Ala. Admin. Code r. 290-3-3-.47

Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 1, October 31, 2024

Section 290-3-3-.47 - Instructional Leadership (Grades P-12)

(1)Unconditional Admission to an Instructional Leadership Program. In addition to a valid Class B Professional Educator Certificate in a teaching field or a valid Class A Professional Educator Certificate in a teaching field or instructional support area, the applicant must document a criminal history background check and shall:

(a) Educational Experience. The prospective Instructional Leadership candidate must meet one of the following criteria:

1. Have a minimum of three full years of full-time, satisfactory professional educational work experience in a P-12 setting, which must include P-12 teaching experience if admitted prior to August 2010 or have a minimum of three full years (or six full semesters) of full-time, acceptable professional educational experience in a P-12 setting, which must include at least one full year of full-time P-12 classroom teaching experience if admitted on or after August 1, 2010.

2. Effective January 1, 2022, and thereafter, have a valid Alabama Professional Educator Certificate endorsed for library media or school counseling, document a minimum of seven full years of full-time employment, in the same school system, as a library media specialist or school counselor in a P-12 setting if admitted spring semester 2022 or thereafter, and provide a written recommendation from the current employing superintendent.

(b) Submit an admission portfolio before an interview. The portfolio must contain the following:

1. Three letters of recommendation to include the applicant's principal or supervisor. Each local superintendent will establish requirements for recommendations from the principal and/or supervisor.

2. Completed copy (all forms) of the most recent performance appraisal to include the professional development component, if available.

3. Evidence of ability to improve student achievement.

4. Evidence of leadership and management potential, including evidence of most recent accomplishments in the area of educational leadership.

5. Summary of candidate's reasons for pursuing instructional leadership certification.

6. Summary of what the candidate expects from the preparation program.

(c) Pass an interview conducted by a program admission committee that includes both P-12 instructional leaders and higher education faculty.

(d) Individuals must be unconditionally admitted to the Class A instructional leadership program before enrolling in any instructional leadership courses in the program.

(2)Curriculum of an Instructional Leadership Program. In addition to meeting Rule 290-2-2 -.46(2)(a) -(e), the curriculum for instructional leaders builds on candidate knowledge and abilities acquired through preparation for and employment as a teacher. The standards are based on the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL) prepared by the Council of Chief School Officers with support from numerous professional associations to update the former Interstate School Leader Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards.

(a)Mission, Vision, and Core Values. Effective instructional leaders develop, advocate for, and enact a shared mission, vision, and core values of high-quality education and academic success and well-being of each student. Prospective instructional leaders will be prepared and able to:

1. Develop an educational mission for the school to promote the academic success and well-being of each student.

2. In collaboration with members of the school and the community and using relevant data, develop and promote a vision for the school focused on the successful learning and development of each child and on instructional and organizational practices that promote such success.

3. Articulate, advocate, and cultivate core values that define the school's culture and stress the imperative of child-centered education; high expectations and student support; equity, inclusiveness, and social justice; openness, caring, and trust; and continuous improvement.

4. Strategically develop, implement, and evaluate actions to achieve the vision for the school.

5. Review the school's mission and vision and adjust them to changing expectations and opportunities for the school, and changing needs and situations of students.

6. Develop shared understanding of and commitment to mission, vision, and core values within the school and the community.

7. Model and pursue the school's mission, vision, and core values in all aspects of leadership.

(b)Ethics and Professional Norms. Effective instructional leaders act ethically and according to professional norms to promote each student's academic success and well-being. Prospective instructional leaders will be prepared and able to:

1. Act ethically and professionally in personal conduct, relationships with others, decision making, stewardship of the school's resources, and all aspects of school leadership.

2. Act according to and promote the professional norms of integrity, fairness, transparency, trust, collaboration, perseverance, learning, and continuous improvement.

3. Place children at the center of education and accept responsibility for each student's academic success and well-being.

4. Safeguard and promote the values of democracy, individual freedom and responsibility, equity, social justice, community, and diversity.

5. Lead with interpersonal and communication skill, social-emotional insight, and understanding of all students' and staff members' backgrounds and cultures.

