Written Comprehensive Questions- Bjornstad

Written Comprehensive Questions

Kelsey Bjornstad

Minnesota State University Moorhead

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 Written Comprehensive Questions- Bjornstad

Written Comprehensive Questions

If I were assigned to the duties of Director of Staff Development, with the primary job of

evaluating the existing curriculum, prescribing curricular modifications, and developing a plan

for maintaining present programs and implementing changes. The precise steps I would take to

fulfill the position's responsibilities and ensure that all students have access to a guaranteed

and sustainable curriculum.

The first step I would take would be to acknowledge that “professional learning must

embody respect for the professionalism of teachers, by involving teachers as true partners in

their professional learning. Professional learning should provide a clear focus for sustained

growth, and teachers should be collaborating in writing their school improvement plan to

ensure that everyone understands, agrees with, and is committed to the improvement plan.

Teachers should have sufficient support to help with the implementation of new practices,

often provided by instructional coaches. Instructional coaches, principals, educational leaders,

and teachers need to have a deep knowledge of high impact instructional strategies that have a

significant, positive impact on students’ behavior, attitudes, engagement, and learning” (Knight,

2013.

I would be looking at the current curriculum provided by the district and then look at

how the teachers are presenting this information to their classrooms. It is important to keep in

mind the teachers and staff of the school during this process. Talking with them and seeing

what is working and what is not working. “When evaluating curriculum, one way to check for

strong alignment is to choose sample tasks from various units to determine the degree of

alignment between the task and the standard identified using the scale of weak, moderate, and

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strong, as previously described. The tasks you choose to evaluate should represent those found

in daily lessons, extended activities, and assessments” (Lalor, 2017). “There need to be

sufficient and focused practice and assessment opportunities within the unit for a standard to

be considered taught and assessed. Including all standards in one unit does not allow for the

necessary time to practice the embedded skills. Even with the identification of taught and

assessed standards, standards will need to be revisited throughout the year to provide

opportunities for reinforcement and attainment. A second indication that careful thought has

not been given to the identification of standards is when the standards identified in the

overview or introduction to the unit are not the same as those identified in individual lessons.

This mismatch suggests that the standards being taught are not necessarily those being

assessed” (Lalor, 2017). When the curriculum is too difficult to determine the focus of the

standards. “The task then becomes to prioritize the standards by clearly identifying and labeling

those that are taught and assessed and distinguishing them from those that are addressed. For

existing or published curriculums this may mean reviewing existing tasks to determine which

standards are truly being taught and assessed” (Lalor, 2017).

“Through the assessed curriculum, teachers can determine what the students have and

have not learned, identify areas of strengths, and needs, and make decisions about next steps

in instruction. Once again, choices are made as to what is assessed. A quality curriculum

includes assessments that closely align with the standards and big ideas found in each unit. A

quality curriculum will also include different types of assessments so teachers can accurately

determine the learned curriculum-what students know and understand as a result of

instruction and how well student understanding aligns with the formal curriculum. With so

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many layers in the curriculum, it is easy to see how standards can get “lost in translation.”

Students do not always leave the classroom understanding the skills, processes, and content

that have been identified in the formal curriculum. Although many factors affect learning, one

that we do have control over is the use of the formal curriculum to create a purposefully

aligned, engaging, and meaningful curriculum for our students” (Lalor, 2017).

When digging deeper into the curriculum and seeing the different layers, it is important

to look at the current curriculum and see how it is aligning with the standards and how the

students are doing. While talking to the teachers during this process as well, finding out where

students are struggling and being able to see if it is a common occurrence within the

classrooms. Looking at the curriculum and finding out how exactly the standards align and if

they don’t then that would be the first change to make. Make sure you have the standards for

each grade level matching the curriculum that is being taught. “Two critical areas to examine

when evaluating or designing curriculum for standards alignment are, degree of alignment, and

communication of standards that are taught and assessed. Although curriculum documents

may claim alignment, the degree to which the curriculum is aligned may vary. Tasks can be

weakly, moderately, or strongly aligned to standards. A quality curriculum will ensure strong

alignment, meaning the tasks and standards are difficult to distinguish from each other and the

intent of the standard remains intact” (Lalor, 2017).

