Instructional Leadership

When COVID19 shut down schools and learning changed to online with no notice, school administrators were called to serve the "whole teacher" in the way we require schools to meet the needs of the "whole child". One of those needs was keeping up with the rapidly changing norms that came that changed as swiftly as the laws (ISSL 2). As administrators, our goal was to assist excellent classroom teachers so they might continue to offer excellent, high-quality instruction in an entirely new modality. I worked with other teachers (ISSL 7) and professionals (ISSL 8) throughout the Quad Cities and put together this quick reference tool so teachers might come together and excel at teaching in this new modality.

We have a robust math program at my current school, beginning at the end of 4th grade, when students have the opportunity to accelerate in math if needed. They take the math that best meets their academic needs while remaining at grade level for their other subjects. Last year, as the Curriculum Director, I ushered in an entirely new math curriculum. As the Enrichment Coordinator, I discovered that the new program testing was not as rigorous or comprehensive as we would like. I worked with the 4-6th grade teachers (ISSL 7) to create a new Math Acceleration Rubric to ensure accurate placement of students in the math that would best fit their needs in 5th grade (ISSL 3 & 4).

As the Enrichment Coordinator, I have analyzed data to make recommendations on push-in and pull-out enrichment for students (ISSL 4). I also took a more global look at the data available, sought patterns, and worked with staff members to improve their instruction (ISSL 7). In this role, I continue to coordinate with staff and parents to ensure our academically advanced students are challenged and educated as necessary.