6. Provide moral direction for the school and promote ethical and professional behavior among faculty and staff.

(c)Equity and Cultural Responsiveness. Effective instructional leaders strive for equity of educational opportunity and culturally responsive practices to promote each student's academic success and well-being. Prospective instructional leaders will be prepared and able to:

1. Ensure that each student is treated fairly, respectfully, and with an understanding of each student's culture and context.

2. Recognize, respect, and employ each student's strengths, diversity, and culture as assets for teaching and learning.

3. Ensure that each student has equitable access to effective teachers, learning opportunities, academic and social support, and other resources necessary for success.

4. Develop student policies and address student misconduct in a positive, fair, and unbiased manner.

5. Confront and alter institutional biases of student marginalization, deficit-based schooling, and low expectations associated with race, class, culture and language, gender and sexual orientation, and disability or special status.

6. Promote the preparation of students to live productively in and contribute to the diverse cultural contexts of a global society.

7. Act with cultural competence and responsiveness in their interactions, decision making, and practice.

8. Address matters of equity and cultural responsiveness in all aspects of leadership.

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Effective instructional leaders develop and support intellectually rigorous and coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to promote each student's academic success and well-being. Prospective instructional leaders will be prepared and able to:

1. Implement coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment that promote the mission, vision, and core values of the school, embody high expectations for student learning, align with academic standards, and are culturally responsive.

2. Align and focus systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment within and across grade levels to promote student academic success, love of learning, the identities and habits of learners, and healthy sense of self.

3. Promote instructional practice that is consistent with knowledge of child learning and development, effective pedagogy, and the needs of each student.

4. Ensure instructional practice that is intellectually challenging, authentic to student experiences, recognizes student strengths, and is differentiated and personalized.

5. Promote the effective use of technology in the service of teaching and learning.

6. Employ valid assessments that are consistent with knowledge of child learning and development and technical standards of measurement.

7. Use assessment data appropriately and within technical limitations to monitor student progress and improve instruction.

Community of Care and Support for Students. Effective instructional leaders cultivate an inclusive, caring, and supportive school community that promotes the academic success and well-being of each student. Prospective instructional leaders will be prepared and able to:

1. Build and maintain a safe, caring, and healthy school environment that meets the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of each student.

2. Create and sustain a school environment in which each student is known, accepted and valued, trusted and respected, cared for, and encouraged to be an active and responsible member of the school community.

3. Provide coherent systems of academic and social supports, services, extracurricular activities, and accommodations to meet the range of learning needs of each student.

4. Promote adult-student, student-peer, and school-community relationships that value and support academic learning and positive social and emotional development.

5. Cultivate and reinforce student engagement in school and positive student conduct.

6. Infuse the school's learning environment with the cultures and languages of the school's community.

(f)Professional Capacity and School Personnel. Effective instructional leaders develop the professional capacity and practice of school personnel to promote each student's academic success and well-being. Prospective instructional leaders will be prepared and able to:

1. Recruit, hire, support, develop, and retain effective and caring teachers and other professional staff and form them into an educationally effective faculty.

2. Plan for and manage staff turnover and succession, providing opportunities for effective induction and mentoring of new personnel.

3. Develop teachers' and staff members' professional knowledge, skills, and practice through differentiated opportunities for learning and growth, guided by understanding of professional and adult learning and development.

4. Foster continuous improvement of individual and collective instructional capacity to achieve outcomes envisioned for each student.

5. Deliver actionable feedback about instruction and other professional practice through valid, research-anchored systems of supervision and evaluation to support the development of teachers' and staff members' knowledge, skills, and practice.

6. Empower and motivate teachers and staff to the highest levels of professional practice and to continuous learning and improvement.

7. Develop the capacity, opportunities, and support for teacher leadership and leadership from other members of the school community.

8. Promote the personal and professional health, well-being, and work-life balance of faculty and staff.

9. Tend to their own learning and effectiveness through reflection, study, and improvement, maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

(g)Professional Community for Teachers and Staff. Effective instructional leaders foster a professional community of teachers and other professional staff to promote each student's academic success and well-being. Prospective instructional leaders will be prepared and able to:

1. Develop workplace conditions for teachers and other professional staff that promote effective professional development, practice, and student learning.

