The Educational Leadership Internship

Introduction

You will be participating in a yearlong internship (EDUCEL 685/95, 686/96, and 687/97) and the activities you engage in during the internship will be evaluated using the Educational Leadership Internship Evaluation Rubric: School Principal or Special Education Administrator. This tool will be scored by the Clinical Educator and the KSC Supervisor and documented in the KSC EPP Assessment System. There are two parts to the Internship Evaluation. Part I of the rubric is an adapted version of an assessment tool developed by the National Policy Board of Educational Administrators (NPBEA, 2018) and is framed by the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards. This tool is cross-referenced with the NHED Standards for Professional Education Administrator (Ed 505.04). Part II of the rubric/evaluation tool directly assesses candidate competency in the specific NHED School Principal (Ed 506.06) and Special Education Administrator (506.04) standards (cross- referenced with the national Council for Administrators of Special Education (CASE/CEC standards).

Internship I, II, III Descriptions

School Principal

Special Education Administrator

EDUCEL 695 Educational Leadership Internship I

An orientation to Educational Leadership Internship requirements and activities. The major focus of the internship and related seminar is for interns to learn about the leadership portfolio development process, engage in planning meetings with their Clinical Educator and College Supervisor, and begin planning and engaging in leadership activities.

Prerequisites: Admission to Educational Leadership Program.

EDUCEL-685 Special Education Administrator I (1 credit)

The first in a series of supervised internships where interns demonstrate competencies as a beginning special education administrator. Interns engage in a personalized plan for meeting competencies through internship experiences, reflection, and documentation of evidence with a focus on inclusive leadership, special education law and curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Prerequisites: Admission to School Leadership Specialization.

EDUCEL 696 Educational Leadership Internship II (EDUC 690 AST Internship I)

The second in a series of supervised internship experiences with seminar sessions addressing current and emerging issues in school leadership as well as national and state standards for educational leaders. Interns engage in a personalized plan for meeting leadership standards and competencies through internship experiences, reflection, and documentation of evidence. Prerequisites: EDUCEL 695

EDUCEL-686 Special Education Administrator II (4 Credits)

The second in a series of supervised internships where interns demonstrate competencies as a beginning special education administrator. Interns engage in a personalized plan for meeting competencies through internship experiences, reflection, and documentation of evidence with a focus on inclusive leadership, special education law and curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Prerequisites: EDUCEL 685

EDUCEL 697: Educational Leadership Internship III (EDUC 690 AST Internship II)
The third in a series of supervised internship experiences with seminar sessions addressing current and emerging issues in school leadership as well as national and state standards for educational leaders. Interns engage in a personalized plan for meeting leadership competencies through internship experiences, reflection, and final documentation of evidence.

Prerequisites: EDUCEL 696

EDUCEL-687 Special Education Administrator III (4 Credits)

The third in a series of supervised internships where interns demonstrate competencies as a beginning special education administrator. Interns engage in a personalized plan for meeting competencies through internship experiences, reflection, and final documentation of evidence with a focus on inclusive leadership, community and agency collaboration, and special education finance.

Prerequisites: EDUCEL 686

General Requirements

The internships emphasize an applied, reflective approach to learning and demonstration of building-level leadership skills. Interns will log between 300-500 hours related to specific leadership activities connected to the program standards. Internship I (May-August) involves an orientation to the Internship and introduction to the evaluation and portfolio process; interns will also engage in leadership activities in the summer. Internship II takes place in the fall semester (14 weeks) and Internship III in spring semester connecting activities and engaging in final documentation of competency (14 weeks). Interns engage in sustained and consistent hours each week during the internship field experiences. At a minimum, interns are required to have opportunities at two levels (e.g., elementary, middle, or high school). For example, interns will have opportunities to engage in activities and observe/shadow across P-12 settings, including early intervention for Special Education Administrators. For additional information about requirements see below as well as the Clinical Educator Agreement, Educational Leadership Internship Roles and Responsibilities, and in the Educational Leadership Internship Evaluation Tool.

Internship Experiences and Connection to Portfolio

During the internships you will be expected to assist in significant and varied administrative responsibilities under the direction of your Clinical Educator and KSC Supervisor. You will design various leadership activities in collaboration with your Clinical Educator and KSC Supervisor during the internship that will allow you to develop your leadership knowledge and skills to the fullest extent possible in the context of the Standards. All activities must be approved by your Clinical Educator or KSC Supervisor. In general, activities involve leading meetings, shadowing and observing principal meetings, interviewing district administrators, supervising staff, participating in budget and grant activities, gathering and interpreting data, engaging with the community, participating in community meetings, attending school events, etc. Interns are required to document hours and all activities in a weekly log of hours which is continually reviewed by your KSC Supervisor. The KSC Supervisor will engage in ongoing meetings (either in person or virtual) with you, your Clinical Educator/Mentor, and may include observing the intern engaged in demonstrating leadership skills.

