ISSL Standard 2: Instructional Leadership

An educational leader promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and
sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff
professional development.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)

Provides leadership for Assessing/Developing/Improving Climate and Culture

Systematically/Fairly Recognizing/Celebrating Staff/Student Accomplishment
Encourages design of more effective learning experiences for students
Monitors/Evaluates Effective Curriculum/Instruction/Assessment
Evaluates Staff and Provides ongoing coaching for improvement
Ensures professional development that enhances teaching/learning
Uses research/theory to develop/revise professional growth plan
Promotes collaboration with all stakeholders
Accessible and approachable to all stakeholders
Visible and engaged in the community
Articulates and reinforces desired school culture, showing evidence

Reflection
The greatest asset that a school has is its teachers. There are a variety of influences that we
as educators have little control over when it comes to our students, but what we can control
is the quality of the education that we provide our students with when they are in our
buildings. We as educators want our students to succeed to their highest potential, as
educational leaders we need our staff members to teach at their highest potential.
Our building has a very diverse student population. We have been given the opportunity to
differentiate our building let professional development to choose topics that best serve our
needs as teachers. I am part of an AP teacher Professional Learning Community where we
are looking at the achievement gap and how we can best serve our minority students
enrolled in AP courses. As part of my graduate research I wrote a research paper on the topic
of stereotype threat. From my research I developed a Professional Development session in
which I presented the theory behind Stereotype Threat and how it might impact our
students.
My second artifact is the Scales that I developed as part of a curriculum redesign committee
to prepare for our implementation of standards referenced grading. Our district is moving to
change our district grading policies to create a more uniform grading procedure, but also to
implement a strategy thats focus is one increasing student achievement by providing a grade
that reflects and communicates what students know and are able to do. In writing the scales
it defines levels of student learning and matches it with a rating that eventually is converted
toward a letter grade. The process itself allows teachers like myself to better communicate
areas where students are proficient but also communicate areas of needed growth.

My third artifact is a mid-term evaluation I wrote for my student teacher. As a student

teacher with little classroom experience I provide daily feedback for my student teacher
which culminated in my mid-term evaluation. In developing teachers providing feedback is
critical for teachers to be able to reflect on their own practices but also give them areas of
focus in which to improve their practice.
My last artifact is a picture of myself and a student that I nominated for a student recognition
ceremony that we call Spirit of the Roughrider. We nominate students who arent
necessarily the highest achieving students but those that work tremendously hard and do the
right things in school or those that demonstrate improving behavior to honor those students
hard work and achievements in the classroom. This student recognition has been a positive
step to honoring students who demonstrate a positive work ethic who may not otherwise be
celebrated. It honors what we want all of our students to work towards.
Artifacts
Stereotype Threat PPT (PD)
Standards Reference Grading Scales
Student Teaching Eval
Spirit of the Roughrider Picture