COMPETENCY

REFLECTIONS

Anna Loyd-EDUC 6331

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 schools community.
I have been fortunate enough to be able to attend the School Decision
Making Committee (SDMC) meetings on my campus. Attendees include
administrators, teacher and parent representatives, community members,
and local business members. These meetings are held to work on the
School Improvement Plan (SIP) and to discuss various other issues that
arise, such as curriculum implementation, personnel additions or changes,
and money management, to ensure that everyone agrees with the direction
the school is heading. I have also been able to see firsthand how to
incorporate members of the community into the schools culture, with
communications like fliers and e-mailed newsletters, parent involvement
events and community involvement evens. To further my growth, I would like
to continue to serve on the SDMCommittee as well as volunteer for future

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.
Throughout my career in HISD, I have had the privilege to work with people
from many diverse cultures and backgrounds. Just this year alone I have
students from the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Cambodia, Nigeria, Honduras,
and Mexico in my class. Many of my co-workers also have diverse lifestyles.
Communication is key for parent involvement regardless of cultural
differences. I have contacted parents for conferences, encouraged parents
to attend school and community events, and collaborated with parents to
ensure their childs success at my school. To grow in this area, I will continue
to reach out to and collaborate with parents, co-workers, and community
members for the good of my students.

COMPETENCY 003
The principal knows how to act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical and
legal manner.
As teachers and administrators, we are highly regarded in the community.
Parents and students alike look to us for guidance and we must always act
with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical and legal manner. As faculty
members and future administrators, we will be faced with difficult decisions
every day. We will not always be able to please everyone, but a professor in
this program once said that if you base your decisions off of what is best for
the students, you will never fail. I will continue to always think of the students
first and do what is in their best interest each and every day.

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.
As a classroom teacher, I feel that I address this competency each day in my
own classroom. I used state and district resources such as the TEKS,
planning guides, and pacing calendar to plan my instruction in the form of
weekly lesson plans. I also used student data to drive my instruction. I
created assessments and taught students how to track their own data for
accountability purposes. I used various resources to differentiate my
instruction for small groups and individual students with special needs. I
participated in grade level and vertical planning meetings at least once a
month and was the reading specialist on my grade level. As a teacher and
future administrator, this type of planning is crucial for student success
across all subjects and in all grade levels. I will continue to familiarize myself
with the curriculum objectives and resources that are available to assist
teachers.

COMPETENCY 005
The principal knows how to advocate, nurture, and sustain an instructional program
and a campus culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional
growth.
I have addressed this competency heavily in my own classroom. Students are
welcomed and a safe classroom culture is nurtured so that students can be more
successful. I communicate openly with parents, school staff, and community
members to ensure student achievement. I send out newsletters, information about
various events on campus, and created a technology cheat sheet with resources
that parents can use at home to supplement the material students are learning in the
classroom. I also had the opportunity to attend a math training and bring back
resources to my fellow staff members so that they understood the changes in the
math objectives across grade levels. To further my knowledge in this area I would
like the opportunity to lead more staff professional development trainings so that
teachers will feel comfortable using the provided resources. I will also continue to
nurture a positive classroom culture where parents and students feel comfortable
using resources and asking questions in order to further student achievement.

COMPETENCY 006
The principal knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system to
improve the performance of all staff members, select and implement appropriate
models for supervision and staff development, and apply the legal requirements for
personnel management.
While I have not been able to formally observe and evaluate teachers, I have had the
privilege of being observed by my principal, who is a wonderful leader in this regard.
Teachers understand what is expected of them and what they will be appraised on
during observations. My principal asks questions when she is unsure of how a
teacher is implementing objectives and strategies. She follows up with teachers in a
timely matter after appraisals and helps struggling teachers find ways to improve. My
administrator focuses on the positive ways teachers are helping their students be
successful. I would like the chance to observe other teachers and provide feedback,
whether it be student teachers, mentees, or full time faculty members. To further my
knowledge in this area I will attend the proper trainings to be able to appraise staff
members.

COMPETENCY 007
The principal knows how to apply organizational, decision-making, and
problem-solving skills to ensure an effective learning environment.
As a member of my campus SDMC I was able to be a part of decisionmaking and problem-solving in order to ensure that our school was meeting
the goals specified in the campus School Improvement Plan (SIP). Changes
were made as needed to incorporate ever changing goals and data. I was
able to facilitate some of these meetings and lead discussion on decisionmaking in regards to campus goals. To further my knowledge in this area, I
will continue to attend SDMC meetings and become more comfortable
leading these types of discussions.

COMPETENCY 008
The principal knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and
management in relation to campus budgeting, personnel, resource
utilization, financial management, and technology use.
Throughout my time as a graduate student, I have had many opportunities to
discuss the campus budget with my principal. She has explained the
different types of funds and what each can be used for. I understand which
monies are flexible and what must be used for certain items. I have also had
the opportunity to attend campus SDMC meetings as well as PTO meetings,
where the campus budget, and how to use it, is discussed in depth. To
further my knowledge in this area, I would like to continue to shadow my
principal or assistant principal and gain better insight as to how they manage
the campus budget.

COMPETENCY 009
The principal knows how to apply principles of leadership and management
to the campus physical plant and support systems to ensure a safe and
effective learning environment.
I was able to research this competency in depth thanks to the campus need
for a change in arrival and dismissal procedures. Along with the literacy
coach, I helped lead a committee to come up with safer dismissal
procedures on our campus. We studied the campus blueprints and dismissal
logistics relevant to our school. The committee was able to implement a few
changes to improve procedures. Additionally, I have been able to shadow our
assistant principal, who is in charge of campus safety, as he met with the fire
marshal, created emergency procedures guideline books and folders for
each classroom, and led fire safety and lockdown drills on our campus.
Student safety is the first priority on a school campus. I will continue to work
with our plant operator to gain better insight of school safety procedures.