New Special Education Director/Assistant Director/Coordinator Mentoring/Induction Components

The components of the KELI Mentoring/Induction program are described with notations for requirements of what will constitute successful completion of the KELI mentoring/induction program. First year special education directors/assistant directors with an Initial District Leader’s License status who complete the KELI program will meet the requirements for the Professional District Leader’s License status. First year special education directors/assistant directors with a professional district leader’s license will earn professional development points for renewal of the KSDE license. Completion is described in the following categories:

A. Mentoring Activities

(Participation Required)

The purpose is to provide guidelines for the interaction between first year special education directors and their respective mentor.

• Interaction July through June with mentors who have been successful Kansas special education directors in similar settings.
• At least one face-to-face site visit each month—to be scheduled with the assigned mentor (at least one site visit on mentor's site).
• Additional regular contacts with mentors as needed and as scheduled by phone, email, skype, facetime, or other technology.
• Receive monthly checklists from KELI of topics of timely concern for special education directors/district leaders.
• Attend one Kansas Association of Special Education Administrators meeting and one Special Education Advisory Council meeting during the year. (Interlocals have the option of attending a Council of Superintendents meeting). Check dates and verify location on the KSDE website. If event attendance at one of the above meetings is not possible, the KELI Executive Director will work with the mentee to identify a suitable substitute. Attendance at the meetings is highly recommended due to the importance of both for special education leaders.
• Complete at least two performance demonstrations, jointly selected by the mentor and mentee to be observed by the mentor for the purpose of giving quality feedback for professional growth. If necessary, you may do one performance observation by technology. Suggestions include local board meeting, a staff session or assembly, special presentation, etc. (The mentee may observe their mentor in a performance demonstration.)
• Complete a required end-of-the-year reflection on the first year experience. The end of the year reflection should focus on professional growth as a district leader. Mentors can assist by suggesting areas that might be included.

B. Introductory Training/ Professional Learning Sessions

(Choose a combination of four across categories)

The purpose is to recognize a broad range of options for professional networking and to identify sources for personal growth in leadership capacity. Mentees should attend at least four sessions across Groups 1, 2, and 3 below. The four choices must include two Professional Organization Meetings, one Cohort Group Session, and one Executive Leadership session. Any registration fees or travel costs are the responsibility of the attendee.

1. Professional Organization Meetings (Choose two)
   Focusing on opportunities to improve your leadership skills, choose at least two activities from the list below—note there are options for choosing an organization not specifically named in the list. Examples of professional organization meetings include, but are not limited to:
   • CASE or CEC meetings
   • KASB/KSDE/USA/KBOR Education Summit (Regional)
   • KASB workshops such as Superintendents Day, Annual Conference, Governmental Relations Day
   • USA/Kansas Annual Conference
   • Service Center sessions focusing on leadership capacity for special education/superintendents
   • Attend another state professional organization conference related to district leadership
   • Attend a national or state professional organization meeting. (Work with the mentor to identify in advance how this event will be a helpful learning experience for beginning executive leaders.)
2. Cohort group sessions (Attend at least two)
   No registration fee will be required for KELI participants. Any travel costs will be the responsibility of the attendee.
   • Regional Cohort Group Meeting scheduled by mentors
   • Statewide Cohort Group Meeting scheduled by KELI staff – mandatory in September
   • Others as scheduled by mentors
3. Executive Leadership Professional Learning Opportunities (Choose one)
   Attend at least one professional session focused on building leadership skills of district leaders in the interest of your choice. Note you can add options that best match your needs and interests. Some activities of interest may fit requirements of either Section 1 or this section – as long as you have a total of four.
   • KELI Deep Learning Sessions (Dates/Topics to be announced)
   • Professional learning session of your choosing, appropriate for school district executive leaders. Example: Summer Leadership Conference.
   • Formal technology-based professional learning (webinar, blog, etc.) may be allowed if on-going and approved by mentor.

C. Successful completion of KELI mentoring/induction

Successful completion of the KELI mentoring/induction program is defined in the requirements above. On a limited basis, substitutions may be accepted when approved in advance by the KELI Executive Director.

Special Education Directors/Assistant Directors who have an Initial District Leadership License and successfully complete the Kansas Educational Leadership Institute (KELI) mentoring and induction program satisfy requirements for the KSDE professional district leader license endorsement. The KELI Executive Director is authorized to sign the required form indicating completion to KSDE.

Special Education Directors/Assistant Directors who hold a professional district leader endorsement and complete the KELI requirements earn professional growth credits for license renewal under the KSDE guidelines. KELI is recognized by KSDE as a regional professional learning center.

Suggestions for the written communication requirements:
Successful leaders know it is important to share comments after attending professional learning opportunities so that the board and staff appreciate the value of having a leader who continues to learn. The purpose of the requirement is to begin the practice of doing this. Attachments to the Documentation of Completion form should be copies of what you shared—not an additional task. Examples include a hand written note to a colleague or a more formal document to staff, a “cut & paste” paragraph from a board note, or another format of your choosing for communicating the message.