III.

Community Centered
Gannons Principal Certification Program

Natalie Torti MTSS at ECS

GEDU 731 Diverse Learner Competencies for School Leaders - Erie, PA

I. KNOWLEDGE CENTERED

A. Link to Leadership Standard: How did this project address the ELCC Standard (s)?

ELCC Standard 1.1-1.5 ask that educational leaders be able to articulate, develop,
implement, and steward the vision of an organization. This Case Study of our SPED system
was a catalyst which allowed me to identify the vision of the school for our special education
and intervention programming, analyze where deficits might exist. Next the case study asked
us to plan to address the needs of our SPED system. I created an action plan to increase time
spent on intervention, solidify math curriculum and scope, and allow SPED teachers to see
SPED students for 45 minutes intervention each day.
After collaborating with our leadership team, we decided on and implemented the
following changes. The first change was to redesign the math curriculum, adapting a PA core
focused curriculum that spans kindergarten to eighth grade. The second is to build additional
time and to create an A/B schedule for intervention each day, so that students were getting
45 minutes of math or reading intervention each day. We also ensured that the schedule
worked so that SPED teachers would have SPED students in their tier 3 intervention groups
each day. The third change was to create a consistent professional development schedule
for new hires, which included training about diverse learners and interventions.
These changes greatly improved my understanding of school leadership because they
taught me a lot about the role of principal in scheduling, professional development, and staff
assignments. Although we used a lot of data to inform and shape these decisions, I also feel
that as a leader, we need to ensure that we are listening to what the teachers need and are
reporting as problematic. In this case, the teachers recommended the A/B schedule, moving
the SPED staffs schedule to allow for them to have all the tier 3, and even asked for more
professional development in the area of intervention and differentiation. Listening and
responding to teachers is the greatest educational leadership skill we can build.

B. What knowledge (from research studies, journal articles, books, state or district reports
or documents, instructor provided resources, etc.) provided the rationale for or guided
this project?

I used a variety of external and internal sources to research this topic. They included articles
such as State PSSA Test Scores published in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Our schools
reviews on rating sites such Public School Review and School Digger. ECSs performance
profile on Pennsylvania Department of Education site. I also interviewed a number of staff
including a group of teachers, and Rachel Lendak-Peters, our ELL specialist and Ali Rendulic
our Special Education coach and advocate. Last, I looked at our internal documents and
communications about special education and intervention. These documents included training
documents, the staff handbook, and our special education reporting.
C. Link to National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A)
Reflective Commentary--(If applicable)

Data collection, communication dissemination, and collaboration are greatly impacted by

proper and efficient technology use. This project would not have been possible without the
online resources from various sources, the documentation of data and information I was able
to access through technology, and the ability to collaborate via online routes with my school
organization. Using technology to analyze data, create plans, disseminate information is
essential to this type of school visioning and revision action plans.

D. Link this project to knowledge of students, families, and communities diverse
experiences and cultures. How did this project consider the need to adapt programs
appropriately for all students, including linguistically and culturally diverse students and
students with exceptionality?

This project took on a major area of growth in our community which was interventions and
supports for students with exceptionalities. We are seeing an increased need for teacher
support, training, and professional development in these fields. This project identified the
need for interventions and math curriculums that reach all of our students. It also identified
supports and structures for teachers whose practices are not currently effective with these
populations. The best action an educational leader can take to affect the lives and learning of
their students is to equip and empower their teachers to be great.

II. LEARNER CENTERED

A. What was the impact on student/system learning?

This project was a direct action plan that addressed gaps in intervention, math curriculum,
and teacher training concerning differentiation and intervention. The impact on students
have already been great. The math curriculum has been implemented and weve already
seen an increase in standardized test scores. The added intervention time has really
increased students time with small group intervention and for SPED teachers to progress
monitor if needed. The impact of this time cannot be overstated, the teachers feel more able
to serve their students, find time to teach small groups, and document their progress. The on
going training of staff in differentiation and intervention is harder to quantify, but teachers
report that they feel more confident and are trying out aspect of what they have learned so
far.


B. Understanding of Diverse Learners.

This project centered around diverse learners, their needs, and the structures ECS
needed to put in place to address any gaps in support. Offering PD on intervention and
differentiation, building out a schedule that allowed more time for intervention, and choosing
a math curriculum that established a clear scope and sequence K-8 was instrumental in
increasing educational opportunity for diverse learners.

III. ASSESSMENT CENTERED

A. How has this project demonstrated a commitment to assessment for monitoring and
promoting student learning; and employing assessment practices appropriate for all
students, including linguistically and culturally diverse students and students with
exceptionality.

