Admin_Pg summary

Santa Clara University Preliminary Administrative Services Credential Program

Program Summary

Vision

Our Preliminary Administrative Services Credential (PASC) program is rooted in the Jesuit tradition at Santa Clara University. Our core values of reflective practice, scholarship, diversity, ethical conduct, social justice, and collaboration guide both our theory and practice programs.

Leadership & Points of Contact

Our PASC program is the administrative services preparation program housed in the Department of Education in the School of Education and Counseling Psychology. We receive support and guidance from:

1. Dr. Sabrina Zirkel, Dean of the School of Education and Counseling Psychology

2. Dr. Francisca Miranda, Associate Dean of the School of Education and Counseling Psychology

3. Dr. Marco Bravo, Chair of the Department of Education

4. Dr. Oscar Jimenez-Castellano, Director of Educational Leadership

5. Sarah MacGregor, MA & MPH, Assistant Dean of Student Services and Assessment

6. Yan Huang, MA, Director of Assessment

7. Luz Zamora, MA Credential Analyst and Records Manager

Program Structure & Course Sequence

The PASC Program at Santa Clara University is a unique program of variable units. The Preliminary Administrative Services Credential is comprised of 30 quarter units. With an additional 15 quarter units. PASC candidates can receive their Master of Arts in Educational Leadership.

Core Requirements

Completion of four three-unit “core” courses (EDUC 360, EDUC 361, EDUC 363 & EDUC 365) will provide background for the administrative services leadership requirements.

Field Experience Requirements

Master’s Degree/Instructional Leadership

Program Modifications

We have incorporated many changes during the past two years. We are currently updating our program to align with the new CalAPAs outlined by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, to better prepare our students to successfully master & take the CalAPA. We have several initiatives in place to offer our students a variety of diverse experiences as we integrate teaching & learning leadership skills at our East San Jose campus.

Stakeholders

The following ongoing groups, meetings, and activities allow us to create a space where we can obtain information from important stakeholders in our program. Previously submitted stakeholders are found below. The Administrative Services program also has two advisory groups: the Educational Leadership Steering Committee and the Educational Leadership Advisory Group, including the following stakeholders: Alum Rock School District, Diocese of San Jose, Diocese of Monterey, Fresno State Center for Character Education, Design School X, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, East Side Union High School District, Sunnyvale School District, Ace Charter Schools (San Jose Network), Innovate Public Schools, ALearn/Silicon Valley Education Foundation, Center for Reading and Teaching the Whole Child, Gateway School, The Foundation for Hispanic Education and the Sobrato Family Foundation.

Curriculum

The PASC program reflects Jesuit ideals of developing the whole person. PASC incorporates learner centered psychological principles that focus on the importance of integrating candidates’ prior knowledge while deepening their understanding of themselves as learners and administrators. Our program encourages candidates to examine their theories and beliefs about teaching, learning, and administrative leadership critically. The program is designed with a major focus on reflection and reflective practice. These elements are integrated throughout program coursework.

The perspective on reflective practice is emphasized in coursework and in fieldwork experiences. Our focus is to graduate administrative leaders ready to leverage their professional knowledge and skills to maximize learning for every student. Every day is a touchstone revisited at faculty meetings; decisions and choices about program structure and daily operations are made with this touchstone in mind.

In order to prepare candidates to effectively lead all California public school students, key

elements within the program’s curriculum include typical and atypical student adolescent

growth and development and human learning theory. In addition, both the CAPE and the CPSEL standards are integrated in all of the courses: EDUC 360a, EDUC 361, EDUC 363, EDUC 364, EDUC 365, EDUC 366, EDUC 371a, EDUC 370, EDUC 374 and EDUC 428. In EDUC 360a students are introduced to CAPE objectives, including theories and concepts of leadership and their relationship to theory and practice. The course develops students understanding, skills and strategies within the context of contemporary issues, including sustainable schools, student centered vision, use of data and sound teaching and learning for all students. EDUC 361 continues to develop CAPE content standards and their implication for the development of curriculum and instruction, including use of assessments, teaching strategies and the appropriate blend of technology for teacher and students at all grade levels.

