Lamar University Internship Portfolio

Appendix F: Course-Embedded Internship Summary

Course-Embedded Internship Summary and Validation Report

Directions: This report should summarize all Course-Embedded Internship Activities that have been recorded in the log forms. You will submit this completed
form in your 12th course.
The Internship requires a minimum of 150 course-embedded hours.
Name: Operium Jackson
Total Hours: 150
State
Competency
Standard
II.6

Course Number
EDLD 5311
Fundamentals of
Leadership

Date
Completed
(Required)
2/21/2012

Time Spent
on Activity

Description of Activity

Reflection (150 words or less describing what you

learned from this activity) (Required)

7 hrs

Students will collaborate with the

school supervisor and develop the
18 month internship plan. Plans
will be based on self-assessment
findings, professional goals, and
the unique needs of the intern and

By completing the self-assessments, I understand

how my attitudes, values, and beliefs will play a
major role in the type of leader that I become. I
recommend that I use the results from the
assessments to address the areas that I need
improvement. This will allow me to build my

Lamar University Internship Portfolio

Appendix F: Course-Embedded Internship Summary

II.6

EDLD 5311
Fundamentals of
Leadership

2/2/2012

8 hrs

II.6

EDLD 5301
Research

3/18/2012

10 hrs

school.
Students develop an educational
vita noting all professional
experience, education, relevant
training, professional
organizations, and references. The
vita will become part of the
professional portfolio and used to
note strengths and areas for further
development in devising the
internship plan.
Students engage in identifying an
action research topic(s) or research
question(s) and designing a draft
action plan completing a
recommended template or format
of a blueprint of the action research
plan.

weaknesses, and improve my strengths

I have learned that there are things that I do not
completely know about myself. I realize that as a
developing leader, it is important for me to
recognize my strengths and weaknesses in order to
develop the skills of an effective leader.

My action research title is In what ways can a

collaborative culture, characterized by pre-k and
kindergarten teachers communicating,
understanding, and sharing expectations for all
students be developed in my school? How does
this collaborative culture affect students learning
in kindergarten? Designing the template was not
easy; however, with the help of my site supervisor,
I was able to complete my template.

Lamar University Internship Portfolio

Appendix F: Course-Embedded Internship Summary

EDLD 5301

3/25/2012

5 hrs

Students review comments from

colleagues and site supervisors and
engage in revising their draft
action research plan. By the end of
Week 5, students should confer
with their site supervisor(s) and
agree on an action research topic
and plan.

The conference with my site supervisor was very

short because he was extremely busy with
meetings. He looked over my action research plan
and felt that it was looking good. I talked about the
Delphi Model strategy, and asked if he thought I
should implement it in my action research project.
He suggested how using the Delphi model could
help the teachers reach a consensus on the best
time to have PLC meetings across grade levels. He
also suggested that I provide a summary of the
responses during the weekly staff meetings, as well
as the rationale for the specific day/time that was
chosen for the PLC meetings. He also felt that I
should appoint a committee of 4 teachers; 2 from
each grade level to help to implement the PLC
across grade levels, but this has been a challenge
because the teachers are busy. The revision that I
made to my action research plan is the
implementation of the Delphi Model. I will apply
the Delphi model by sending out questionnaires to
the 20 teachers about concerns/issues they have
with the lack of a PLC across grade levels, and the
best time to have PLC meetings. Then I will
summarize the answers and present a rationale for
the answers, as well as the chosen day and time to
have PLC meetings across grade levels during the
weekly staff meeting.

I.1

EDLD 5333
Leadership for
Accountability

6/9/2012

5 hrs

Students create a personal vision of

leadership.

I.3

EDLD 5333
Leadership for
Accountability

6/15/2012

5 hrs

Students attend a Site-Based

Decision-Making (SBDM)
meeting, record reflections, and

My vision is to promote the value of learning and

quality performance among students and staff. I
have learned the importance of having a personal
vision in order to develop a mission for the school.
After attending the Site-Based Decision-Making
meeting, I understand that the purpose of the
committee is to ensure that teachers, parents, and

Lamar University Internship Portfolio

Appendix F: Course-Embedded Internship Summary

interview the principal and one

other staff member regarding
collaboration, consensus building
strategies, ethical relationships,
typical agenda items, etc.
II.7

EDLD 5333
Leadership for
Accountability

6/29/2012

5hrs

Students demonstrate leadership

for accountability by researching
best practices, including specific
professional development to
address a target area and list the
strategies and rationale for using
each strategy.
Students conduct a data-based
needs assessment. Based on the
areas of need identified, students
create a campus action plan to
address the needs identified
including professional
development plans, allocation of
resources to support the plan, and
any tools needed for school
improvement efforts

III.8

EDLD 5333
Leadership for
Accountability

6/29/2012

5 hrs

II.4

EDLD 5333Leadership for

Accountability

6/17/2012

5 hrs

Students conduct a data-driven,

comprehensive needs assessment
using the latest AYP and AEIS
data, a multi-year history of this
data, and a comparable
improvement report.

