Preliminary Administrative Services - Program Review Launchpad

Program Summary

Educational administrators in TK-12 serve in many capacities. No matter what position an administrator holds within an educational organization, all efforts should be directed at supporting equitable academic opportunity and achievement for all students. The courses in the EDAD program are designed to prepare leaders for this important work. Emphasis is placed on (1) examining the role of a school leader, with heavy emphasis on instructional leadership (2) using data to solve problems of practice, (3) leading school improvement to create more equitable schools, (4) managing and guiding change, and (5) working collaboratively with diverse families and communities. The program's primary mission is to educate candidates who will assume leadership positions in diverse, urban, TK-12 schools and districts.

Program Design

The courses EDAD program are designed to prepare administrator candidates for the important work of leading K-12 schools. Emphasis is placed on:

1. Examining the role of a school leader, with heavy emphasis on instructional leadership
2. Using data to solve problems of practice.
3. Leading school improvement to create more equitable schools.
4. Managing and guiding change
5. Working collaboratively with diverse families and communities

Leadership within the credential program

The Educational Administration program (EDAD Program) is part of the Educational Leadership Department (EDLD) in the College of Education (CED).  Within CED there are two Associate Deans and a Dean who have general oversight of the EDAD program, with the EDLD Department Chair reporting to the CED Dean. The EDAD Program is coordinated by a faculty program coordinator; a full-time faculty member always serves in this role, though the coordinator position does rotate among faculty members.  The program coordinator reports to the EDLD Department Chair.  The EDAD Program also has a CalAPA Coordinator, a faculty member who receives some assign time for this role, who works closely with the Program Coordinator, Department Chair, and CED on matters related to the CalAPA.

Communication within the credential program and with the institution

The EDAD program coordinator is responsible for communicating with the Department Chair, EDAD faculty, Associate Deans, and CED offices (e.g., Credential Center, Office of Clinical Practice) about matters related to the EDAD program.  The CalAPA Coordinator is responsible for communicating updates related to the CalAPA to the EDLD Department Chair, EDAD program coordinator, Associate Deans, and other EDAD faculty.

Structure of coursework and field experiences in the credential program

The EDAD program is based on principles of adult learning as well as principles of effective principal preparation programs (Darling-Hammond et al., 2007; Davis & Darling-Hammond, 2012; Wallace Foundation, 2016; Winn et al., 2016). The EDAD program utilizes a cohort model, with candidates completing a structured sequence of courses over a 2-year period.  Field experiences are imbedded in most program courses due to the hands-on, practical nature of the course assignments.  Candidates participate in fieldwork during the 3 instructional leadership courses aligned to the 3 CalAPA Cycles: EDAD655A, B, and C.  Candidates also complete supervised clinical fieldwork hours as part of the EDAD680 course.  For the EDAD680 course, candidates select or are assigned to a site supervisor and are assigned a university supervisor to oversee their fieldwork.

Program modifications over the recent two years

In fall 2019 the EDAD program began implementing an entirely new curriculum based on a series of course and program revisions that occurred from 2016-2018.  This program revision resulted in the revision of all program courses (and in some cases the creation of new courses) to ensure course alignment to the CAPE, inclusion of principles of equity-driven leadership in all courses, and integration of CalAPA support for candidates within coursework. The first cohort to experience the new curriculum began in fall 2019 and completed the program in spring 2021.

Means for stakeholder input

When the EDAD program completed its last curriculum revision (2016-2018), stakeholders from local districts were invited to attend a December 2017 collaboration meeting as well as provide written feedback on draft course outlines during spring 2018.  Stakeholders from local districts were also invited to attend a CalAPA training in February 2019.  On an ongoing basis, stakeholders participate in the EDLD department advisory board, which holds meetings 1-2 times a year.  During the 2020-2021 academic year, due to COVID, the advisory board did not meet, but it will resume in 2021-2022. Further, the part-time faculty who teach in the program are all practicing administrators in local school districts and provide ongoing input to the program and courses.

Course of Study (Curriculum and Field Experience)

Description of the sequence of coursework

Candidates enroll in a series of courses for a total of 27 units over a 2-year period.  The coursework sequence was designed to introduce candidates to principles of leadership (EDAD625) in the first semester while also providing them with introductory data skills (EDAD636).  From there, the course concepts progress each semester, with a 3-semester instructional leadership sequence aligned to Cycles 1-3 of the CalAPA (EDAD655A, B, and C) as well as in-depth courses related to community engagement (EDAD651), school law and civic responsibility (EDAD623), and resource management (EDAD652). Candidates have the option to complete their EDAD680 clinical fieldwork course in the summer between the two years of program courses (after year 1) or in their final semester of the program.  Candidates also enroll in a 1-unit advising course each semester (EDAD621A-D) to be guided through the program benchmarks by the program coordinator. It should be noted that this program overlaps with our M.A. in Educational Administration program, and M.A. students may take an additional 3-unit course (EDAD695) for the Master’s degree.  Most EDAD students do so to complete both the M.A. and credential.