“Standards layout priorities and serve as the driving force behind the curriculum,

answering the question Why do we have to teach that? However, by themselves standards

cannot be used in the classroom; they must be made operational. The operational curriculum

brings together different types of standards, content, texts, and resources. It identifies ways to

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assess student learning and provides appropriate learning experiences that can be used during

instruction” (Lalor, 2017).

After carefully looking over the information provided by the teachers and their students.

I would have the teachers provide feedback at the end of this all and find out what they like and

don’t like about the curriculum that is currently being used. I would also look at the data of all

the students and see what or where there is the most downfall in scores. I would want to slowly

change the curriculum to see how the teachers and students react to the change and see if

scores change from there. I would want to set a plan in place and then have a timeline of fully

changing over the curriculum and have the teachers be taught the new curriculum and provide

training and support for them as they transition. I would want to try this new change to the

curriculum for a year or two and see how the school's scores change overall and can see if there

is an improvement or not. I would want this new change to the curriculum to be successful and

something that the teaches are on board with and to have the staff, students and school be

successful.

Overall, I would want the new curriculum to be able to provide a viable curriculum for

staff and students. “Learning experience and lessons are two ways to communicate what

should be taught daily. Either structure should include information about what students will do,

why they will do it, and what the teacher will have as evidence of student learning. These

lessons and learning experiences should be strongly aligned with the standards for the unit. A

quality curriculum includes learning experiences or lessons that address content, process, and

dispositions” (Lalor, 2017). I would also want to see in the new curriculum “An organizing

center is a central idea upon which a unit of study is built. It is communicated through a unit’s

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title, essential questions, and a big idea. Quality organizing centers are built around themes,

concepts, issues, problems, processes, or phenomena. They align to the values of the school as

articulated through one or more of the following: the school’s mission and vision statement,

the process and content standards, the learning processes, and the dispositions and habits of

mind that are used to guide instruction. A quality curriculum will organize units of study around

centers that are worthy of the time and energy set aside for their pursuit and that reflect the

overall intent and purpose of the curriculum” (Lalor, 2017).

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Having a leadership style, I think changes as you adapt to new positions, and you learn

as you go. Having a style in mind helps you stay grounded, but overall, I feel as though teachers

change leadership styles depending on the classroom and students, as well as a Principal and

new school. You adapt to the environment of the school and get a better understanding of the

school and district's policy and procedures. Going into a school of 400 students K-5 I think it is

important to have your own thought or idea of how you would want to see the school's future

and also see how it aligns with the current school's mission and vision.

“Operating an effective school requires a clear mission and vision, as well as effective

operations. School leadership is essential in creating a culture that is conducive to teaching and

learning but also to making sure that processes and procedures are effectively and clearly

communicated to all stakeholders. This is why school leadership teams are so important.

Instead of one person carrying the burden and responsibilities of creating an effective school

environment, educational administrators and teacher leaders are seen as the new model for

school leadership” (Creasman & Coquyt, 2016). “Leadership is critically important in today’s

complex schools and takes on various forms, as determined by each school and school district.

School leadership is comprised of two groups: educational leaders and teacher leaders

(Creasman & Coquyt, 2016).

When thinking about my leadership style and how I would use this style to lead the

school into the future, I would consider the school’s mission and really listen to everyone

involved. I think it is important to have a clear mission and vision for the school as stated above.

Listening to everyone and their concerns for the school and really trying to be a leader.

“Leaders develop followers, and managers manage people and things” (Williams, 2011). Trying

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to be a good leader and know that there will be challenges but knowing what your overall goal

is and believing will help you get there. Steve Jobs said, “believing that the dots will connect

down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the

well-worn path, will make all the difference” (MrSebby05, 2013). Lastly, Wooden says, “believe

that things will work out as they should” (TED, 2009).

Overall, I think coming in as a new principal is going to take time but creating a warm

and welcoming environment is a better option than giving off a different effect. I think as a

principal you sometimes get a bad rep because I have dealt with a few bad Principals, and it

does not help the school. If anything, my last school I was at, would be a principal that I would

not want to be anything like. The principal came from the high school to the elementary and

just gave off a bad vibe. She came in and changed everything right away without talking to the

teachers or staff. Certain things the school has been doing from the start for many years were

all of a sudden just taken away. It was a lot of change right away and it was very hard to process

and deal with. It upset a lot of the teachers right away and it just gave off a really bad start for

her. I think having an open mind to new ideas and really listening to the current staff would be

the first thing I would do. They are the ones helping to run the school, I think some Principals

forget that and when in reality the teachers are what help make the school. By creating those

relationships with the teachers and staff I think as a principal you are more likely to get more of

an open and welcoming feel. Really listening to the concerns of the staff and teachers and then

also keeping in mind your own vision you had and seeing how you can make the two works.