II.6

EDLD 5344
School Law

4/29/2012

15 hrs

Application of learning by
designing a remediation to a
situation you would like to

community members have an active voice in the

operations, procedures, and programs of the
school. I also learned that the primary tasks for the
committee are to create and approve the annual
campus budget and to create a plan for school wide
improvements.
Reviewing data and completing a professional
development plan to target areas of weakness has
allowed me to understand the importance of
researching different strategies to meet the needs of
all students. Although it is important to research
different strategies, it is also important to
understand why the strategies work.
The area of weakness that I will target is Science.
My rationale for choosing science is that all
subgroups, except white, are below the recognized
and exemplary standard. Only 66% of 5th grade
African American students met science standards.
Only 74% of Hispanic and 73% of economically
disadvantaged students met science standards,
whereas 91% of white students met and exceeded
the exemplary standard. There is truly a significant
gap in science between these subgroups and white
students.
My campus is in Quartile1for both reading and
mathematics. This tells me that there is growth in
student performance from one year to the next, and
that because my campus fell into the top quartile, it
was awarded Comparable Improvement, an
acknowledgement awarded under the Gold
Performance Acknowledgment system
After completing this class, I became familiar with
statewide special education laws. I understand the
importance of principals being familiar with the

Lamar University Internship Portfolio

Appendix F: Course-Embedded Internship Summary

I.3

EDLD 5345

7/29/2012

5 hrs

improve in your school. In your

School-Based Analysis, you
familiarized yourself with special
education policies in your state and
school district. For your
Application, you will use this
knowledge as you follow a
fictional student, Joseph, who has
just enrolled at your school. You
will develop an Individualized
Education Program for Julia,
monitor how her program is
implemented in the classroom, and
use your knowledge of student
rights and school management to
make sound decisions when she
engages in behavior that calls for
disciplinary action. This
assignment will require you to use
knowledge gained from your
lectures and readings, and from
communication with leaders at
your school, including your
principal, special education
coordinator, and classroom
teachers. Your final step will be to
make suggestions about how
management policies and
procedures for special education
students at your school can be
improved. In all instances, you are
expected to cite relevant law
and/or policy that you used to
formulate your answers.
Students review Chapter 247 of the

special education process and policies on their

campus. I realize that as a future administrator I
must understand special education laws and how
these laws affect special education evaluations and
accommodations. I think that developing the IEP
and collaborating with the special education
coordinator and teacher allowed me understand the
process better. My plan is to attend some staff
developments about accommodations in the
classroom to help me better understand how to
recognize if accommodations are working for the
student.

Completing the Code of Ethics Mind walk allowed

Lamar University Internship Portfolio

Appendix F: Course-Embedded Internship Summary

Human Resource
Mgt

II.6

EDLD 5345
Human Resource
Mgt

7/27/2012

5 hrs

II.6

EDLD 5345
Human Resource
Mgt

7/26/2012

5 hrs

Texas Administrative Code,

"Educators' Code of Ethics,"
conduct observations and/or
interviews in your school, and use
the results of those observations
interviews to complete the "Code
of Ethics Mind walk."
Students conduct an interview with
an administrator at their school
regarding strategies for recruiting
and retaining high-quality teachers
and administrators.

me to understand an Educators Code of Ethics. I

realized that there many things that educators face
on a daily basis that could result in a complaint. I
feel that this assignment allowed me understand
what is ethical and unethical according to Chapter
247 of the Texas Administrative Code.

Students access the policies and

procedures in place in their district
related to teacher mentoring
programs by accessing the district's
webpage or contacting district
Human Resources Office and
reflect on the policies in place for
mentoring induction.

After reviewing the policies and procedure related

to teacher mentoring programs, I learned that the
district may assign a mentor teacher to each
classroom teacher who has less than two years of
teaching experience in the subject or grade level to
which the teacher is assigned. A teacher assigned
as a mentor must complete a research based mentor
and induction training program approved by the

I interviewed my principal, Mr. Ronnie Davenport.

