Administrative Leadership and Policy Studies
Requirements for Principal Licensure, the MA and EdS degrees, Executive Leadership Administrator License, and EdD and PhD with Administrative Leadership & Policy Studies concentrations
Office: Lawrence Street Center, 701
Telephone: 303-315-6300
Fax: 303-315-6311
E-mail: education@ucdenver.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/SchoolOfEducation/Academics/Pages/Administrative-Leadership-and-Policy-Studies.aspx
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Faculty
For information about faculty in this area, visit http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/SchoolOfEducation/FacultyandResearch/Pages/Our-Faculty.aspx.
The primary responsibility of the administrative leadership and policy studies (ALPS) faculty is to prepare leaders for public education in Colorado and the nation. Currently, the principal license is required for people seeking building-level administrative positions in Colorado. Alternatively, the administrator license may be required for district-level leadership positions in Colorado.
Principal Licensure Program
ALPS offers coursework that leads to eligibility to apply for the initial license for principal through the Colorado Department of Education. A passing score on the Principal PLACE content exam is also required for principal licensure through the Colorado Department of Education. Having earned an initial license, those who go on to complete a district sponsored induction program may then apply for a professional license by the Colorado Department of Education.
ALPS’s 32 semester-hour principal licensure program is project-based, requiring students to present evidence of meeting both state and national standards through performance based assessments. A 400-hour clinical-practice experience is integrated throughout the four-semester program.
Students submit performance-based assessments (PBAs) during the principal licensure program to LiveText, an online assessment system. PBAs not approved by the end of the fourth semester must be completed within the two subsequent semesters (not including summer.)
Note: Those already holding a master’s degree and 5 years of leadership in education should also see the Executive Leadership Program for pursuing administrator (superintendent) licensure.
Principal Licensure Cohort Options
Typically, cohorts are comprised of 25 principal candidates who move through the four-semester principal licensure program together. We look for applicants to have a teaching or special services license plus a minimum of three years post-licensure experience. We welcome applicants from all districts into our principal licensure cohorts. However, we partner with metro-area districts to prepare leaders specifically for their schools.
Distance Learning Cohort
The Distance Learning cohort option has a long history of serving students who live far away from campus. Additionally, this cohort offers students a hybrid (online and face-to-face) course format. Students meet in the first summer for a three-day boot camp. In the fall, they experience two Friday/Saturday weekend sessions. And, they attend two more weekend sessions the following spring. During the second summer, they attend a culminating half-day session. The rest of the work is completed online.
Denver Public Schools
The DPS cohort option is one of the DPS Pathways to Principalship. The work in this cohort is focused on leadership for ELL (English Language Learner) student populations as well as cultural leadership. Instructors and students work closely with not only state and national standards, but also with the LEAD Framework to prepare principals. Students meet on one Saturday and two Tuesdays a month over four semesters. A new cohort starts each spring. Please review this information on the DPS website.
Jefferson County Public Schools
The JeffCo cohort option is offered in partnership with Jefferson County Public Schools. Courses occur on twelve Tuesday evenings during each of the four semesters. This standards-based, performance-based assessed, cohort program is taught by university professors and experienced JeffCo administrators.
Northern Cohort
The Northern Cohort option is offered in partnership with the Boulder Valley School District for applicants from northern-metro districts. This cohort meets on Wednesday evenings during each of the four semesters of the program. This standards-based, performance-based assessed, cohort program is taught by university professors and experienced district administrators.
CU South Denver Cohort
The CU South Denver cohort serves southern-metro districts (Douglas County, Cherry Creek, Littleton, Sheridan, Englewood, Lewis-Palmer and Colorado Springs School District 11). This cohort meets on twelve Tuesdays during each of four semesters at the Liniger Building at CU South Denver. This standards-based, performance-based assessed, cohort program is taught by university professors and experienced district administrators.
Cohorts start at one or more locations each semester and involve a combination of regular in-person meetings (up to 15 times per semester) and online work.