Being a leader does not mean you have to be a mean principal. Having everyone in the school

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on your side and really coming together as a whole and helping you, will really change the

school environment and help the school be set up for success in the future.

Involving all community members to help lead the school into the future is important.

The school community does not just include the school itself, but also the surrounding areas of

the school that make up the community. Having school events, and meetings will help gain

community members' attention to help support the decisions being made. When a school

advertises or shows cases what they are working on to be a better school, the community will

see that and want to help more when they start seeing a change and that change starts in the

classroom. By starting with the classrooms and then the school and expanding to the

community. Students go home and share what they are doing in class, and it gets out to

everyone else by parents talking, playing sports, and so on. By “identifying, teaching, and

reinforcing expectations, are part of the teaching strategies that go under the category

community building, or classroom management. Community building is an essential component

of good teaching” (Knight, 2013).

By being a leader for the school, and once you have built those relationships with the

staff and students, I think it is important to showcase the work the school has done and show

everyone the changes being made. Going to the school board meetings and advertising what

you have done will also help get the new change out there and also help show the community

the improvements. By advertising the changes and being proud of the work being done will

help the community to want to be involved and something they would want to be a part of.

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When looking at organizational structures there are many that can go into planning to facilitate

change in the school. Looking at the “Structure provides the architecture for pursuing an

organization’s strategic goal. It is a blueprint for expectations and changes among internal

players and external constituencies” (Bolman & Deal, 2017). “Reframing is vital for leadership:

One distinguishing difference between leaders that succeed at driving collaboration and

innovation versus those that fail is their ability to grasp complexity. This skill set involves

framing difficult concepts quickly, synthesizing data in a way that drives new insight, and

building teams that can generate future scenarios different from the world they see today”

(Bolman & Deal, 2017).

“As organizations have become pervasive and dominant, they have also become harder

to understand and manage. The result is that managers are often nearly as clueless as their

subordinates think they are. The consequences of my topic management and leadership show

up every day, sometimes in small and subtle ways, sometimes in catastrophes. Our basic

premise is that a primary cause of managerial failure is faulty thinking rooted in inadequate

ideas. Managers and those who try to help them too often rely on narrow models that capture

only part of organizational life. Learning multiple perspectives, or frames, is a defense against

thrashing around without a clue about what you are doing or why. Frames serve multiple

functions. They are sources of new questions, filters for sorting essence from trivia maps that

aid navigation, and tools for solving problems and getting things done. The structural approach

focuses on the architecture of organization-the design of units and subunits, rules and roles,

goals, and policies. The human resource lens emphasizes understanding people-their strengths

and foibles, reason and emotion, desires, and fears. The political view sees organizations as

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competitive arenas of scarce resources, competing interests, and struggles for power

advantage. Finally, the symbolic frame focuses on issues of meaning and faith. It puts ritual,

ceremony, story, play, and culture at the heart of organizational life. Each of the frames is

powerful and coherent. Collectively, they make it possible to reframe, looking at the same thing

from multiple lenses or points of view” (Bolman & Deal, 2017).

Overall, by being able to analyze these different organizational structures and being able

to see what will work and what will not. By looking at what is already in place and slowly

applying these changes. There are many different ways to go about change, but I think by really

looking at the structures in place and knowing the change is going to help the school be

successful.

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The state board of education requires that a process for the evaluation of student

learning for all school districts must be data-driven. The primary purpose of this data is to

identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current programs. The different kinds of data I

would use in this process would be to take a deeper look at the curriculum being provided by

the district.

“Through the assessed curriculum, teachers are able to determine what the students have and

have not learned, identify areas of strengths, and needs, and make decisions about next steps

in instruction. Once again, choices are made as to what is assessed. A quality curriculum

includes assessments that closely align with the standards and big ideas found in each unit. A

quality curriculum will also include different types of assessments so teachers can accurately

determine the learned curriculum-what students know and understand as a result of

instruction and how well student understanding aligns with the formal curriculum. With so

many layers in the curriculum, it is easy to see how standards can get “lost in translation.”

