The North Carolina Professional Education Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC) met Thursday, May 9, to hear a presentation from the Principal Task Force on recommendations for the North Carolina Principal Portfolio Assessment (NCPPA). The purpose and work of the task force for the past few months was to gather broad stakeholder input on the portfolio-based assessment system and internship component. Additionally, the task force reviewed the North Carolina Standards for School Executives and the related Evaluation. It was noted that no changes to the standards or rubric will be made without a presentation to PEPSC and approval from the State Board of Education (SBE).
The task force found that the most viable choice was to leverage an existing state-specific assessment, the California Administrator Performance Assessment (CalAPA), and work with Pearson to contextualize it to North Carolina’s needs. PEPSC agreed to send forward this recommendation for consideration and action by the SBE. The modified assessment is comprised of three overarching tasks: (1) Using Data to Drive School Improvement, (2) Facilitating Communities of Practice, and (3) Supporting Teacher Growth. Each task has examples of activities for candidates to complete. When contextualizing the tasks to state needs, the task force aimed to more clearly align with NC language and specific standards.
Pending the SBE’s approval of the NCPPA, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) will conduct analyses to determine the appropriate cut score for the assessment, work with partners to develop support materials, and conduct stakeholder training sessions.
Next steps for the task force involve working on the internship framework. The experiences obtained during the internship will drive the collection of materials and artifacts in the assessment. This work will include the recommendations of competencies, experiences, and artifacts that should be covered, collected, or practiced during the internship. This will also include specific guidance for the host principal. The resulting framework will establish a baseline of the internship expectations, regardless of part-time or full-time pathways.
The SBE will hear and vote on this proposal at its next meeting, June 5-6. There were no other action items during the May 9 meeting.