I have learned from my interview the importance
of recruiting and retaining high quality teachers.
From my interview, I learned that my campus has a
recruitment planning team that consists of the
principal and several teachers, as well as a
representative from special services. The purpose
of this team is to assess the needs of the campus
and evaluate the hiring process. Also, he informed
me that the campus is very focused on encouraging
paraprofessionals to become fully licensed
teachers. In order to retain quality teachers, my
campus offers teachers support such as continual
professional development, supportive leadership,
and mentorship programs for new teachers. What I
found most interesting was that Mr. Davenport
informed me that in order to retain teachers, you
must develop them into high quality teachers first.

Lamar University Internship Portfolio

Appendix F: Course-Embedded Internship Summary

commissioner, and complete a training program

provided by the district. The mentor must also have
three complete years of teaching experience with a
superior record in achieving improvement in
student performance.
II.6

EDLD 5345
Human Resource
Mgt

8/6/2012

5 hrs

Students complete the Cultural

Proficiency Receptivity Scale, use
the Cultural Proficiency
Professional Development Rubric
to assess the level of professional
development at their campus or
workplace, and identify and
describe where and how their
campus has responded to each of
the elements of Cultural
Proficiency
Students develop a plan for a
family-school-community
partnership(s) to increase student
achievement

I.2

EDLD 5326
School Community
Relations

9/15/2012

5 hrs

I.2

EDLD 5326
School Community
Relations

9/21/2012

5 hrs

Students develop a presentation to

be given to key stakeholders in
their school that emphasizes the
importance of parental-community
involvement to student
achievement.

I.1

EDLD 5339
Organization and

3/24/2013

5 hrs

Students interview two school

leaders regarding campus

I believe that I would be a culturally proficient

leader. The area that I would work on is being
comfortable to ask questions about racism, cultural
preferences, and insufficient learning conditions
and resources that may be uncomfortable for others
in my school or district. I think that in order to
overcome the achievement gap between the
different subgroups, I must be comfortable with
addressing any question that deals with the ways
we are or are not meeting the needs of all cultures
When developing my plan, I really had to make
sure that the timeline was realistic. It was
important for me to identify the required task, and
to appoint specific individuals to complete those
tasks. What I found most challenging was
describing the evaluation process to access the
outcome of the partnership.
After completing the presentation outline, I
understood the importance of selling my project
to the stakeholders. I really had to focus on how I
was going to convey the importance of the project
and convince the stakeholders to support the
community school project. I also had to think about
the different strategies that I would use to stake my
position and secure stakeholders support.
After interviewing both principals, I realize there
are many leadership skills that are essential to

Lamar University Internship Portfolio

Appendix F: Course-Embedded Internship Summary

Mgt Issues

organization and management and

Site-Based Decision-Making
(SBDM) policies and procedures,
which include issues of campus
vision and mission.

III.9

EDLD 5339
Organization and
Mgt Issues

3/3/2013

5 hrs

Students analyze the scheduling

process in place on the campus and
weigh the effects of the schedule
on campus goals, objectives, and
student needs.

III.9

EDLD 5339
Organization and
Mgt Issues

4/1/2013

5 hrs

Students analyze campus goals and

objectives and the use of resources
such as time and personnel to
address the issues of a safe and
productive school environment.

being a successful principal. Although the two

principals were from different grade levels, the
goals of the master schedule are to provide
consistency in the instructional day and the
implementation of the curriculum, and to enhance
instruction for student achievement. As a future
principal, it is important that I include time for
intervention, enrichment, and planning time for
teachers when creating a master schedule. The
interview also helped me to understand when
preparing a budget to look at the needs of the
school and make sure that the resources and staff
needed to meet the needs of all students are
available.
As a future administrator, I am going to remember
that scheduling brings together the curriculum,
staff, and students for the purpose of instruction. I
will also make sure that the schedule is flexible and
allows adequate time for teachers to plan. Before I
become an administrator, I am going to take what I
have learned and reflect on the use of time and the
schedule in my own school to see if I can identify
if any restructuring needs to take place.
From this course, I have learned the importance of
looking at the situation, identifying the problem,
and determining if the decision belongs to me. In a
future administrative position, I can apply the
knowledge that I learned about budgeting and
decision making. It is important as a future
administrator to look at the areas of most need
when allocating the budget. Also, I must make sure

