Competency Reflections

Ashley Acomb
Competency 001: The principal knows how
to shape campus culture by facilitating the
development, articulation, implementation,
and stewardship of a vision of learning that
is shared and supported by the school
community.

Competency 002: The principal knows how

to communicate and collaborate with all
members of the school community, respond
to diverse interests and needs, and mobilize
resources to promote student success.

Competency 003: The principal knows how

to act with integrity, fairness, and in an
ethical and legal manner.

Competency 004: The principal knows how

to facilitate the design and implementation
of curricula and strategic plans that
enhance teaching and learning; ensure
alignment of curriculum, instruction,
resources, and assessment; and promote the
use of varied assessments to measure
student performance.

In order for a school to be successful, all

stakeholders need to share similar goals for the
students of the school. The school community
must effectively create and communicate their
philosophy of education and vision for the school.
As an administrative intern and Department Head,
I was responsible for ensuring my teams actions
were aligned with our schools mission and
philosophy. Whether I was selecting new
curriculum, developing a new code of behavior for
the students, or leading a department meeting, it
was my duty to ensure my decisions and actions
were based on our shared vision.
Teaching a catholic, private school has many
benefits, but the schools lack of programs for
special populations does not provide me with
many opportunities to work with bilingual, ELL,
Section 504, or GT students. Also, I lacked
information and experience on testing and
evaluation of special services. This internship has
provided experiences that will guide my decisionmaking and implementation of programs for
special populations.
My internship afforded me several opportunities,
including the development of a new student
admissions process and the handling of
standardized testing materials, both of which
required me to act in an ethical and legal manner.
Both projects involved confidential information,
for which I was responsible. The new student
admissions process required much thought in order
to ensure our school was accepting or rejecting
applicants in a fair and ethical manner. The
process becomes heavily scrutinized, particularly
in the case of denying admission for siblings.
Understanding the District and Campus
Improvement Planning Process is important
because administrators need to know how to
effectively plan, assess, and improve achievement.
During this internship I was able review and
evaluate my campus plan, analyze data from a
schools AYP, and interview the principal about
site-based decision making. I particularly enjoyed

discussing site-based decision making with the

principal. Being a private school, our campus
lends itself to SBDM. If I plan to become an
administrator at a private school, I will especially
need to foster my communication and organization
skills. There are many advantages to having more
autonomy over your campus, but I will need to
work closely with others to ensure our campus is
continuously improving.
The internship also allowed me to become more
familiar with AYP and Title 1 school
improvement. As a principal I will be responsible
for collaborating with others in performing a needs
assessment, creating measurable goals and
objectives, implementing strategies and activities,
providing professional development, and
evaluating effectiveness. It will be my duty to
continuously monitor student achievement and
work collaboratively with all stakeholders.
Competency 005: The principal knows how Acting as Department Head during the internship
to advocate, nurture, and sustain an
placed me in the position of supervising the
instructional program and a campus culture primary grades at my school. My schools
that are conducive to student learning and
administration desired a more rigorous curriculum
staff professional growth.
and instructional style that would better suit the
needs of our gifted and talented student
population. The faculty received specialized GT
instruction in order for the teachers to become
certified in Gifted and Talented. While our school
does not intend to create a separate GT Program,
we began taking steps into incorporating a GT
methodology within our current curriculum.
Many teachers were initially against the change.
During a meeting with the school principal we
discussed the lack of buy in in my department. I
attributed it mostly to the training sessions because
they primarily focused on working with older
students. The teachers in my department were
focused on the impracticalities and had difficulties
envisioning what GT instruction would look like
in an early childhood classroom. After further
research, I worked with my team to find simple
ways for them to incorporate the new strategies
into their daily routine. Several teachers were
surprised to realize that they were already using
many of the techniques, but they had never labeled
them as GT. It only required changing the mindset

of a few teachers before the buy in occurred.

Each meeting, we now take turns sharing new
ideas that are working in our classrooms.
Competency 006: The principal knows how As a member of the Administrative Team and
to implement a staff evaluation and
Primary Department Head, I was responsible for
development system to improve the
informing the principal of any staff performance
performance of all staff members, select
problems. I also consulted with the principal
and implement appropriate models for
about teacher position changes, teacher
supervision and staff development, and
motivation, and staff development. I was
apply the legal requirements for personnel
directed to mentor two new teachers and assist a
management.
struggling teacher. I created a plan to observe,
collect data, and evaluate the teachers current
classroom management skills, organizational
skills, and instructional skills. I regularly followed
up with the teachers to provide further assistance.
I also periodically met with the principal to discuss
the teachers progress.
Competency 007: The principal knows how Just as all students are different, so are teachers.
to apply organizational, decision-making,
Each teacher requires a different type of
and problem-solving skills to ensure an
motivation, praise, and leadership style. This is
effective learning environment.
my first year as Department Head, and I am now a
supervisor over inexperienced teachers and
teachers, in several cases, with more years
experience and more certifications. I found it
relatively easy to guide newer faculty members,
but I soon realized I needed to adjust my
leadership style for the more experienced teachers.
The newer teachers benefited from a more
directive approach, as they often lacked formal
experience and were actively seeking advice.
However, I had more success using a consultative
approach to decision making with the more
experienced teachers. It was important for me to
respect their experience and learn from their
expertise.
Competency 008: The principal knows how After completing the internship, I have a much
to apply principles of effective leadership
greater understanding of the necessary skills and
and management in relation to campus
financial duties of an administrator. My school
budgeting, personnel, resource utilization,
principal was a great help during this internship, as
financial management, and technology use. I had little experience with campus budget
planning. I especially lacked the knowledge of
function codes and budget planning on a district
level.
Overall, my interviews were positive and
enlightening, although I must admit, a bit
confusing and overwhelming. My principal

suggested becoming an assistant principal before

taking on the role as principal because it would
give me the opportunity to gain first-hand
experience while still having a higher authority to
guide me through the process.
I also realized my preference for private school
finances, as I feel the strict regulations,
government mandates on funding, and government
bureaucracy take away the autonomy of a school
to serve the needs of their specific population. I
believe oversight is crucial, but I would prefer to
use campus resources and funding in a way that
best helps the students.
With less oversight than a public school district, it
is necessary to be fiscally responsible and
knowledgeable. I also discovered the importance
of having reliable and knowledgeable financial
personnel to assist me with creating and
monitoring the campus budget. Most importantly,
all stakeholders in charge of the budget should
share a common vision for the school.
Competency 009: The principal knows how School safety and discipline will be a large
to apply principles of leadership and
component to my job as an administrator. During
management to the campus physical plant
the internship I was able to sit in on a student
and support systems to ensure a safe and
discipline conference, review our discipline
effective learning environment.
procedures and code of conduct, and converse
with colleagues about my campus preparedness
for an emergency.
The discipline conference was beneficial because I
got to see how the principal handles these
situations. I have had countless conferences, but
none with the principal. I was able to see how she
maintains a calm atmosphere, fosters mutual
respect, and speaks deliberately and firmly. I
learned a lot from her demeanor during the
conference.
While reviewing our code of conduct and rules, I
realized the importance of communication and all
stakeholders being held accountable for creating a
safe atmosphere, conducive to learning. I also
realized the importance of consistency, not only in
your own classroom, but also across the grade
levels.
I realized my campus is taking great strides to
ensure the safety of the students and faculty.
Administration performs a thorough job of

executing drills, communicating safety procedures,

and maintaining a safe physical environment.