The course of study includes 30 units.  A typical schedule for completing these units is outlined below:

Semester 1

• EDAD 621A (1 unit) Seminar: Introduction to Educational Leadership
• EDAD 625 (2 units) Leadership, Organizational Management, and Social Justice
• EDAD 636 (3 units) Applied Research for School Leaders: Using Data for School Improvement and Equity

Semester 2

• EDAD 621B (1 unit) Seminar: Equity and Educational Leadership
• EDAD 651 (2 units) Urban Schools & Communities: Social, Political, and Cultural Issues
• EDAD 655A (3 units) Introduction to Instructional Leadership for Equity

Summer (3 units)

• EDAD 680 (3 units) Field Experience in Educational Administration

Semester 3 (9 units)

• EDAD 621C (1 unit) Seminar: Collaboration and Educational Leadership
• EDAD 655B (3 units) Instructional Leadership: Leading Professional Learning & School Improvement
• EDAD 652 (3 units) Resources in Educational Administration
• EDAD 623 (2 units) Legal Aspects of Education

Semester 4 (6 units)

• EDAD 621D (1 unit) Seminar: Preparing for Educational Leadership Positions
• EDAD 655C (2 units) Instructional Leadership: Teacher Supervision & Coaching
• EDAD 695 (3 units) Master’s Research Project in Educational Administration

Number and type of field placements

Candidates have at least one field placement during the program.  Candidates self-place in their own district/site of employment for field-based course assignments and for their fieldwork related to the CalAPA Cycles.  For their EDAD680 supervised clinical fieldwork course candidates can choose to self-place (as long as the university has an affiliation agreement on file with their organization) or they can request that the program place them. Students participate in a diverse set of CAPE-aligned experiences during their fieldwork.

Connection of field experience with coursework

Candidates complete field-based assignments across most program courses (EDAD625, EDAD636, EDAD651, EDAD623, EDAD652, and EDAD 655A, B, and C), and candidates participate in formal, supervised clinical fieldwork hours during the EDAD680 course.  The fieldwork assignments provide opportunities to apply theory to practice and see how their course learning can be applied in a school/district context.

Field supervision, advisement, evaluation: frequency, type, from BOTH the program personnel and the district employed individual (master teacher) when required in a program.

In course-based field assignments, candidates are supervised by the instructor for that course and are assessed using assignment rubrics.  For the 3 courses in the instructional leadership sequence (EDAD655 A, B, and C) which are aligned to the 3 CalAPA Cycles, candidates also use the CalAPA rubrics as part of their assessment. Candidate progress in EDAD680 fieldwork is evaluated in several ways and many assignments are evaluated by the university supervisor: a log and reflective journal, artifacts with documentation and reflection forms, a pre- and post-CAPE self-assessment. The university supervisor meets weekly with students throughout their fieldwork, and the university supervisor uses a rubric to evaluate candidate performance in EDAD680. The site supervisor supervises the day-to-day CAPE-aligned projects that the students complete, and the site supervisor completes a candidate disposition assessment and progress report to evaluate candidate progress in EDAD680. Candidates can receive additional advising related to fieldwork from their instructors, the program coordinator (who also serves as advisor, in most cases), and their site supervisor. Candidates can evaluate their fieldwork experience in the program exit survey administered by the CED Assessment Office.  Candidates completing new EDAD curriculum for the first time (cohort beginning fall 2019 and ending in spring 2021) will have the opportunity to evaluate their overall program experience, including fieldwork, during focus groups conducted in summer 2021 as part of an EDAD program self-evaluation.

Assessment of Candidates

How candidates are assessed for program competencies

Candidates are assessed for program competencies throughout the program.  Within each course there are student learning outcomes (SLO) which are assessed through course assignments.  Most of these assignments utilize rubrics for assessing students.  Further, select courses (EDAD625, EDAD636, EDAD651, EDAD623, EDAD652) have a signature assignment with a standardized rubric that assesses a particular program learning outcome (PLO).  Data from Cycles 1, 2, and 3 of the CalAPA are viewed as signature assignments from the EDAD655A, B, and C courses, respectively, and the corresponding PLO.  The PLOs are based on the CAPE.  Candidates are also assessed on the CAPE when their ePortofolio is shared during the portfolio exit interview and evaluated by the program coordinator using a rubric.

What advice candidates receive about how they will be assessed in the program and informed of the results of those assessments?

Candidates develop a relationship with their advisor/program coordinator beginning in the first semester of the program.  The program coordinator is typically the instructor for a 1-unit advising course in each of the four semesters in the program (EDAD621A-D), so candidates always have access to advice related to the program.  Students are first made aware of key program assessments (e.g., CalAPA, program ePortfolio) in the program handbook, which is presented to students during the summer program welcome session.  The program coordinator also refers to this handbook with students in the EDAD621A course.  Information about course-specific assessments (assignments) can be found in the syllabus for each program course.  Details about the EDAD680 fieldwork course, including assessments, can be found in the EDAD680 handbook, which also serves as the EDAD680 course syllabus. In the past, the program coordinator has served as the sole program advisor for all students; beginning in fall 2021, students are assigned to a faculty advisor from among the five full-time faculty (including the program coordinator) in the program.  The EDAD655A, B, and C instructors are another source of advice related to the CalAPA assessment as they provide students with detailed information about each CalAPA Cycle.

CalAPA Support

Candidates for the PASC are exposed to the CalAPA throughout the course of the program as elements and theoretical frameworks have been integrated into the curriculum. However, numerous additional supports also are made available to candidates.  A faculty CalAPA coordinator, who is a trained assessor, works closely with program faculty to provide updates on CalAPA related content and changes. The CalAPA coordinator closely monitors candidate assessment results, provides review workshops for candidates, attends CTC trainings, and provides 1-1 coaching to PASC students who are experiencing difficulty in passing their CalAPA cycles. 

1.1.1 Table Depicting Location, Delivery Models, and Pathways