Lamar University Internship Portfolio

Appendix F: Course-Embedded Internship Summary

II.6

EDLD 5388
Diverse Learners

4/27/2013

6 hrs

II.7

EDLD 5388
Diverse Learners

4/28/2013

5 hrs

I.1

EDLD 5352
Instructional
Leadership

2/15/2013

6 hrs

Students conduct a teacher quality

survey which looks at factors such
as the years of teaching experience
of campus teachers, degrees held
(bachelor or master), teacher
ethnicity, compared with ethnicity
of students and community
demographics and prepare a report
of their findings.
Students discuss state and federal
legal requirements for Responseto-Intervention (RTI) policy and
make application of RTI through a
case study process
In this School-Based Application,
the student will look at the
strengths and weaknesses of your
campus as you examine and apply
data from the Texas Campus STaR
Chart, a technology data-gathering
tool provided by the state. You will
complete a three-year comparison
of Texas Campus STaR Chart data

that when creating a master schedule, the schedule

allows for the campus to run smoothly on a daily
basis, yet it must be flexible to accommodate
changes without disrupting the daily operation. I
must be an administrator that is very active within
the school and create positive environment. My
actions will determine the culture of the school. I
must make sure that the entire school community is
aware of what the expectations are.
After conducting the teacher quality survey, I feel
that this survey could be a great tool in order to
identify if there is equity among teachers and
programs in the schools. The survey should be
administered to every teacher on the campus in
order to increase the validity of the data.

This course used a case study to apply the RTI

process. This was very helpful because it not only
gave me insight about the RTI process, but I also
learned about the state and federal requirements of
RTI. I was able to look at the RTI process at my
campus to complete the process through the case
study.
In this course, I learned how to analyze data from
the Texas Campus Star Chart. I also learned that
the Texas Campus Star chart is an online tool that
can be used to self-assess your campus. After
analyzing the data, I learned that my campus needs
to improve on their use of technology; therefore
this would also be a great tool in assisting with the
staff development plan.

Lamar University Internship Portfolio

Appendix F: Course-Embedded Internship Summary

from your campus with statewide

summary data. Like the resources
you utilized in your Analysis
assignment, the STaR chart will
prove useful as you become an
instructional leader.
II.4

EDLD 5335
Curriculum Mgt

11/26/2012

5 hrs

Students describe Curriculum

Management Audit standards,
compare the audit standards to the
campus curriculum program, and
make suggestions for improvement
of academic performance through
use of the audit the standards.

II.5

EDLD 5335
Curriculum Mgt

12/9/2012

5 hrs

Students use set criteria to evaluate

a teacher's edition of a textbook or
a curriculum guide for a content
area or a campus objective selected
for a learner-centered staff
development experience.

II.4

EDLD 5335
Curriculum Mgt

11/26/2012

4 hrs

Students describe Curriculum

Management Audit standards,
compare the audit standards to the
campus curriculum program, and
make suggestions for improvement

In this course, I learned what a curriculum

management audit is, and the importance of using
the data from the audit to evaluate the effectiveness
of a curriculum. It is important that leaders
implement a Curriculum Management Audit on
their campus to ensure that written expectations
and instructional practices are aligned in order to
increase student achievement and learning.
I learned how to make data driven decisions to
create learner-centered staff development for
teachers. I also understand the importance of
including components of the TEA learning
system.in the learner-centered staff development.
The value in evaluating teachers editions and/or
curriculum guides is that districts can analyze if the
objectives are being met, determine how the
instruction is delivered, and does the teachers
edition and / or curriculum guide help students to
meet state standards. Evaluations can improve
instruction because it allows districts to look at the
data to see if any changes should be made to
improve instruction.
In this course, I learned what a curriculum
management audit is, and the importance of using
the data from the audit to evaluate the effectiveness
of a curriculum. It is important that leaders
implement a Curriculum Management Audit on

Lamar University Internship Portfolio

Appendix F: Course-Embedded Internship Summary

of academic performance through

use of the audit the standards.
II.5

EDLD 5335
Curriculum Mgt

12/9/2012

4 hrs

Students use set criteria to evaluate

a teacher's edition of a textbook or
a curriculum guide for a content
area or a campus objective selected
for a learner-centered staff
development experience.

their campus to ensure that written expectations

and instructional practices are aligned in order to
increase student achievement and learning.
I learned how to make data driven decisions to
create learner-centered staff development for
teachers. I also understand the importance of
including components of the TEA learning
system.in the learner-centered staff development.
The value in evaluating teachers editions and/or
curriculum guides is that districts can analyze if the
objectives are being met, determine how the
instruction is delivered, and does the teachers
edition and / or curriculum guide help students to
meet state standards. Evaluations can improve
instruction because it allows districts to look at the
data to see if any changes should be made to
improve instruction.