and
function(s) are directly
aligned to the project.
Involves a specific gap in
PK-12 knowledge base,
proposed course of action, or
PK-12 malfunction to
overcome, related to student
Question
Purpose
Hypothesis (if appropriate)
Delimitations
Definition of Key Terms
malfunction.
Question is not
specific, focused, or
do-able in 8-10
weeks.
Purpose does not
include a research
goal, reason for
study, or what will be
done with the results.
Hypothesis missing
when a hypothesis
would be appropriate
to the study.
Delimitations not
applicable to the
study or not
addressed.
Definitions missing
or inaccurate.
achievement.
Question is specific, focused,
and do-able in 8-10 weeks.
Question is phrased as a
statement rather than a
question.
Question meets one of
the three criteria.
Question meets two of the
three criteria.
Purpose is vague or not
phrased as a complete
statement.
Purpose meets one of
the three criteria.
Purpose meets two of the
three criteria.
Includes research goal, why
this study, and what will be
done with the results.
Hypothesis provided
when a hypothesis is not
appropriate to the study.
Type of hypothesis
(null or directional) not
identified but narrative
and narrative doesn’t fit
the research P-Q-P.
Description of one or
more key choices made
or avoided in regard to
focus of study
Key definitions
provided.
Type of hypothesis (null
or directional) not
identified but narrative
fits the research P-Q-P.
Stated as a null or directional
hypothesis and narrative fits
the research P-Q-P.
Clear description of most
key choices made or
avoided in regard to focus
of study.
Key definitions provided
and all or most are drawn
from professional
literature with APA
citations..
Clear description of all key
choices made or avoided in
regard to focus of study.
Organized by chronology,
concepts, pro-con, or primary
viewpoints and identified as
such, with smooth transitions
between sections.
>12 resources, 50% or more
journal articles or books;
remainder are professional
papers or e-sources.
Vague description of
choices made or avoided
in regard to focus of study
One or more key
definitions missing.
Key definitions provided and
all or most are drawn from
professional literature with
APA citations.
Section 2: Literature Review (10 points – week 3) (comments):
Organization Method
Organization method
inaccurately applied
or not apparent.
Organization method does
not fit one of the four
organization methods.
Organized by
chronology, concepts,
pro-con, or primary
viewpoints.
Organized by chronology,
concepts, pro-con, or
primary viewpoints and
identified as such.
Resources
>12 resources, less
than 50% journal
articles or books, and
remainder relies upon
sources that are not
professional papers
or e-sources.
Summary of key
points missing or
>12 resources, less than
50% journal articles or
books, or remainder relies
upon sources that are not
professional papers or esources.
<12 resources, 50% or
more journal articles or
books; remainder are
professional papers or
e-sources.
12 resources, 50% or
more journal articles or
books; remainder are
professional papers or esources.
Missing points important
to the project.
Most key points
summarized.
Most key points
summarized in one
Summary of Key Points
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All key points summarized in
one paragraph.
difficult to identify.
Section 3: Research Design and Methodology (10 points – week 2) (comments):
Subjects and Site
Method
Process
paragraph.
Subjects and site not
specifically
described.
Method inaccurately
labeled, applied, and
described.
Subjects or site
described.
Subjects and site
described.
Subjects and site
specifically described.
Subjects and site described
specifically enough for the
study to be replicated.
Method accurately labeled,
applied, and described
specifically enough for the
study to be replicated.
Addressed what data to
collect, what will be done
with results, and step-by-step
instructions clear enough to
facilitate replication.
Method accurately
labeled, applied, or
described.
Method accurately
labeled, applied, and
described.
Method accurately
labeled, applied, and
specifically described.
All three required
components missing
or difficult to
identify.
Addressed one of the
three required
components.
Addressed two of the
three required
components.
Addressed what data to
collect, what will be done
with results, and how it
will be done.
Findings/results vaguely
or subjectively described.
Findings/results
specifically, objectively
described.
All findings/results
specifically, objectively
described and wellorganized.
Tables/charts/diagrams
used but key data pieces
not highlighted.
All findings/results
specifically, concisely,
objectively described and
well-organized.
Tables/charts/diagrams
showcase key data pieces that
answer research question.
Section 4: Results (10 points – week 14) (comments):
Findings
Findings/results
vague, inaccurate, or
omitted.
Tables, Charts, Diagrams
Tables/charts/
Tables/charts/diagrams
Tables/charts/diagrams
diagrams contain
used where one or two
not provided in APA
inaccurate
sentences of narrative
format.
information or data.
would suffice.
Section 5: Discussions, Conclusions, Recommendations (10 points – week 14) (comments):
Research Question(s)
Limitations
Interpretation
Conclusions
Not specifically
answered or not
addressed in this
section.
Factors beyond
researcher control
vaguely addressed or
not addressed.
Interpretation
inaccurate or missing.
Answered in the narrative
but difficult to find or
incomplete answer.
Answered in the
narrative.
Specifically answered.
