EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

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NEED ADVICE?
Auto-Advising Web Page for Ed Leadership Students

Thinking of applying to our program?
Under Graduate Policy, you may take up to two (2) courses in the program before being formally admitted into the program.
Click on the links below to learn about


Program Descriptions
Click on the links below to learn about our programs.


Course Descriptions
Click on the link below to read descriptions of courses in the Ed Leadership programs. To access information about courses, type in the following information:

VCU Unit : School of Education
Subject: Administration and Supervision
Keywords: (leave blank)
Course Classification: Graduate
Check “Show course description” and then “Search”
Scroll to find the course description

Class Schedule
Generally, students enroll in one or two classes each semester.  PLEASE NOTE:  Under Graduate School policy if you enroll in three (3) or more classes in any one semester you will be a FULL TIME student and must pay FULL TIME tuition!
All courses in the Ed Leadership program are offered off campus at various sites. To see class schedules, click on the link below:

VCU Academic Year Calendar
This shows the calendar year of classes, including breaks. The calendar also highlights important deadlines for adding/dropping courses and completing forms for graduation. To see the calendar, click on the link below:

Just Starting in Your Program?
Please look at your acceptance letter and information page carefully. Keep both in a safe place so that you can refer to them throughout your program. Contact your advisor as soon as possible to begin your program planning! We suggest taking ADMS 600 and ADMS 601 early in your program.

Your letter lets you know the semester for which you are accepted for admittance. Graduate School policy requires that you MUST enroll in a course the semester in which you are admitted. Failure to do so automatically removes you from the system, and you will not be able to enroll in courses in later semesters. If you are unable to take a course the semester in which you are accepted and wish to DEFER acceptance for one semester, please contact Student Services to find out the procedure for doing so.

Click on the links below to see

When you are accepted into an Ed Leadership program, you are assigned an “eID” by the University.  This eID allows you to enroll in classes on-line; gives you access to library resources from off-campus sites; and provides you access to your professors’ Blackboards, which have course information and grades.

The first time you take a course, you must complete a course registration form, available at the link below. Please FAX this form to Ms. Becky Aycock at 804-828-6444, with a note that you are registering for the first time. Also, bring this form with you to your first class meeting, in case you are not on the official role.

After your first course, you can register for classes electronically through eServices
If you are unable to register electronically, download the course registration form and FAX it to your advisor. Be sure to contact your advisor about the problem!

Click below to register using EITHER:

By going to the VCU Bookstore web site below, you can find out information about textbooks required for your courses.  Click on the “Find Your Textbooks…” button and enter your course number.

As part of the M.Ed, Administration/Supervision track and Post-Master’s Certificate program requirements and as part of the endorsement regulations stipulated by the state Board of Education, students wishing to pursue endorsement in administration/supervision must have diverse internship experiences in variety of settings.  The new Board regulations, effective September, 2007, require that candidates:

“…complete a minimum of 320 clock hours of a deliberately structured and supervised internship that provides exposure to multiple sites (elementary, middle, high, central office, agency) with diverse student populations. These experiences shall be an integral component of a Virginia Board of Education approved preparation program. The internship shall be focused on learning for all students and shall occur in a public school or accredit nonpublic school” (8VAC-542-530.2).

So, as you take certain required courses, you will be completing field-based internship projects designed to improve student achievement.  As you work on these projects you will keep time logs, which generally consist of the course and project title and a table of the dates, activities, locations and time spent working on the projects. You will maintain these time logs under the supervision of each professor.  Time spent on these field-based internship projects serve as internship hours accruing “as an integral component” of the program, and so it is critical that you keep these time logs throughout your program!


In the Middle of Your Program?
Remember to stay in touch with your advisor to make sure that you are on track to finish your program within the allotted number of years. You must maintain grades of A or B in all of your classes. Doing so will establish you as a candidate for program completion. If you get a grade of “C”, click here.

If you are pursuing endorsement as a school administrator or supervisor, be sure that your evidence of meeting technology standards and evidence of completing child abuse/neglect recognition training have been submitted to your advisor, as these are required by the Board of Education for license renewal. This MAY noted on your teaching license OR you may have documentation from your school division. Either may be sent to your advisor.