EDUC 5751 - Principal/Administrator Licensing I. Semester Hours: 3 to 9
EDUC 5752 - Principal Administrator Licensing II. Semester Hours: 3 to 9
EDUC 5753 - Principal/Administrator Licensing III. Semester Hours: 3 to 9
EDUC 5754 - Principal or Administrator Licensing IV. Semester Hours: 3 to 9
Total: 32 Hours
MA Program
The MA is designed for those who do not already hold a graduate degree. Master’s students will complete 9 semester hours beyond the 32 required in the licensure program, for a total of 41 semester hours of coursework. Candidates must also successfully complete a comprehensive exam paper, reflecting on how the three MA classes will help them in the role of principal.
For the MA degree, students must select at least one course in each of the following three areas plus complete the 32 semester hour principal license:
Section A: Educational Research
RSEM 5100 - Basic Statistics Semester Hours: 3
RSEM 5120 - Introduction to Research Methods Semester Hours: 3
RSEM 5110 - Introduction to Measurement Semester Hours: 3
Section B: Educational Foundations/Multicultural Education
EDFN 5050 - Critical Issues in American Education Semester Hours: 3
Semester Hours: 3
Semester Hours: 3
Section C: Education & Human Development/Special Education
EDHD 6100 - Advanced Child Growth and Development Semester Hours: 3
EDHD 5110 - Human Learning Semester Hours: 3
EDHD 6140 - Social Contexts of Adolescence and Schooling Semester Hours: 3
EDHD 5200 - Social Psychology of Learning Semester Hours: 3
SPED 5140 - Advanced Assessment in Special Education. Semester Hours: 3
SPED 5401 - Action Research and Leadership in Special Education Semester Hours: 3
SPED 5600 - Special Education for School Professionals. Semester Hours: 3
Candidates must also successfully complete a comprehensive exam paper, reflecting on how the three MA classes will help them in the role of principal.
EdS Program
The EdS degree program affords the opportunity for advanced graduate study and is available to those who already hold a master’s degree. Generally, for the specialist degree students will complete 9 semester hours that constitute an area of focus, in addition to the 32 required in the principal licensure program. Candidates must also successfully complete a comprehensive exam paper, reflecting on how the three EdS classes will help them in the role of principal.
Administrator Licensure - Executive Leadership Program
Designed for the professional educator who, already holding a master’s degree and 5 years leadership experience in education, wishes to apply for an initial administrator license through the Colorado Department of Education and prepare for a career as a superintendent or other district leader. In addition to coursework, a passing score on the Administrator PLACE content exam is also required for administrator licensure through the Colorado Department of Education. The 12-semester-hour administrator licensure program combines weekend meetings with online work and hands-on clinical practice-usually completed in participants’ home districts:
EDUC 7500 - Strategic Human Capital Development
EDUC 7510 - Strategic Organizational Management
EDUC 7520 - Strategic System Improvement
EDUC 7530 - Strategic Leadership Development
These courses are differentiated for four student types: certificate students, administrator licensure students, EdS students, EdD students and PhD students. Learn more at www.ucdenver.edu/education/elp.
EdD Leadership for Educational Equity with Principal or Administrator License
Students interested in pursuing the principal or administrator license along with a doctorate should instead apply to the EdD Leadership for Educational Equity instead of to the MA or EdS Administrative Leadership & Policy Studies with Principal License or the Executive Leadership Administrator License. See the Ed Leadership for Educational Equity with Executive Leadership Principal or Administrator License for more information.
PhD Education and Human Development with concentration in Administrative Leadership and Policy
The Administrative Leadership & Policy Studies PhD concentration serves as a key area for those concerned about leadership in schools and a key focus for research by scholars in higher education. A crucial assumption the underlies this concentration area is that school leadership makes the difference in how schools succeed in improving learning outcomes for all students, but we are only beginning to scratch the surface in understanding why leadership is successful when it is, what the interactions are between effective leadership and effective teaching, and their collective impact on learning outcomes at all levels in schools. See the PhD Education and Human Development for more information.
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