This project used assessments such as PSSA, MAPS, and community surveys to identify
areas of need for our learning community. The assessments were showing a gap in the
effectiveness in our math programming for our diverse learning community. The surveys also
identified a need from the teachers perspective for training on intervention and time. We will
continue to use data and surveys to shape our decisions about how to continue this projects
direct effects.

B. What changes would you make to improve the quality of the product, activity, or
outcome?

This project was well received in our school community all around, except for the choice
and implementation of the math curriculum. The curriculum was chosen without consultation
of the math team and the teachers felt very offended and powerless in the implementation
process. This would the only major change I would make to this project- to make sure the
math teachers were engaged, empowered, and utilized in this project. I also disagree with
the choice to buy the math curriculum in pdf form and ask teachers to print the materials. The
materials for one week is easily 3 reams of paper. Thats a lot of time, paper, and ink. I would
have opted for either the digital version or a set of printed workbooks to save the labor and
wear and tear on the copy machine.

IV. COMMUNITY CENTERED

A. How has this project enhanced your understanding of the importance of your role in
forming ongoing relationships with colleagues, students, parents, other districts, and the
community to enhance student learning?

As the math team reacted to this new curriculum being handed to them, I saw the
value of teacher autonomy, trust, and respect go out the window. It was real opportunity to
grow in my understanding of leadership and realize the value of including all stakeholders in
decisions, even if it makes the decision last longer, or more complicated, or even if it costs
more! I hope to take what I learned from this experience and become a transparent,
inclusive, communicative, and open leader.

B. Understanding of cultural diversity and global connections in the local community.

As a charter school centered in sustainable practices, we always make sure we
communicate with the whole community in a way that allows them to access and understand
why we made changes. The one change this project brought on that upset the parent and
student community was that the intervention took a small amount of time away from being
outside. The conversations I witnessed really showed how a leader needs to listen, but be
ready with the explanation of how we got to the decisions we made.


V. REFLECTION

A. Professional Growth: (Reflective and Self Assessment Commentary). How did creation
of this project or engagement in this activity enhance your professional growth as an
educational leader?

As an educational leader, I will continue to grow professional from each new challenge,
initiative, and day that comes my way. I think this project really showed me that sometime a
schedule shift that might take months to come up with, work out the kinks of, and build support
and commitment around; can really make a huge worthwhile impact. Ive heard it said that
especially in education, the valuable things arent easy and the easy things are valuable. I think
this lesson was really hammered home to me as I see the results of all of our endless summer
of hard work bring value to our educational program all year.
I think I will take away from this experience that when you get into the weeds of a project, or
hit one obstacle after another, to remember that there is a vision at the end. Keeping going back
to the vision and remember that it is worthwhile- because it will pay off for our students. That is
the biggest reminder we all need in educational leadership.

VI. CLINICAL EXPERIENCE--EXPERIENTIAL

In this project I was able to work with the ECS leadership team to actually address needs that
lie in our special education and intervention programming. I helped creat an action plan to
increase time spent on intervention, solidify math curriculum and scope, and allow SPED
teachers to see SPED students for 45 minutes intervention each day. These actions were
implemented this school year and we are seeing great results.
The details of the plan and their implementation are as follows. The first change was to
redesign the math curriculum, adapting a PA core focused curriculum that spans
kindergarten to eighth grade. The second was to build additional time and to create an A/B
schedule for intervention each day, so that students were getting 45 minutes of math or
reading intervention each day. We also ensured that the schedule worked so that SPED
teachers would have SPED students in their tier 3 intervention groups each day. The third
change was to create a consistent professional development schedule for new hires, which
included training about diverse learners and interventions.
These changes greatly improved our students daily intervention time, teacher training,
and the math scope and sequence. We used a lot of data to inform and shape these
decisions, and will continue to monitor them through data and surveys. We will make
improvements and changes as the data and information suggests.

VII. DISPOSITIONS

A. What was learned from the experience of creating this entry and how did this learning
relate to professional dispositions that are consistent with the ideas of fairness and the
belief that all students can learn?

I believe that all students can learn, so when we saw results on PSSA assessments that
did not show our culturally diverse and struggling learners making the growth expected, I
knew we had to come up with a solution. This project reminded me that our role as teachers
is to create a system that best supports every single child in our learning community. It also
reminded me that our growth-mindset, the idea that our school and we as educators can do
better every single day, is essential to students growth mindset. If we label students, or
make excuses when they dont perform well, we risk creating systems that expect failure
from certain students because educators have set up s a system to create failure. I know that
I can be a catalyst for change about this way of thinking and bring a growth mindset to the
center of any educational organization I am part of.