If you are missing documentation for either, you can complete on-line training and print out a certificate that can then be sent to your advisor. Click below to complete:


Toward the End of Your Program?

ADMS 672
ADMS 672 Principalship Seminar and Internship, for candidates pursuing endorsement in administration and supervision, should be taken as one of your last three (3) courses OR within the last two (2) semesters of your program. This course is designed to prepare you for successful completion of the School Leaders’ Licensure Assessment (SLLA), required for those seeking endorsement in administration and supervision. Course requirements for ADMS 672 include, in part, participating in at least 120 hours of specific field-based leadership activities designed to improve student achievement, as required by Board of Education regulations.  You will keep a time log of such activities, under the supervision of your on-site mentor and the course professor.  The hours spent on specific activities in ADMS 672 (minimum of 120) are added to the hours accrued throughout the program and must total at least 320 hours.  All time logs become part of your internship notebook submitted to your professor at the end of ADMS 672, as part of the course requirements.   Plan the taking of this course carefully with your advisor and with your school division supervisor.

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School Leaders’ Licensure Assessment
If you are pursuing endorsement in school administration/supervision, you must take the School Leaders’ Licensure Assessment (SLLA). While our program requires only that you TAKE the exam, the Board of Education requires that you receive a score of 165 or better to be eligible for endorsement in school administration/supervision.

Most students take the SLLA toward the end of their program. Remember that ADMS 672 is designed to review knowledge, skills and dispositions assessed through SLLA, so plan your taking of SLLA carefully.

University policy requires that you be enrolled in a class the semester in which you intend to graduate. Therefore, if taking the SLLA is the last thing you need to do to complete your program and graduate, then you MUST be enrolled in a course the semester in which you take SLLA!

Click below to

Click below to

MAIL OR FAX CONFIRMATION OF YOUR REGISTRATION TO YOUR ADVISOR

Graduation Application
Watch the VCU Academic Bookstore website for information about ordering a cap and gown for the graduation ceremony. The Graduate Studies office posts a site that contains general information about graduation and a checklist of requirements.

Click below to see:

University policy requires that you be enrolled in a class the semester in which you intend to graduate. Early in your last semester of your program, you must electronically “check out” of the program and apply for graduation. You must do this even if you do NOT intend to participate in the graduation ceremony. Failure to do so by the required timelines may mean that you will not be allowed to graduate from VCU or participate in the graduation ceremony during the semester in which you have completed your program. Follow directions carefully for checking out and completing the graduation application. Be sure to complete Part II of the application by filling in the following information:

  1. School: Education
  2. Major: Educational Leadership
  3. Concentration: Administration and Supervision (if you are seeking endorsement) OR Leadership Studies (if you are NOT seeking endorsement in administration supervision)
  4. Degree: Master’s in Education OR Post-Master’s Certificate
  5. Signing and dating Part II

You may print out and attach your unofficial transcript instead of completing Part III and Part IV of the application. This application must be sent to your advisor for signature and for processing by Student Services.

After applying for graduation, you will be sent a packet of information about participating in the graduation ceremony. Please pay close attention to this information!

Click below to

**To electronically check out, as part of the process, log into Banner using your eID. Select “Personal Information” and then click on “Answer a Survey.” This will provide you with additional information on applying for graduation using the above-referenced graduation application form. If this link is NOT working, completing the graduation application and sending it to your advisor will suffice.

Applying for Your Endorsement
Successfully completing your program requirements does NOT automatically add the endorsement to your current license! To have the endorsement added to your license, you must send a packet of information to your advisor for signature and for processing by Student Services.
Complete Part I of the College Verification page in the document at the link below. Attach the following information:

  1. your unofficial transcript
  2. a copy of your SLLA score
  3. the name and address of the person in your school division’s HR office who will be handling your paperwork for adding the endorsement to your license
  4. a request for any additional information held by VCU that your HR office may need in order to process your endorsement request.

 

After Student Services has processed your packet, it will be returned to the HR contact person in your school division.  NOTE:  Checks for paying the fee to add your endorsement are now to be made out to “Treasurer of Virginia.”