Kentucky Redesigned Principal Preparation Program Guidelines

INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM GUIDELINES-June 2009

16 KAR 3:050 Professional certificates for instructional leadership – school principal, all grades

Level I: the standards-based program of studies designed for minimal preparation to serve in the position of instructional leadership – school principal.

Level II: the standards-based program of studies to attain the first five (5) year renewal of the certificate for the position of instructional leadership – school principal. A recommendation must be provided by an approved program authority regarding the successful completion of the Level II program.

The Provisional and Professional Certificates for Instructional Leadership – School Principal shall be issued to applicants who have completed an approved program of preparation and requirements, including assessments.

The Provisional and Professional Certificates shall be valid for the position of school principal or school assistant principal for all grade levels.

Professional Certificate for Instructional Leadership:

An applicant receives this certificate after completion of the internship program. When the internship program is inoperable, the applicant shall be issued a professional certificate after meeting Level II specific criteria and securing a principal or assistant principal position.

Prerequisites for Admission:

1. A master's degree
2. Three (3) years of documented teaching experience in a public school or a nonpublic school which meets state performance standards as established in KRS 156.160
3. A written statement attesting to the candidate's skills and understanding in the following areas:
• Ability to improve student achievement
• Leadership
• Advanced knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessment
4. A statement of support from a school district, signed by the superintendent or the superintendent's designee, pledging a high quality practicum experience, including opportunities for the candidate:
   
   • to observe school and district leaders
• to participate in school and district leadership activities
• to have access to aggregated school and district information and data
5. Each program submitted for approval shall be based on a collaborative agreement between the university and school districts, which must include the following:
   
• Joint screening of principal candidates
• Joint identification of potential program leaders and mentors
• District and university codesign and codelivery of courses
• An explanation of how the principal program design meets the identified leadership needs of the district
• A protocol for screening applicants to ensure high quality candidates
• A matrix that shows the alignment of the program's curriculum and field experiences to the standard and performance indicators
• A syllabus for each of the program's required courses

Program Design:

1. A plan to collaborate with academic disciplines outside the field of education to supplement the candidate's knowledge and skills
2. A plan to collaborate with districts to provide high quality field experiences that accomplish the following:
   
• enhance coursework throughout the program
• ensure a continuum of school-based experiences that range from observing, to participating, to leading
• expose candidates to diverse student populations and school environments
3. A plan to use rigorous formative and summative evaluations of each candidate's knowledge and skills to accomplish the following:
   
• advocate, nurture, and sustain a school culture that promotes high levels of learning for all students
• manage a school for efficiency, accountability and safety
4. A plan for a capstone project at the end of Level I that requires the candidate to conduct research and defend the project to a panel composed of faculty and practicing school administrators

Program Standards:

The program prepares candidates for school principal according to the following standards:

• Educational Leadership Policy Standards: ISLL 2008
• Technology Standards for School Administrators
• Dispositions, Dimensions, and Functions

Level I and II:

“The renewal of the professional certificate for instructional leadership - school principal, level I, shall require a recommendation from the approved recommending authority regarding the successful completion of an approved level II program. The certificate shall be valid for 5 years.”

• A candidate who completes Level I will receive a Statement of Eligibility (SOE) and can begin working on Level II if a principal position is not available.
• Once the candidate completes Level II coursework, another SOE will be issued until the candidate can secure a position.
• Subsequent renewals will require six (6) hours of college credit or 21 hours of Kentucky Effective Instructional Leadership Training.
• A candidate who is employed with an SOE will receive a professional certificate, since KPIP cannot be fully implemented at the present time.
• It is possible that KPIP will not be funded for the next three to five years.
• The regulation does not say that a candidate must have a job before starting on Level II.
• In the absence of KPIP, IHEs can develop an internship/mentoring/practicum project for candidates.

Faculty – Capacity:

1. Matrix of full-time faculty to include qualifications, rank, degrees, experience, scholarship
2. Matrix of part-time or adjunct faculty to include qualifications, degrees, experience, and scholarship, if applicable

Other Requirements for the Design:

•  Conceptual Framework
•  Continuous Assessment Plan
•  Syllabus for each required course
•  Curriculum Contract
•  Executive Summary

Proposal Submission:

The proposal should be single-spaced, 12-point type, double-spaced between paragraphs, with one-inch margins. Pages must be numbered consecutively throughout the document.  

Optional: Proposals may be accompanied by a Principal Redesign Evaluation Form indicating the page number(s) on which information addressing each element may be found. The form is at the bottom of the Kentucky Redesigned Principal Preparation Program Guidelines at http://www.epsb.ky.gov/teacherprep/prinredesignguidelines.asp

Proposals may be submitted in one of three ways: emailed to allison.bell@ky.gov; posted on the college/university web site, with a notification e-mail sent to allison.bell@ky.gov; or mailed on a thumb drive to the EPSB Educator Preparation Division.

Education Professional Standards Board
Division of Educator Preparation
c/o Allison Bell
100 Airport Road , Third Floor
Frankfort , KY 40601
502.564.4606

PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP DATES TO REMEMBER

16 KAR 3:050 Professional certificate for instructional leadership – school principal, all grades. Effective Date: October 13, 2008.

Principal Programs approved by the EPSB prior to May 31, 2009
Shall no longer be approved or accredited as of December 31, 2011.

Principal Programs approved by the EPSB prior to May 31, 2009
Shall not admit new candidates after December 31, 2011.

Candidates Admitted

Principal preparation programs approved prior to May 31, 2009
Shall complete the program by January 31, 2014 .

Institutions of Higher Learning With a:

Principal preparation program approved prior to May 31, 2009
May submit a redesigned program for approval May 31, 2009 .

Redesigned principal program may become operational January 1, 2010.

There will be open submission dates until December 31, 2012.

Click Here for a Principal Preparation Program Redesign Evaluation Form

Contact the Division of Educator Preparation

Return to the Guidelines for Submission Homepage