Who Put “Instructional Monitoring” On My To Do List? Suggestions for Principals

M. Ann Levett, Ed.D.

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M. Ann Levett, Ed.D.© 2005

Management and Leadership

Management means doing things right

Leadership means doing the right things well

Leadership Challenges Recruiting and maintaining

quality staff

Establishing curriculum and instructional priorities

Applying best practices

Building a positive school culture

Leadership Challenges Monitoring what matters

Modeling what matters

Establishing positive relations with staff, parents, and community

Knowing when to delegate

What Are Your Management Challenges? People Time Structures Planning Programs Physical plant Crises

How Do I Find Time?Create a plan that forces you into classrooms and around the building, i.e.

If you have to give a student medication, go to the room rather than administering it in the office.

If a teacher wants to see you, go to his or her room rather than having him/her meet you in your office.

How Do I Find the Time? If a teacher calls and asks for

help with a discipline problem in his or her room, go to the room, sit and observe briefly, then remove the student.

Schedule a percentage of time each day for classroom visits.

Do the 5X5

Do a 5x5 if you do not enough time for a walkthrough or full observation

Each day, visit five classrooms for at least 5 minutes each.

Build it into your schedule so everyone knows that during this time you are not available.

Keep a chart, 3x5 cards, or an electronic file and record daily which rooms you have visited.

Do the 5 X 5 Use a simple checklist that states

what the teacher was doing and what the students were doing.

Be sure to leave notes in the mailboxes of those teachers you visited indicating something positive you saw in their instruction, their teaching techniques, or rapport with the students.

Focus on Learning Read random samples of student

work; i.e work posted in the halls, dropped in the halls, and on the bulletin boards

 Request copies of a recent test/assignment the teacher has given and review the students’ work submitted for the same.

Conduct grade audits regularly and give feedback on what you see.

 

Lesson PlansLesson Plans – Create a checklist to show teachers what you are expecting to see (content and behaviors).

 Check lesson plans against required learning objectives

Check them against pacing guides Check them for relevance, rigor,

and for resources being used. Check for developmental

appropriateness and engagement.

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Lesson Plans Use the SCAN, FEEDBACK –

STUDY, OBSERVE, FEEDBACK strategy For a percentage, scan and

provide feedback on lesson plans For a percentage, study the

lesson plan (match it against all previously cited criteria), observe during the week, and provide feedback

Use of Meeting Time1. Use faculty meetings to talk about

data, action research, teaching, and learning.

2. Share what you learned (in general) from your monitoring.

3. Ensure that the instructional teams and appropriate subcommittees report on teaching and learning issues.

4. Put all administrivia into memos.

Use of Time Establish set times when grade

levels or departments meet (other than faculty time). Ensure that the agenda focuses on data, teaching and learning 

Attend these meetings. If you cannot attend, review the agenda and the notes. Meet with the meeting leaders before and after!

Review and file minutes of ALL meetings.

Use of Time Make it a priority to attend and

participate fully in team meetings.The meeting agendas should focus on the instruction and students.

Ensure that all major committees and subcommittees focus on appropriate issues.

Is Your Hair On Fire? When you are scheduled to

visit classrooms or conduct observations: Have the gatekeepers behave as

if you are off campus Only respond if the building or

someone’s hair is on fire! Use the same plan that you use

when you ARE away from the building

Other Tips Create several back up plans for

yourself for handling crises Tell everyone who pulls on you that

instructional monitoring MUST be your priority. And, mean it!

Multitask – Handle paperwork while you do other things

Dedicate specific times of the day for certain tasks

Rotate observations with administrators.

Other Tips Use your committee structures to assist

you in charting an instructional course for your school. They can help with collecting and analyzing the data which should drive decisions on curriculum, learning activities, policies/procedures and program

Provide feedback immediately on what you see school wide and individually. Document! Use PDP and PRP processes accordingly.

Other Tips Use central office personnel to give

you feedback on what they see in classrooms

Use instructional teams/subcommittees to create test preparation materials/procedures and universal lesson plans

Share data regularly for staff analysis and problem-solving

Final Words What gets measured gets

done.

If you want to improve student achievement, the teachers, families, and students must know what you expect and that you will inspect for it.

Get into classrooms EVERYDAY and respond to what you see and hear!