Students do not always leave the classroom understanding the skills, processes, and content

that have been identified in the formal curriculum. Although many factors affect learning, one

that we do have control over is the use of the formal curriculum to create a purposefully

aligned, engaging, and meaningful curriculum for our students” (Lalor, 2017).

By using the organizational structure of the curriculum, it will help identify the strengths

and weaknesses of our program. Using these different types of data will help us to acquire the

right student learning and use of curriculum to allow it to be data-driven for teachers. By using

organizing centers, it is the first area that I would consider looking at when evaluating our

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student data. “A quality curriculum will organize units of study around centers that are worthy

of the time and energy set aside for their pursuit and that reflect the overall intent and purpose

of the curriculum” (Lalor, 2017).

The second process I would use to look at the evaluation of our student learning would

be to check the alignment to standards. As the curriculum changes so do the standards. “It is

worthwhile to examine the curriculum to determine how well the assessments and learning

experiences align to the standards. Too often a curriculum lists standards in a way that tasks

align to the standards in equal measure” (Lalor, 2017).

Another step I would use would be standards placement and emphasis tool. “When

examining standards is how they are placed within the curriculum; order does matter. When

determining placement and emphasis, it is important to consider factors such as the overall

intent of the standards, grade-level focus standards, gradual release of responsibility, and

developmentally appropriate practice. Although a unit may address many standards, only those

that are being emphasized-meaning those that will guide the specific skills that will be taught

and assessed-should be listed. By the end of the year, all standards should be taught and

assessed within the curriculum, ideally providing students with multiple opportunities to

practice the skills embedded in the standards” (Lalor, 2017).

When looking at assessment, it is an important factor when looking for data in students.

“Teachers use four types of assessments to determine what students know, are able to do, and

value. The types are information recall, demonstration, product assessment, and process

assessment. A quality curriculum includes different types of assessments that are congruent

with the standards for the unit. Teachers use these various assessments at different moments

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to ascertain what students know and are able to do. A quality curriculum will therefore include

diagnostic assessments as well as assessments used for formative and summative purposes. A

quality curriculum will include assessments that produce as well as to measure learning. These

assessments measure the most important learning for the unit, are congruent with and strongly

align to standards, have an authentic audience and purpose, and include diagnostic and

formative assessment moments” (Lalor, 2017). “Diagnostic assessment determines what

students know and are able to do and identifies student misconceptions. It is used to determine

the starting point for instruction and as a baseline for determining growth. Formative

assessment serves as a check for understanding. It occurs while learning is still taking place and

provides teachers with opportunities to give students descriptive feedback and to modify

instruction based on student needs. Summative assessment is used to determine what students

have learned and is the final assessment in learning. Information recall, product,

demonstration, and process assessments can all be used for these different purposes” (Lalor,

2017).

By really taking a deeper look into the curriculum and seeing where the schools’

strengths and weaknesses fall and applying these changes provided would help ensure that the

curriculum provided is appropriate and that it is aligning to the standards. Having a quality

curriculum in place and those different assessments are being used will help teachers collect

the data needed for students. Having a process for evaluation of student learning all comes

down to the curriculum being taught. You want a good quality curriculum to provide the data,

therefore a good quality curriculum includes a lot of new assessments. Providing these new

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approaches will help students be set up for success by providing a quality curriculum to the

teachers and students.

References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, Choice, And Leadership.
Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand

Coquyt, M. (2019). Experiencing teacher leadership: Perceptions and insights from first-year

teacher leaders. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.

Coquyt, M., & Creasman, B. (2017). Growing leaders within: A process toward teacher
leadership. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.

Creasman, B., & Coquyt, M. (2016). The leader within: Understanding and empowering teacher
leaders. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.

Knight, J. (2013). High-Impact Instruction a Framework For Great Teaching. Thousand Oaks,

California: Corwin Press.

Lalor, A. D. (2017). Ensuring high-quality curriculum: How to design, revise, or adopt

curriculum aligned to student success. ASCD.

MrSebby05. (2013, March 13). Steve Jobs’ Management Style. Leadership [Video]. Retrieved

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spSCnp4VjXw&feature=youtu.be

TED. (2009, March 26). The difference between winning and succeeding | John
Wooden [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/0MM-psvqiG8

Williams, S. (2011, October 9). Management Versus Leadership [Video]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ubRzzirRKs&feature=youtu.be

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