Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 3, March 22, 2024
A. Purpose
The purpose of the Principal Induction Program is to add one
component of many strategies which are to be combined by the districts to meet
the intent of the Education Accountability Act to improve teaching and learning
so that students are equipped with a strong academic foundation. The Principal
Induction Program will assist public school districts in providing support and
professional development for first year principals.
The State Board of Education recognizes that a school district
makes one of its most important personnel decisions when it appoints a
principal. The Board also recognizes the value of formal induction programs
that provide novice school principals with an academy that focuses on
developing and refining the leadership skills necessary to help their faculties
provide the most effective instructional programs possible. Therefore, the
following regulations have been developed to facilitate the implementation of
the South Carolina Principals Induction Program.
B. Definitions
1. The Principal Induction Program is a
yearlong program (July to June) of support and professional development for new
principals in which instructional leadership skills, use of effective schools
research, and planning for curricular improvement through the analysis of test
scores are central components of the curriculum.
2. A principal is the chief administrator or
head building administrator of any public elementary or secondary school or
specialized education unit as defined by the local school district, or the
chief administrator of an occupational education center.
3. A Principal Induction Program mentor is an
experienced, practicing building-level principal or director selected by the
school district superintendent designee to provide support and assistance to
new principals.
C.
Participation
1. Beginning with the school
year 1999-2000, any person appointed to serve for the first time as a building
level principal, director of a specialized education unit, or occupational
education center director must participate in the Principal Induction
Program.
2. Principals appointed
after the Principal Induction Program Summer Institute held for a week in July
must participate in a make-up session in September and in Induction Program
activities for the remainder of that school year.
D. Program Design and Content
The Principal Induction Program must consist of New Principals'
Academy activities provided by the State Department of Education and school
district orientation activities provided by the individual school districts as
follows:
1. The combination of time
for New Principals' Academy and district activities must not be less than
twelve days: five days for the New Principals' Academy Summer Institute, three
days for New Principals' Academy follow-up meetings, two days for district
orientation activities, and two days for professional development related to
the individual new principal's Professional Development Plan.
2. Districts developing their own program in
lieu of the program offered by the Leadership Academy must secure approval of
the program from the South Carolina Leadership Academy.
3. Each district must design a district
orientation for new principals. Activities should include, but are not limited
to, fiscal/budgetary policies and procedures, plant maintenance procedures,
special education policies, student support services, outside agencies
available in the district, curriculum requirements and resources, human
resource policies and procedures, including ADEPT, and instruction on the
Principal Evaluation Program criteria and standards.
4. The Leadership Academy must design a
curriculum for the New Principals' Academy program. The New Principals' Academy
curriculum should include, but is not limited to, planning, developing, and
implementing a standards-driven system, instructional leadership skills, use of
effective schools research, analysis of test scores for curricular improvement,
school culture, school management, planning for school improvement, public
relations, and/or planning for professional development.
5. Each new principal must be assigned a
mentor principal from another nearby school district to provide support,
information, and feedback. The mentor will assist the protege in developing,
refining, and implementing the protege's Professional Development Plan based on
the protege's individual needs and the needs of the school as specified in the
School Improvement Report. Mentors will be reimbursed travel costs at the state
rate.
6. The Leadership Academy
will train mentors for their role, Mentor responsibilities include calling and
visiting the assigned new principal and having the new principal visit the
mentor's school.
7. Each new
principal will receive an on-site visit during the fall and one during the
spring from a member of the South Carolina Leadership Academy staff to provide
coaching, technical assistance, and feedback related to school
leadership.
8. New principals may
earn three hours of recertification credit if course requirements for
attendance and participation are met.
E. Fiscal and Technical Requirements
1. The State Department of Education will pay
for all training costs related to the New Principals' Academy. The district
will be responsible for costs related to the district orientation and for
participants' travel costs.
2.
Reimbursement for mentor travel expenses will be made in accordance with the
established State Department of Education fiscal policies.
F. Reporting Requirements
1. Each district superintendent will notify
the South Carolina Leadership Academy of the appointment of new principals
within two weeks of the appointment by the local board of school
trustees.
2. Principals appointed
after the make-up session must participate in the remaining Principal Induction
Program activities for that school year and/or the New Principals' Academy
Summer Institute the following year.
3. Each district superintendent will submit
the names of experienced principals to serve as mentors when requested to do so
by the Leadership Academy.
4. Each
district will conduct evaluations for the district orientation and use the
results to modify the orientation on an annual basis.
G. Additional Leadership Academy
Responsibilities
1. The Leadership Academy
will maintain a database of mentors nominated by the district superintendents
and will assign mentors for new principals based on school level and
proximity.
2. The Leadership
Academy will maintain a database of new principals for each school year to
provide information about program activities for all new principals.
3. The Leadership Academy will conduct
evaluations for each part of the New Principals' Academy and use the results to
modify the program on an annual basis.
Statutory Authority: 1976 Code Sections
59-5-60
and
59-24-80