2. Empower and entrust teachers and staff with collective responsibility for meeting the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of each student, pursuant to the mission, vision, and core values of the school.

3. Establish and sustain a professional culture of engagement and commitment to shared vision, goals, and objectives pertaining to the education of the whole child; high expectations for professional work; ethical and equitable practice; trust and open communication; collaboration, collective efficacy, and continuous individual and organizational learning and improvement.

4. Promote mutual accountability among teachers and other professional staff for each student's success and the effectiveness of the school as a whole.

5. Develop and support open, productive, caring, and trusting working relationships among leaders, faculty, and staff to promote professional capacity and the improvement of practice.

6. Design and implement job-embedded and other opportunities for professional learning collaboratively with faculty and staff.

7. Provide opportunities for collaborative examination of practice, collegial feedback, and collective learning.

8. Encourage faculty-initiated improvement of programs and practices.

(h)Meaningful Engagement of Families and Community. Effective instructional leaders engage families and the community in meaningful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial ways to promote each student's academic success and well-being. Prospective instructional leaders will be prepared and able to:

1. Be approachable, accessible, and welcoming to families and members of the community.

2. Create and sustain positive, collaborative, and productive relationships with families and the community for the benefit of students.

3. Engage in regular and open two-way communication with families and the community about the school, students, needs, problems, and accomplishments.

4. Maintain a presence in the community to understand its strengths and needs, develop productive relationships, and engage its resources for the school.

5. Create means for the school community to partner with families to support student learning in and out of school.

6. Understand, value, and employ the community's cultural, social, intellectual, and political resources to promote student learning and school improvement.

7. Develop and provide the school as a resource for families and the community.

8. Advocate for the school and district, and for the importance of education and student needs and priorities to families and the community.

9. Advocate publicly for the needs and priorities of students, families, and the community.

10. Build and sustain productive partnerships with public and private sectors to promote school improvement and student learning.

(i)Operations and Management. Effective instructional leaders manage school operations and resources to promote each student's academic success and well-being. Prospective instructional leaders will be prepared and able to:

1. Institute, manage, and monitor operations and administrative systems that promote the mission and vision of the school.

2. Strategically manage staff resources, assigning and scheduling teachers and staff to roles and responsibilities that optimize their professional capacity to address each student's learning needs.

3. Seek, acquire, and manage fiscal, physical, and other resources to support curriculum, instruction, and assessment; student learning community; professional capacity and community; and family and community engagement.

4. Be responsible, ethical, and accountable stewards of the school's monetary and nonmonetary resources, engaging in effective budgeting and accounting practices.

5. Protect teachers' and other staff members' work and learning from disruption.

6. Employ technology to improve the quality and efficiency of operations and management.

7. Develop and maintain data and communication systems to deliver actionable information for classroom and school improvement.

8. Know, comply with, and help the school community understand local, state, and federal laws, rights, policies, and regulations so as to promote student success.

9. Develop and manage relationships with feeder and connecting schools for enrollment management and curricular and instructional articulation.

10. Develop and manage productive relationships with the central office and school board.

11. Develop and administer systems for fair and equitable management of conflict among students, faculty and staff, leaders, families, and community.

12. Manage governance processes and internal and external politics toward achieving the school's mission and vision.

(j)School Improvement. Effective instructional leaders act as agents of continuous improvement to promote each student's academic success and well-being. Prospective instructional leaders will be prepared and able to:

1. Seek to make school more effective for each student, teachers and staff, families, and the community.

2. Use methods of continuous improvement to achieve the vision, fulfill the mission, and promote the core values of the school.

3. Prepare the school and the community for improvement, promoting readiness, an imperative for improvement, instilling mutual commitment and accountability, and developing the knowledge, skills, and motivation to succeed in improvement.

4. Engage others in an ongoing process of evidence-based inquiry, learning, strategic goal setting, planning, implementation, and evaluation for continuous school and classroom improvement.