A list of Suggested Internship Activities and Content Knowledge Modules provides suggested activities and learning modules that interns can engage in during the internships with a specific focus on general leadership activities, School Principal, and Special Education Administrator-related standards. These activities are often individually tailored to meet competency. With the approval of the KSC Supervisor in collaboration with your Clinical Educator, you may also design your own activities or modify the activities. The demonstration of meeting a Standard Competency will be determined through KSC Supervisor and/or Clinical Educator observation and include reviewing materials, reflections, and documents produced by the intern. The KSC Supervisor will provide the final rating but will also consult with the Clinical Educator.

There are various modules and other required content and skill related activities that are required for the internship. These are outlined in the syllabus and supporting documents provided to guide the students in Canvas various modules. Some of the required activities relate to the Pro-Education Administrator standards and others to the Specialized Standards. In addition to activities on site, interns will also have the opportunity to engage in online educational administrator simulations through School Sims at https://schoolsims.com/. Each intern will pay a fee for use of the simulations throughout the internship experiences with a focus on Internship III so that gaps can be addressed if activities are not possible in a certain standard area. Completion of the various required activities including reflections and evidence are also documented in the program portfolio.

Evaluation of Intern Performance

The Clinical Educator and KSC Supervisor observe the candidate engaged in leadership activities and/or review various documentation including evidence that the candidate presents to show competency of a specific Standard and related Competency. It may not be possible to observe all the activities; therefore, the evidence provided, and your reflection is critical to the evaluation.

The purpose of the Educational Leadership Evaluation Rubric is to obtain an overall assessment of intern leadership performance, initially at Internship II and a final evaluation at the conclusion of Internship III. The evaluation tool and rubric are used as both a formative and summative assessment, assessing as a student progresses and guiding adjustments to the internship. The candidate must take an active leadership role to exhibit the skills identified in the specific standards and identified in the assessment tool. Consideration is given to an intern’s growth and potential in each Standard and to the feedback given to an intern throughout the experience. Through the activities and experiences designed during the internship, the intern will show how they meet each Standard and related Competency.

Using the Educational Leadership Internship Evaluation Rubric, The Clinical Educator and the KSC Supervisor rate the intern’s performance on knowledge and skills identified in the assessment. The KSC Supervisor consults with the Clinical Educator and the intern about the intern’s performance. The first formal assessment of the Internship will be conducted at the end of Internship II. The KSC Supervisor will provide feedback to the intern in relation to progress and challenges during Internship I. At this time, some areas may not be rated until Internship III because there may not have been an opportunity to observe performance in all areas. This will vary for each intern depending on their background, experiences, and activities. The KSC Supervisor will make a final rating of intern’s performance at the end of Internship II and III in collaboration with the Clinical Educator and the Intern. The intern will self-assess at every stage in the process to share with both the KSC Supervisor and Clinical Educator.

As stated above, during Internship II, it is expected that interns will receive some “needs improvement” or “progress toward meeting standard” scores or certain competencies may not be addressed. Progress should be evaluated based on where the individual is in the internship experience (e.g., Internship II or Internship III). It is expected that most leadership interns will demonstrate “Progress Toward Meeting Standard” initially and move to “Meets Standard” or “Exceed Expectations”. The “Exceed Expectations” rating is only awarded in recognition of outstanding performance. “Does not meet standard” indicates a pattern of inadequate performance or a lack of opportunity and should be based on feedback provided during observations and other meetings with the candidate.

If significant difficulties related to Intern progress are noted as the Internship progresses, the KSC Supervisor, Clinical Educator, and Intern will collaboratively develop a formal individual plan for improvement and development. The plan will be continually monitored during the Internship and documented in the EPP assessment system. If the intern is not making satisfactory progress during Internship II and also receives a majority of “needs improvement” scores, the KSC Supervisor and Clinical Educator will collaborate to determine if the Intern is permitted to continue in the Internship III. Interns must “meet standard” on all rubric criterion during the final assessment by the KSC Supervisor. In certain cases, interns will be allowed to demonstrate meeting standard through alternative activities which may require an incomplete and extension of the Internship II or III.

References and Guidance Documents

Council for Exceptional Children. (2023). CEC/CASE Administrator of Special Education Professional Leadership Standards. Arlington, VA: Author.

National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA, August 2018). National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) building level standards. NPBEA.

National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA, 2015). Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. NPBEA.