Specifically answered in one
sentence followed by
explanatory paragraph(s).
Factors beyond researcher
control missed.
Factors beyond
researcher control
mentioned.
Factors beyond researcher
control described.
Interpretation is vague or
not based on results.
Interpretation addresses
one of the three
components.
Interpretation addresses
two of the three
components.
Conclusions vague or
Conclusions described
Conclusions described
Conclusions described
Factors beyond researcher
control described with
possible reasons for their
impacting the study.
Interpretation addresses
research goal, why this study,
and what will be done with
the results.
Conclusions described with
Page 63 of 67
missing.
Recommendations for
Practice
Recommendations do
not involve a gap in
the education
knowledge base of
practice, proposed
course of action, or
malfunction.
Supporting Components (5 points – week 14) (comments):
References
Appendices
Reference list
incomplete (does not
includes all work
cited in the project or
includes work not
cited) and not in
accurate APA format
with >5 errors.
Not included though
mentioned in the
paper or included to
expand page count.
with incorrect alignment
to results.
Recommendations
address a theoretical gap
in education knowledge
base of practice or
malfunction.
without alignment to
results.
Recommendations
address a theoretical
gap in PK-12
knowledge base of
practice, or PK-12
malfunction.
with alignment to results.
Reference list incomplete
(does not includes all
work cited in the project
or includes work not
cited) or not in accurate
APA format with >5
errors.
Reference list complete
(includes all work cited
in the project) and in
accurate APA format
with three to five errors.
Reference list complete
(includes all work cited in
the project) and in
accurate APA format with
one or two errors.
Reference list complete
(includes all work cited in the
project) and in accurate APA
format.
Not included though
inclusion would have
supported the study.
Included if needed but
not referenced in Table
of Contents.
Included if needed;
referenced in Table of
Contents.
Included if needed;
accurately labeled in APA
format, referenced in Table
of Contents.
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Recommendations
address filling a gap in
PK-12 knowledge base of
practice, proposed course
of action, or PK-12
malfunction to overcome.
clear, accurate alignment to
results.
Recommendation address
filling a gap in PK-12
knowledge base of practice,
proposed course of action, or
PK-12 malfunction to
overcome, related to student
achievement.
APPENDIX O
ISLLC Standards and Functions
ISLLC Standard 1
An education leader promotes the success of every student by facilitating the development,
articulation,
implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by all
stakeholders.
Functions:
A. Collaboratively develop and implement a shared vision and mission.
B. Collect and use data to identify goals, assess organizational effectiveness, and promote
organizational learning.
C. Create and implement plans to achieve goals.
D. Promote continuous and sustainable improvement.
E. Monitor and evaluate progress and revise plans.
ISLLC Standard 2
An education leader promotes the success of every student by advocating, nurturing, and
sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff
professional growth.
Functions:
A. Nurture and sustain a culture of collaboration, trust, learning, and high expectations.
B. Create a comprehensive, rigorous, and coherent curricular program.
C. Create a personalized and motivating learning environment for students.
D. Supervise instruction.
E. Develop assessment and accountability systems to monitor student progress.
F. Develop the instructional and leadership capacity of staff.
G. Maximize time spent on quality instruction.
H. Promote the use of the most effective and appropriate technologies to support teaching and
learning.
I. Monitor and evaluate the impact of the instructional program.
ISLLC Standard 3
An education leader promotes the success of every student by ensuring management of the
organization, operations, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.
Functions:
A. Monitor and evaluate the management and operational systems.
B. Obtain, allocate, align, and efficiently utilize human, fiscal, and technological resources.
C. Promote and protect the welfare and safety of students and staff.
D. Develop the capacity for distributed leadership.
E. Ensure teacher and organizational time is focused to support quality instruction and student
learning.
ISLLC Standard 4
An education leader promotes the success of every student by collaborating with faculty and
community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing
community resources.
Functions:
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A. Collect and analyze data and information pertinent to the educational environment.
B. Promote understanding, appreciation, use of the community’s diverse cultural, social, and
intellectual resources.
C. Build and sustain positive relationships with families and caregivers.
D. Build and sustain productive relationships with community partners.
ISLLC Standard 5
An education leader promotes the success of every student by acting with integrity, fairness, and
in an ethical manner.
Functions:
A. Ensure a system of accountability for every student’s academic and social success.
B. Model principles of self-awareness, reflective practice, transparency, and ethical behavior.
C. Safeguard the values of democracy, equity, and diversity.
D. Consider and evaluate the potential moral and legal consequences of decision-making.
E. Promote social justice and ensure that individual student needs inform all aspects of
schooling.
ISLLC Standard 6
An education leader promotes the success of every student by understanding, responding to, and
influencing
the political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context.
Functions:
A. Advocate for children, families, and caregivers.
B. Act to influence local, district, state, and national decisions affecting student learning.
C. Assess, analyze, and anticipate emerging trends and initiatives in order to adapt leadership
strategies.
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