MN K-12 Principal Competencies
Portfolio Evaluation Form
David Ruehs
SKILL/KNOWLEDGE
A. Instructional Leadership
A1. Demonstrating the ability to
understand and apply school-wide
literacy and numeracy systems;
A2. Demonstrating the ability to
understand and apply district wide
literacy and numeracy systems.
B. Monitor Student Learning
B1. Demonstrating the ability to create a 8th Grade Parent Night
culture that fosters a community of
learners;
B2. Demonstrating an understanding of 8th Grade Parent Night
student guidance systems and auxiliary Administrator Weekly Meetings
services;
Portfolio Evidence Self Score Comments
(1-5)
Administrator Weekly Meetings As an associate high school principal, I volunteered to be on the Systemic Literacy
At Risk Programing Task Force for the sole purpose of learning about literacy on a PK-12 level. I have
AIW Scoring Session taken that learning at the “balcony view of education” and implemented and woven
Course Book it into my work at the ground level. We are often coming back to school or
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Freshman Success Team classroom level discussions and how specific plans and strategies impact the district
Healthy Choices Intervention Course Systemic Literacy Plan.
Systemic Literacy
Elementary Transition
Administrator Weekly Meetings By staying in the “balcony view,” I have been able to discuss district wide plans at
Building Leadership Team weekly administrator meetings, building leadership teams, with the Freshman
Freshman Success Team Success Team, the Systemic Literacy Task Force, and during the planning,
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Systemic Literacy implementation, and support of the COVID-19 delivery of virtual learning.
COVID-19 Support of Instructional
Coaches
Portfolio Evidence Self Score Comments
(1-5)
Out of all of the principal competencies, I feel like creating a culture that fosters a
Freshman Success Team community of learners is my biggest strength. Every interaction I have, whether it
Healthy Choices Intervention Course is with a student, parent, staff member, or outside stakeholder, I strive to constantly
Steps to Success build on relationships that will ultimately support what is best for our students.
Systemic Literacy System wide, collective efficacy must be built to know that we are all in this
Empty Chair 5 together and moving towards the same common goals for each and every child.
Building Leadership Team
COVID-19 Support of teachers
COVID-19 Plan and deliver
professional learning
Transition from HS to Elementary 1st day
In our weekly administrator meetings, we often discuss what is being offered or
deciding how to support students where needs have been identified. We have fine-
At Risk Programming tuned our alternative high school model and how they are delivering instruction,
Discipline High School changed how the after school program for 9th and 10th graders chooses students,
Freshman Success Team measures their success, and transitions them back to the general education setting
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Healthy Choices Intervention Course with supports, and continued to develop interventions to support even more
Steps to Success students. The Steps to Success program is a college and career exploration program
Transition from HS to Elementary for 9th grade students to provide every freshman the opportunity to step foot on a
college campus and be exposed to options and programs to work towards during
their high school career.
 MN K-12 Principal Competencies
B3. Demonstrating the ability to Discipline – High, Middle, and
implement a positive and effective Elementary
student management systems; Freshman Success Team
Healthy Choices Intervention Course
Steps to Success
PBIS
COVID-19 Distribution of
Chromebooks and Log-in info
B4. Demonstrating the ability to develop Discipline – High, Middle, and
and implement effective student Elementary
discipline plans; Healthy Choices Intervention Course
PBIS
B5. Demonstrating the ability to develop Administrator Weekly Meetings
a master instructional schedule; Daily Schedule
Master Schedule Work
B6. Demonstrating the ability to meet Freshman Success Team
the enrichment, remediation, and Building Leadership Team
special education needs of all students; IEP Meetings
B7. Demonstrating the ability to 8th Grade Parent Night
understand and support a Course Request Work
comprehensive program of student Rebranding
activities. Steps to Success
Activity Fair
Building Leadership Team
C. Early Childhood Through Portfolio Evidence
Grade 12 Leadership
C1. Demonstrating understanding of the Systemic Literacy
articulation and alignment of curriculum COVID-19 District Planning
from pre-school through grade 12;
This has been interesting for me this year as I have been an acting administrator at
three different buildings and three different levels this year to support the district’s
needs. Each building has a slightly different referral process for student discipline,
which gave me different ways to navigate Infinite Campus. I also used that student
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management system to build rosters for steps to success, the healthy choices course,
identify needs for PBIS, and organize Chromebook and Log in information to
prepare for the COVID-19 shutdown and continuation of virtual learning.
My district has shied away from using the acronym MTSS, but we continue to work
through the MTSS and PLC process to support students. I have built or helped
build discipline plans for students at all three levels that ranged from classroom
5 management strategies at Tier 1 to Intensive Tier 3, individualized behavior plans.
These plans are generally built with teacher, parent, and student input to make sure
all parties are on board and understand the expectations before the plans are
finalized.
