EDLD 5399 Reflection of Self- Assessment
In my previous Self Assessment, I scored myself fairly high on many of the competencies. I read through my reflection as I began these courses, and I believe that reflection accurately described my strengths and areas for improvement. As I took this assessment this morning, I was not quite as generous with my S (strength) scoring.
Overall, I provided scores that accurately reflect that I am a competent candidate for a superintendent position, but that I am still in need of opportunities to grow. In Domain One, Competency Area One, I moved from scoring myself S in all categories to realizing that I am competent in monitoring, applying laws and interacting with the community, but I still have room to grow in these areas. Monitoring becomes such a huge task that I would want to continue to seek the assistance of others. I realize more and more the importance of having a member of my staff who is familiar with law, policies and procedures. While I have many years of experience, most of that comes from an educational perspective. I believe input on how the laws apply can be extremely helpful to a Superintendent. My scores in Competency Area Two are fairly consistent with my previous scores. I believe this shows that I am aware of my areas of growth opportunity, which predominantly include facilitation of vision, monitoring (again) and allocation of resources. Competency Area 3 scores indicate this is an area I thought I knew well, but have now lost some confidence. Perhaps the struggles our district experienced with the past legislative session provided a chance for me to understand the importance of articulation of the importance of education, strong channels of communication with the media and parents, and having a pulse on the perceptions and political pieces of a superintendent job. It seemed that every time I met with the Superintendent, I was reminded of the fragile nature of board relations. These board relations translate quickly to community and family relations. The same can be said for my responses to Competency Area 4. In fact, I indicated much lower scores in almost every domain in this area. The political, legal and economic contexts are areas where I believe I have the most to learn. This class has certainly made me aware of the importance of working with the board, providing leadership in defining those roles, and communicating effectively with them. This was the area in the initial assessment where I indicated I had the most to learn as well. While I believe I have learned more, I need more assurances and practice in this area.
I remain confident in my instructional leadership, which is indicated in Domain II. Again, as I observed the role of the superintendent more and more, I realized that my global perspective could use more support. I am very confident in the instructional leadership involved in a campus. As our district implemented a new strategic plan, incorporating some very bold goals about moving from a teacher platform to a learning platform, I came to appreciate the importance of thinking about the curriculum and resources for all levels of learning. As a result, I moved from almost all S scores to many more C scores. I look forward to an opportunity to expand my experiences with PK- 16 learning. In Competency Six of this area, I continue to see strength in facilitating rigor, relevance and analysis of instructional programs while allocation of resources and development of change processes continue to challenge me. Competency Seven illustrates that my strengths are still in the collaboration and delivery of presentations, but that my learning about comprehensive plans and evaluation models could use support.
The last Domain dealing with budgets, physical plants and compliance with federal and state requirements represent the areas where I felt I grew the most during these classes. I knew going into these classes that I had limited exposure to these topics. Through these classes, along with serving on several committees in the district as a part of my internship, I gained knowledge about finances, facilities and environments. I still do not feel overly competent in the recognizing and working with the political influences and understanding the various building codes, but I have a greater appreciation for hiring people or finding contacts who can help in my understanding of these topics.
Overall, I believe my knowledge of these different competencies has grown. I am also realistic in understanding that I have much more to learn.
Scott,
ReplyDeleteIt looks as if you and I are feeling about the same with respect to our knowledge coming into this program and leaving. I also feel I have learned a large amount about the last domain (this was my weakest area coming into the program). Also, like you, I still need to continue to seek out experieinces that will maintain and increase my understanding of these topics.
I hope this program is the first step to many great things in your career.