5. Employ situationally-appropriate strategies for improvement, including transformational and incremental, adaptive approaches and attention to different phases of implementation.

6. Assess and develop the capacity of staff to assess the value and applicability of emerging educational trends and the findings of research for the school and its improvement.

7. Develop technically appropriate systems of data collection, management, analysis, and use, connecting as needed to the local school system office and external partners for support in planning, implementation, monitoring, feedback, and evaluation.

8. Adopt a systems perspective and promote coherence among improvement efforts and all aspects of school organization, programs, and services.

9. Manage uncertainty, risk, competing initiatives, and politics of change with courage and perseverance, providing support and encouragement, and openly communicating the need for, process for, and outcomes of improvement efforts.

10. Develop and promote leadership among teachers and staff for inquiry, experimentation and innovation and initiating and implementing improvement.

(3)Requirements for Certification in Instructional Leadership. Readiness to serve as an instructional leader shall include:

(a) An official transcript from a regionally accredited institution documenting an earned master's degree.

(b) A survey of special education course is required unless that course was taken for prior level certification. [See definition (51)]. An individual who completed a survey of special education course prior to the semester when the individual met requirements for unconditional admission to a Class A program July 1, 2017, and thereafter, must take a course focused primarily on one of the following categories: methods of accommodating instruction to meet the needs of students with exceptionalities in inclusive settings, multicultural education, teaching English language learners, rural education, or urban education. A diversity course used to meet this requirement for one level of certification may not be used to meet the requirement for a higher level of certification. This rule is applicable to the Reduced-Hour Option described in Rule 290-3-3-.47(6).

(c) Satisfactory completion of a State-approved program with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all courses in the Alabama State Board of Education approved program in instructional leadership. Effective for candidates unconditionally admitted to a Class A instructional leadership program July 1, 2017, and thereafter, satisfactory completion of a State-approved program with a minimum GPA of 3.25 on all courses in the Alabama State Board of Education approved program.

(d) A valid Alabama Class B Professional Educator Certificate in a teaching field or a valid Alabama Class A Professional Educator Certificate in a teaching field or instructional support area.

(e) An internship that allows candidates to benefit from purposeful hands-on experiences designed to prepare them to lead the essential work of school improvement and higher student achievement.

1.Components: Candidates in Alabama instructional leadership preparation programs must experience an internship in which the following occur:

(i) Collaboration between the university and LEAs that anchors internship activities in real-world problems instructional leaders face, provides for appropriate structure and support of learning experiences, and ensures quality guidance and supervision.

(ii) An explicit set of school-based assignments designed to provide opportunities for the application of knowledge, skills, and ways of thinking that are required to effectively perform the core responsibilities of an instructional leader, as identified in Alabama standards and research and incorporated in the preparation programs' design.

(iii) A developmental continuum of practice progresses from observing to participating in and then to leading school-based activities related to the core responsibilities of instructional leaders, with analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of real-life problems at each level.

(iv) Field placements provide opportunities to work with diverse students, teachers, parents, and communities.

(v) Handbooks or other guiding materials clearly define the expectations, processes, and schedule of the internship to participants, faculty supervisors, directing P-12 instructional leaders (principals and central office staff), and LEA personnel.

(vi) Ongoing supervision provided by program faculty who have the expertise and time to provide frequent formative feedback on interns' performance that lets them know how they need to improve.

(vii) Directing instructional leaders (principals and central office staff) model the desired leadership behaviors and know how to guide interns through required activities that bring their performance to established standards.

(viii) Rigorous evaluations of interns' performance of core school leader responsibilities based on clearly defined performance standards and exit criteria and consistent procedures.