In the high school I work, the head principal is ultimately responsible for building
the master schedule. In fact, he is contacted every year by different principals
across the state to seek guidance on how to maximize the schedule to meet student
requests. He trained me how to adjust sections and move individual sections
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around to different periods and check the fulfillment percentage of student requests.
He also tasked me with building the bell schedule to make sure transitions were
effectively built and there is enough time for contractual obligations like teacher
prep and lunch times.
In the different roles that I play as an administrator, I am often discussing the needs
of individual students for enrichment, remediation, or special education needs.
5 Again, my district does not subscribe to use the MTSS acronym, but we do have
MTSS processes in place to make sure every student’s needs are being met.
During the 8th grade parent night presentation, I discuss the importance of choosing
a disciplinary strand as students are building their four year plans, and then we take
a quick cross walk of the program of studies. We also host an activity fair and
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presentations for the 9th grade students to encourage them to get involved with
extracurricular activities that fit their interests very early in their high school career.
Self Score Comments
(1-5)
I have worked tirelessly on the Systemic Literacy Task Force, where we are
constantly discussing vertical articulation of literacy strategies. To support literacy,
I have observed many teachers from grades 5-12 as they deliver their literacy
lessons and provided reflective questions and feedback. When we started the
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discussions on how to deliver instruction to PK-12 students during the COVID-19
pandemic, we spent a lot of effort discussing which priority standards teachers had
remaining, how to continue with that work on a district and building wide level, and
how to meet students’ needs in the virtual learning model over Google Classroom.
 MN K-12 Principal Competencies
C2. Demonstrating understanding of COVID-19 District Planning
different organizational systems and Transition from HS to Elementary
structures at early childhood,
elementary, middle or junior high, and
high school levels;
C3. Demonstrating the ability to work Principal at all three levels this year
with children of all ages; Discipline – High, Middle, and
Elementary
C4. Demonstrating the ability to work 8th Grade Parent Night
with parents, teachers and other staff in Freshman Success Team
all levels of schooling; IEP Meetings
Discipline – High, Middle, and
Elementary
Teacher on Administrative Leave
Rebranding
Teacher on Administrative Leave
C5. Demonstrating understanding of the IEP Meetings
characteristics of effective transitions Administrative Weekly Meetings
from one level of schooling to the next; Freshman Bootcamp
C6. Demonstrating understanding of the Building Leadership Team
developmental needs of children of all Freshman Success Team
ages. Healthy Choices Intervention Course
Systemic Literacy
Discipline
IEP meetings
PBIS
COVID-19 District Planning
I was a principal at all three levels this school year. Each one is structured
differently to ensure that needs are being met for every student at each level. PBIS
works well for elementary and middle school, but doesn’t work very well at high
5 school. Highly organized bell schedules are needed at the high school to manage
1,200 bodies, but an organized bell daily bell schedule is not needed at the PK or
elementary level because there is so much flexibility in individual teachers’
classrooms and how they deliver their instruction.
I was a principal at all three levels this school year. When about half of my
collective time all year is working with students for discipline, attendance, or other
reasons, I have found that I am successful at all four levels. I definitely change my
5 tone and vocabulary, but still deliver my messages with the same intent. All of my
interactions with students have the goal of building respect and relationships are
framed a combination of Love and Logic, Trauma Informed Care, Teaching
Students from Poverty, Conscience Discipline, and Restorative Justice.
In my many different roles as an administrator, I am constantly working with
parents, teachers, other staff, and outside stakeholders on a daily basis. For
example, when I became the principal at the elementary school, there was a teacher
who had recently been put on administrative leave by the director of human
resources. I personally contacted each parents three different times to work through
5 different situations, had a long term substitute role figured out with the instructional
coach, and had outside behavior coaches coming in to provide support in classroom
management strategies, and an extra paraprofessional lined up to provide extra
adult assistance to support the new classroom management expectations. If
working with students is my number one task, working with staff and parents would
be tied for second for my daily tasks.
Instead of doing a Freshman First Day, we provide a voluntary Freshman
Bootcamp, where we focus on relationship building, give students an opportunity to
get accustomed to their peers, teachers, and building, and provide extra support in
building executive functioning, communication, and teamwork skills. I also
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participate in IEP meetings where we discuss and plan for transitions for
elementary to intermediate IEP services in different buildings. Depending on the
time of year, meeting the needs of students in transition is a major part of our
administrative work.
I was a principal at all three levels this school year. Through the work that I have
done on teams, committees, and task forces, we always take into account where the
developmental needs are of the students and student groups that we are discussing.
For example, even though every grade level is delivering virtual learning through
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Google Classroom, the students at each grade have vastly different styles of
instruction that is being delivered. A lower elementary student needs to see and
hear their teacher where a high school student could have strong learning through
reading, writing, and interacting on a message board.