Continued development of leadership is reflected in EDUC 364 Leadership Field Lab and EDUC 366 Community Leadership. EDUC 364 centers on embedded job experience, weekly reflections and skill building, along with monthly seminars and field projects. Students develop interpersonal and leadership skills while developing and leading the organization’s vision. EDUC 366 explores community and public relations through the lens of visionary thinking and creative business strategies, looking at partnership roles among schools, businesses, and communities; leading and initiating change through strategic planning and creating strategies for positive relationships with internal and external school communities.

During field lab courses, students have daily contact and mentorship from their faculty instructors. Various project based assignments are developed and assessed collaboratively throughout the quarter.

Designing and implementing assessments as well as understanding and analyzing program evaluations and interventions to improve school culture and curriculum is covered in EDUC 371a and EDUC 365. Students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluation and select appropriate interventions to build a culture of inclusion within schools and other environments. The emphasis is on effective, efficient, and socially valid models of intervention, primarily through Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. Students are given an overview of various assessment tools and strategies with a focus on data analysis and the use of evidence in decision-making. The relevance and application of principles for instructional leadership is explored, with an emphasis on the continuous school improvement framework in lieu of compliance-oriented reform. In addition, EDUC 365 provides students with an introduction to the principles of human resource development and an overview of various supervision, evaluation, and leadership tools and strategies to support the cultivation of the people who make organizations work. Students read empirical and conceptional works as well as a foundational guide for practioners to answer reflection and experiential learning to managing human resources and organizational growth. Students will be exposed to, and grapple with, legal, ethical and practical challenges in human resource management and collaboratively design plans to address such issues.

In EDUC 363 students exam issues of education, law and morality and ways in which the law, by its very nature, cannot be separated from ethics and morality. Theories of law and the relationship between law and other social and ethical values are reviewed. The ability of leaders to have a better understanding of the policies associated with governance and the ability to assist people to work through moral dilemmas associated with the law are considered. Cross-cultural communications, desegregation and discrimination, credentialing laws, assignment authorization and schools as a political system are also examined. As the system is explored,EDUC 428 is a course that considers school funding models, site planning, as well as reporting and other requirements. School business management is situated in the economics of the school enterprise, explores the role of innovation and entrepreneurship, and applies these concepts to the development of business models and plans. The course is generally concerned with: the macroeconomics of schools in society; resource allocation, funding, and reporting; the microeconomics of school planning and management; the budget process; financial statements; government funding, controls, and accounting standards; and nonprofit accounting.

While all courses prepare students for the CalAPA exam, EDUC 374 explores current issues with regards to organizational culture and change. Topics explored include how organizational culture influences such things as making staffing decisions, using data driven professional development, understanding the barriers to organizational reform, managing and changing culture, understanding governance structures for public and private schools and other organizations, and creating principles of equity, diversity, inclusivity, and accountability as well as researching future educational visions. In EDUC 370 the students develop skills in the full range of leadership and management skills for forming sustainable organizations that serve their intended communities. It focuses on effective management of technology, as well as finances, facilities and fundraising. This includes budgeting, financial reporting and meeting legal reporting requirements. The students engage in both learning from, and serving the organization and community stakeholders. This course extends and applies knowledge and skills developed in previous courses taken during the program.

Through the various courses offered throughout the four quarters of the PASC program, students sharpen their knowledge and skills as required and assessed in CalAPA Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. Leadership field lab courses provide opportunities for students to strengthen their knowledge in coaching and supporting teacher growth in CalAPA Cycle 3.

Assessment

Each course will now contain a signature assignment as a formal assessment of the students’ progress on the content and skills required in the course. The Director of Assessment will track these signature assignments, allowing the faculty to reflect on specific CAPEs that align with these specific assignments. Each candidate is formally assessed by their faculty over the course of their academic program. Each candidate will take the CalAPAs as part of their program.

Candidates are assessed on program competencies during each course and throughout their academic program. Information on assessments and the CalAPA is also located in the PASC handbook.