Texas Principal Competency

Reflection

Tracy Marshall
Administrative Internship II EDUC 6331
May 2017
Competency 01: 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.

I worked on this competency by carrying out my new job description for

this school year. At the district level, I was assigned the task of writing an
enrichment curriculum for the 3 rd grade advanced group of PLC in reading
and math at each elementary campus. I developed a challenging
curriculum to be posted district wide and used by enrichment teachers at
each of the 6 campuses. I was able to support these teachers with frequent
correspondence and monthly meetings. The end result is hopefully an
increase in students who receive the highest recognition on state testing.
I still need to learn how to use this competency on a larger scale relating to
many different focuses. My next step will be to secure a GT director
position at the district level to improve my facilitation and implementation
on a broader spectrum.
Competency 02: 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.

Because of my current GT position, I rely heavily on communication

skills. I travel between campuses and work with students from all grade
levels K-5. Therefore, I interact with many teachers and principals. I
also lead the PLC enrichment curriculum development. Through this, I
work closely with various teachers to discuss student needs and adapt
the new curriculum to promote student success.
Again, I would like to develop these skills more in depth by working as a
director at the district level where I will collaborate with other directors
to meet the needs of all students in the district.
Competency 03:The principal knows how to act with integrity,
fairness, and in an ethical and legal manner.

I have used this competency when testing and identifying gifted

students. There are laws behind how this is handled and certain
situations with students needs and disabilities require knowledge of this
competency. Aspects if this competency were also worked on in the
development of the clubs I started this year (chess club, Rubiks cube
club, reading club). I feel I am strong in this area.
As I secure an administrator position, I will continue to work on this
competency with so many aspects of that job requiring knowledge of
ethical and legal procedures. In order to continue learning this
competency, I will need to stay aware of current events and laws.
Competency 04: 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
assessment
to measure student performance.

This competency is one I used and learned the most about during my
internship. As the team lead of GT Specialists, I design an implement
teacher in-services year long. I also work closely with teachers to offer
plans and resources for gifted students in the regular classroom. I assist
the teachers in measuring the growth of gifted students working above
grade level. This year I also designed and implemented the new district
wide PLC enrichment curriculum to be used at each elementary. I was
open to contact by teachers for assistance in both areas.
I will continue my growth on this competency by working on PLC
enrichment curriculum writing over the summer and implementing it for
other grade levels once the new school year begins. I will also be writing
and instructing teacher in-services all summer.
Competency 05: 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.

Because of my current position, I do advocate for my districts gifted

program. I must appeal to the administrators and district directors to
keep my program advancing and show the value to continue to receive
support. I also offer many staff development opportunities to peek the
interest of the teachers in this area and offer a wide variety of topics
and dates.
I realize at the district level I would receive more opportunity to
advocate for my department. Often times I feel this is not pushed
enough at the district level; however, in my position, my hands are tied.
I would like to become an expert of this competency by working more
in this area at the district level by continuing to offer staff development;
and even more importantly, advocating for more support for the gifted
program to better serve children.
Competency 06: 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.

This is the competency I have experienced the least. I have

participated in meetings explaining the new evaluation system and
have been trained on various sections. However, I have not been
placed in a situation where I needed to use this system to evaluate staff
nor work with the legal requirements of personnel management. I have
worked a great deal with staff development both creating and
implementing.
I need to continue to work with this competency a great deal. I can do
this by working with my principal to sit in on evaluations and personnel
management meetings. At the district level, I could also develop my
use of this competency by working with the directors on evaluating GT
specialists.
Competency 07: The principal knows how to apply organizational,
decision-making, and problem-solving skills to ensure an effective
learning environment.

Again, because of my district level position of GT Specialist, I have

extended knowledge of this competency. I have needed to organize the
department and legal requirements for my area. I have also made many
district decisions on the specifics of the gifted program and how it should
be designed and used within the schools. I have needed to problem-solve
legal issues as well as faculty issues within the gifted program. All of this
was done to create the most effective learning environment for gifted
students.
As a gifted director, I would deal with this competency a great deal. I will
continue to work with this by changing the organization to better serve
gifted students and continually problem-solve to keep a consistently
effective learning environment.
Competency 08: 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.

I have worked with most aspects of this competency on a smaller scale.

When designing the after school clubs (chess, Rubiks Cube and
reading) I managed the budget, personnel involved, resources and
technology. On a larger scale, I was responsible for the San Jacinto
Festival Childrens Area sponsored by DPISD. This involved a significant
amount of budgeting, resources and personnel management.
To become an expert on this competency, I would need to carry out
these duties on a much larger scale. I can work on this by working
closely with the district directors to view how they currently manage
these areas. To operate a strong budget, I would use the current
budget as a model and proceed from that point.
Competency 09: 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.

With my past 20 years in the classroom, I have received training in

many areas of providing a safe and effective learning environment. I
have worked on teams to create better disaster plans and
improvements to the learning environment. However, within my
internship, I have not worked on this competency besides working car
duty and dismissal. During my internship, I did interview the
administrators responsible for this and discuss the current plan and
how it was designed.
I feel the best way to improve my use of this competency is when I am
in a position where I will be required to work on the management of the
campus physical plant.