Diego A.

Gutierrez Competency Reflections

Competency 1: The principal knows how to shape campus culture by facilitating the
development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared
and supported by the school community.
I believe that through the program I have been able to develop a good grasp of
Competency 1. As an administrator intern I was able to closely work with the principal and
leadership team to develop a community in our campus. I was able to participate in the
revamping of our school culture. The school underwent a change in mascot, school colors,
mission and vision to better fit the community where the school is located. I was able to
participate in the process from the beginning, from staff surveys, knowing what permissions we
needed from the district, to finally creating a school culture where everyone felt welcomed. This
not only lifted the school spirit, but also gave the students a place for belonging, encouraging
them to be successful in their learning.

Competency 2: The principal knows how to communicate and collaborate with all members of
the school community, respond to diverse interests and needs, and mobilize resources to
promote student success.
This year I was able to develop Competency 2. I was never one to go out and just talk to
big groups or lead in community activities. This internship allowed me to break out of that shell
and grow in this competency. This year I was able to participate in the organization of several
community outreach activities. I had to speak to parents, staff, and get suggestions from
students. My communication skills have become stronger, and I’m sure will come in hand as I
transition into an administrative position.

Competency 3: The principal knows how to act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical and
legal manner.
As an administrator intern I was given many opportunities to strengthen competency 3.
During both internship one and two I was part of the LPAC committee and sat in ARD meetings
to shadow the assistant principals.
In the LPAC committee I was able to advocate for the students that are part of our
bilingual program. Here I was able to make decisions with the parents about the future of their
child’s education within our school. In the ARD meetings I learned the importance of the
administrator in the meeting. The administrator is the one that makes sure the services are
being provided for the students, and that all guidelines are followed for student’s IEP’s.

Competency 4: The principal knows how to facilitate the design and implementation of curricula
and strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment of curriculum,
instruction, resources, and assessment; and promote the use of varied assessments to
measure student performance.
I can say that competency 4 can use a bit more practice. Although I did get to
experience some of this competency, I feel that I need to work on it longer. During internship
one and two I was able to work with a first year teacher to guide her with the design and delivery
of instruction. I was able to conduct walkthroughs and provide feedback to make changes in her
Diego A. Gutierrez Competency Reflections

teaching. Along with the supervision I was able to provide guidance on how to properly assess
students and build lessons to strengthen student performance.

Competency 5: The principal knows how to advocate, nurture, and sustain an instructional
program and a campus culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional
growth.
Competency 5 is one that has come to me easily. Through my years of teaching at my
campus I have always advocated and pushed for the use of technology in the classroom. During
internship 1 our campus became a one to one campus where each student gets his/her own
computer to use in each classroom. Because of this program I have been able to share with
other teachers different ways that the computer can be incorporated into the lessons and how
they can use the computer to get organized in the classroom.

Competency 6: The principal knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development
system to improve the performance of all staff members, select and implement appropriate
models for supervision and staff development, and apply the legal requirements for personnel
management.
Competency 6 has been one that I practiced quite a bit. This school year I was able to
mentor a first year teacher. Mentoring a first year teacher required for me to attend several
meetings to become a trained mentor and implementing the TTESS evaluation program to
guide the new teacher. Doing this gave me the opportunity to have a pre-conference, do
walkthroughs on the teacher, provide feedback, and provide ideas to help the teacher improve
her performance. This experience for sure gave the opportunity to grow as an educator, a
mentor, and definitely as a future administrator.

Competency 7: The principal knows how to apply organizational, decision-making, and

problem-solving skills to ensure an effective learning environment.
During the internships I was given several opportunities to practice competency 7. One
of the experiences that I loved was sitting in as the acting assistant principal for a few days.
Doing this gave me the opportunity to see what happens through the day as an assistant
principal, and gave me the chance to mediate conflicts between students and teachers.
Other than standing as the acting AP I was also given the opportunity to lead a team in
improving our attendance. With this we came up with an incentive program and applied it to
better our attendance. I collected data, analyzed it and was able to change the attendance
significantly.
As an administrator, competency 7 is important to keeping control of the school and
creating an environment that is safe for all.
Diego A. Gutierrez Competency Reflections

Competency 8: The principal knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and
management in relation to campus budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial
management, and technology use.
Having experience in competency 8 is a must when becoming an administrator. This
competency allows for the campus to work smoothly. To practice this competency, although not
given charge of a budget or the personnel, I was given the opportunity to see how the budgets
work, and what the process to purchases for the campus is. I was given the chance to sit with
the campus secretary to see how purchases were made, where money had to be pulled from,
and how the deposits where made.
As far as personnel, I was given the chance to be part of a hiring committee for new
staff. This experience allowed me to grow as a future administrator because it gave me an
insight on how the interviews should be performed, and the steps that should be taken to
choose the correct candidates.

Competency 9: The principal knows how to apply principles of leadership and management to
the campus physical plant and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning
environment.
For competency 9 I experienced the campus emergency response team. During the
school year I was part of the team that made sure the campus was safe in all aspects, from
health issues, broken equipment, and making sure we had trained staff in case of emergencies.
Through the process I became first aid/CPR/AED certified and helped other staff members be
aware of what to do in case of an emergency.
Being part of this team allowed me to learn the process of managing and keeping a safe
campus. This experience is for sure one that will come in hand in the future as an administrator.