2.Design. Universities and LEAs collaborate to insure that candidates have meaningful and practical experiences in actual school settings during the course of the instructional leadership preparation program. The internship is designed to place candidates in the cooperating schools during critical times of instructional planning. This collaborative model requires that LEAs provide release time for candidates and for universities to work with LEAs so that the candidate's experiences are comprehensive and valuable. The internship experiences are the total sum of practical experiences, either field or clinical, as part of every course taken for preparation, plus a residency. The residency is uninterrupted service in an active school with students present for the equivalent of ten full days. The residency allows interns to experience leadership in as many of the Alabama Leadership Standard indicators as possible. Candidates shall prepare and maintain a comprehensive portfolio which indicates the level of experiences and knowledge gained in instructional leadership during the intern experiences. The portfolio shall be juried by a committee of university and cooperating school staff before the candidate is recommended for certification.

(4)Testing for Certification in Instructional Leadership. Applicants for initial certification in instructional leadership through the completion of a Class A program must meet the Praxis requirements of the Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP) as a precondition for certification. Additional information is provided in Rule 290-3-3-.46(7).

(5)Faculty. An institution shall meet the following criteria.

(a) At least two faculty members who are full-time to the instructional leadership program shall hold earned doctorates in instructional leadership (educational administration) or related fields.

(b) A minimum of two full-time faculty members in instructional leadership (educational administration) shall each have a minimum of three years of experience as a practicing assistant principal, principal, central office supervisor, assistant superintendent, or superintendent, or any three years combination thereof.

(c) Instructional leadership faculty with recent experience in instructional leadership shall supervise interns. The institution shall have and follow a written policy pertaining to teaching load credit for supervising candidates in field experiences and residencies.

(d) In order to ensure recency of exemplary instructional leadership in a P-12 setting(s), an EPP may request permission from the State Superintendent of Education to meet one of the two required faculty positions by combining the work of no more than two part-time faculty members whose combined workload equals one full-time position. The request to do so must be supported with evidence that each of the two individuals to be employed part-time meets the doctoral degree and experience requirements indicated in Rule 290-3-3-.47(5)(a) and (b).

(6)Reduced-Hour Option Effective July 1, 2014. A person who holds a Class A Professional Educator Certificate and meets the program admission requirements in Rule 290-3-3-.47(1)(a) and (b) may be able to complete a reduced-hour program to be recommended for a Class A Instructional Leadership Certificate. Although the number of semester hours of required credit for instructional leadership courses may vary by EPP, depending on the courses needed to document compliance with program approval standards, at least 18 semester hours of credit for instructional leadership courses are required for this option. EPPs may choose to require additional courses or set a higher GPA requirement. Every instructional leadership course required for the reduced-hour option must include either field or clinical experiences.

(7)Interim Employment Certificate. An Interim Employment Certificate (IEC) allows a superintendent or administrator to employ an applicant who is completing requirements for Class A certification in instructional leadership through a State-approved Class A program at an Alabama institution. Additional Information is provided in the Educator Certification Chapter of the Alabama Administrative Code.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 290-3-3-.47

New Rule: December 19, 1978. Amended: December 13, 1990; effective February 1, 1991. Repealed and Replaced: January 9, 1997; effective February 13, 1997; operative July 1, 1997. Amended: Filed June 14, 1999; effective July 19, 1999. Repealed and New Rule: Filed September 11, 2003; effective October 16, 2003. Repealed and New Rule: Filed July 13, 2004; effective August 17, 2004. Repealed and New Rule: April 14, 2005; effective May 19, 2005. Repealed and New Rule: Filed August 6, 2007; effective September 10, 2007. Repealed and New Rule: Filed August 3, 2009; effective September 7, 2009; operative October 1, 2009. Amended: Filed June 15, 2012; effective July 20, 2012.

Amended by Alabama Administrative Monthly Volume XXXIII, Issue No. 11, August 31, 2015, eff. 9/17/2015.

Amended by Alabama Administrative Monthly Volume XXXVI, Issue No. 12, September 28, 2018, eff. 10/28/2018; operative 6/1/2019.

Amended by Alabama Administrative Monthly Volume XXXIX, Issue No. 11, August 31, 2021, eff. 10/15/2021.

Previous Rule.48 was renumbered.47 per certification published August 31, 2021; effective October 15, 2021.

Author: Dr. Eric G. Mackey

Statutory Authority:Code of Ala. 1975, §§ 16-3-16, 16-23-14.