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Assignment Overview 

Supporting Teacher Growth — Developing the Appropriate Growth Plan

As a principal, one of your most important responsibilities is supporting the professional growth and effectiveness of teachers. In North Carolina, teachers participate in a professional development planning process, but the type and level of professional growth plan should be aligned to the teacher's evaluation results and identified areas of need. As a future principal, you must be able to examine multiple sources of evidence, determine the appropriate level of support, develop meaningful goals, and monitor a teacher's progress. For this assignment, you will select one of two teacher scenarios and assume the role of the principal. Based on the evidence provided, select ONE of the two scenarios. You will analyze the evidence and determine the appropriate professional development plan for the teacher. Your first responsibility is to determine whether the teacher should be on an:

· Individual Growth Plan: A plan focused on continued professional growth when the teacher is demonstrating expected performance but has identified areas for development.

· Monitored Growth Plan: A more intensive plan used when evidence identifies performance concerns that require focused goals, additional support, and closer monitoring.

· Directed Growth Plan: A formal plan used when the evidence indicates more significant performance concerns and the teacher requires a clearly defined, intensive intervention and monitoring process.

Your decision must be supported by North Carolina evaluation expectations, NCDPI guidance, and evidence from the scenario. As you work through this assignment, consider, how should a principal use evaluation evidence to determine the appropriate professional growth plan and support a teacher's continued development?

Scenario 1: Ms. Carter — Middle School ELA 

You are the principal of River Valley Middle School, a grades 6–8 school serving approximately 600 students. You have a seventh-grade ELA teacher, Ms. Carter, who is in her third year of teaching. Over the past several months, you have observed several concerns. 

Observation Evidence 

During three classroom observations, you noted: 

· Lessons are generally aligned to the curriculum but lack clear learning targets. 

· Teacher questioning is primarily recall-based. 

· Few students are asked to explain their thinking. 

· Students frequently work independently without opportunities for meaningful academic discussion. 

· Checks for understanding are inconsistent. 

· The teacher does not consistently adjust instruction based on student responses. 

Student Data 

Student performance data indicate: 

· 62% of students demonstrated proficiency on the most recent common assessment. 

· Students performed particularly poorly on constructed-response questions. 

· Several students identified as needing additional support have demonstrated limited growth. 

· Student work indicates that many students can identify correct answers but struggle to explain or defend their thinking. 

Previous Feedback and Support 

During an earlier conference, you discussed the following areas with Ms. Carter: 

· Increasing student discourse 

· Using more frequent checks for understanding 

· Using assessment data to adjust instruction 

· You also provided resources and connected Ms. Carter with the school's instructional coach. 

Ms. Carter acknowledged the feedback and agreed to work on these areas. During a follow-up observation, some improvement was evident; however, the concerns remain. 

Teacher Perspective  

Ms. Carter explains: "I feel like I am doing everything I can. My students are difficult, and I am trying to cover everything I am supposed to teach. I don't understand why my observations keep saying I need to change." 

Scenario 2: Mr. Thompson — Elementary Teacher 

You are the principal of River Valley Elementary School, serving approximately 500 students. Mr. Thompson is a fifth-year fourth-grade teacher who is generally viewed as a positive and dependable member of the school community. He has strong relationships with students and colleagues, maintains effective classroom routines, and demonstrates professional conduct. 

Observation Evidence 

During two classroom observations, you noted: 

· Lessons are well organized and aligned with standards.  

· Students are engaged and classroom routines are well established.  

· Mr. Thompson uses a variety of instructional strategies.  

· Students generally demonstrate positive behavior and participate appropriately.  

· Most classroom questions require students to recall information rather than explain, analyze, or defend their thinking.  

· Opportunities for student-to-student academic discussion are limited.  

Mr. Thompson sometimes moves through lessons quickly without providing enough time for students to process or discuss their responses.  

Student Data 

Student achievement data indicate: 

· 81% of students demonstrated proficiency on the most recent common assessment.  

· Students performed particularly well on selected-response questions.  

· Student performance was lower on constructed-response and explanation-based questions.  

· Students receiving additional academic support are making progress, but several continue to struggle with explaining their reasoning.  

Teacher Reflection 

During the post-observation conference, you discussed: 

· Increasing higher-order questioning  

· Providing additional opportunities for student discourse  

· Giving students more time to explain their thinking  

· Using constructed-response tasks more intentionally  

Mr. Thompson responds: "I can see that. I think sometimes I am so focused on getting through the lesson that I don't give students enough time to really talk through their thinking." 

He asks whether he can observe another teacher who is particularly strong in student discourse and questioning. 

Part 1: Determine the Appropriate Growth Plan & Analyze Evidence

Identify whether you believe the teacher should be placed on an:

· Individual Growth Plan

· Monitored Growth Plan

· Directed Growth Plan

Then explain why. Your response should:

· Identify the evidence that influenced your decision.

· Consider the teacher's evaluation evidence.

· Consider student performance data.

· Consider previous feedback and support.

· Consider the teacher's response to feedback.

· Connect your decision to applicable NCDPI/North Carolina expectations.

· Explain why the other plan types are less appropriate for this situation

· Identify 2–3 specific areas of growth or concern:

· What is the concern or area for growth?

· What evidence supports your conclusion?

· What impact could this have on students?

· What previous feedback or support has been provided?

· Why should this area be included in the teacher's growth plan?

Part 2: Develop 2–3 Professional Growth Goals

Develop 2–3 goals for the teacher's professional growth plan. Each goal should:

· Address an identified area of need.

· Be specific.

· Be measurable when appropriate.

· Be realistic.

· Include a timeline.

· Identify evidence that will demonstrate progress.

· Clearly communicate what successful improvement looks like.

Part 3: Develop the Support Plan

Identify how you, as the principal, will support the teacher in achieving the goals. For each support, explain:

· What support will be provided?

· Who will provide it?

· When will it occur?

· Why is it appropriate for the identified need?

Part 4: Develop a Monitoring Plan

Explain how you will monitor the teacher's progress throughout the growth plan. Your monitoring plan should identify:

· What evidence will be collected?

· How often will evidence be collected?

· Who will collect or provide evidence?

· When will progress be reviewed?

· How will progress be documented?

· How will feedback be provided?

· What evidence will demonstrate successful growth?

· What will happen if sufficient progress is not demonstrated?

Part 5: Final Reflection

Write a 1–2 page reflection responding to: How can a principal balance support, professional growth, and accountability when developing a teacher's professional growth plan? Your reflection should address:

· What did you learn from analyzing the scenario?

· Why did you select the particular type of growth plan?

· What evidence most influenced your decision?

· How did NCDPI expectations influence your decision?

· How can principals ensure that growth plans are meaningful rather than simply compliance documents?

· How can principals maintain high expectations while supporting teachers?

· How can principals maintain the teacher's dignity and professionalism?

· What would you do if the teacher does not demonstrate sufficient improvement?

· When might you involve district HR?

· How does this process connect to teacher evaluation?

Guidelines

Your assignment submission should be the submission of Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

For Assignment submissions, you must include the following in order to receive full credit: 

1. Include a cover sheet with your name, professor’s name, title of the assignment, and the date

2. Fully answer all parts of the question

3. Questions should be in bold with the response directly underneath in 12 point Times New Roman font.  

4. Substantiate your stance using the textbook, required instructional resources for the week, and principles of educational leadership for each section

5. Include principles of educational leadership and vocabulary from the text appropriately for each section

6. Analyze the role of an effective school administrator in the scenario--what would happen if he/she adhered to the policy/situation and what if they missed some steps in the process? Please use examples to further explain your stance 

7. Include a reference page