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Administrator Mentoring Cohort (AMC) and Induction Programs

Overview

In addition to fulfilling a technical assistance requirement for our Colorado Charter School Program (CCSP) grant recipient schools, the Administrator Mentoring Cohort (AMC) is a professional development program for charter school administrators.  The Principal and Administrator Induction Program is a supplemental professional development program apart of the Administrator Mentoring Cohort and is open to charter schools leaders including: CCSP sub-grantees. Charter school leaders who successfully complete the AMC induction program will be recommended for professional principal's licensure.

Beyond that, the AMC offers a great opportunity for professional development for established principals in Colorado's charter schools. Your voice can be a valuable asset to the conversation with new/new-to-charter-school leaders. The networking opportunity is invaluable, as you meet and connect with others who are doing the same great work within their schools. 

The AMC program utilizes the text Leverage Leadership, A Practical Guide to Building Exceptional Schools, by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo, to identify specific core ideas for charter leaders that directly support the following three goals:

  1. To provide charter leaders in start-up schools with quality support as they get their schools off the ground.
  2. For CCSP grant recipients, the AMC fulfills leadership training technical assistance requirements of the grant.
  3. To offer charter school leaders a 1-year induction program to validate their initial principal license in a way that is specifically designed to meet the unique needs and demands of the charter sector. Note: In order to be eligible for this induction program, school leaders must already hold their initial principal license and be working with an AMC approved mentor.

Charter School Support Initiative (CSSI) Update

Effective December 2022, The Charter School Support Initiative (CSSI) Evaluative Rubric has been updated and is now referred to as the CSSI Four Plus Domains of Rapid School Improvement Rubric. Formerly, the CSSI evaluative rubric mirrored the Colorado Title I School Support evaluation process and recommendations based on the Colorado Department of Education's Ten Standards of Continuous Improvement ranging from academic performance, school culture, finance, governance, etc. The CSSI Four Plus Domains of Rapid School Improvement is a research-proven framework to help facilitate rapid improvement in schools by creating domains and practices that apply across the systems implemented in your charter school. The four domains outlined within the framework are Leadership for Rapid Improvement, Talent Management, Instructional Transformation, and Culture and Climate Shift. For each domain, practices describe the role of charter school leadership and governance members, providing examples of their roles in successful school improvement efforts. The CSSI Team will use a Four Plus Domains model to incorporate evaluative measures aligned with governance board oversight and charter school financial practices. Standard 9 (Governance) and Standard 10 (Finance) from the Colorado Department of Education Ten Standards of Continuous Improvement will continue to be used to evaluate these areas.

 

CCSP grant recipients are required to participate in a CSSI site visit during their third year in the grant program. The purpose of engaging in this process is to set a course for self-improvement in the early years of development. The CSSI process begins with an intensive three-day site visit, after which the school receives a detailed report based on the rubric with recommendations for research-based steps to improve school performance.

Requirements and Eligibility

There are six AMC trainings offered throughout each school year. There is no cost to participate in these trainings and any charter school leader who is interested may attend. 

Please note that school leaders do not need to be working at schools receiving CCSP grant funds or pursuing induction to participate in the AMC trainings. However, if you are participating in the AMC to fulfill CCSP grant technical assistance requirements or participating in the Principal and Administrator Induction program, the requirements for each of those programs has been outlined below.

Effective for the 2023-24 school year, participation at all six Administrator Mentoring Cohort (AMC) Meetings is strongly encouraged to promote continued and thoughtful engagement. If a participant cannot attend an AMC session, participants must find comparable professional development opportunities that align with principal standards covered during the missed meeting or watch the missed AMC Meeting recording. To document remediation, please provide a detailed reflection via the Smartsheet form linked below on what was learned and how it will be implemented to enhance your leadership practices.

 

CCSP Administrator Technical Assistance Requirements for 3-Year Grant Recipients

Grant Year Trainings Mentoring Hours
Planning Year    1 Encouraged. Please review the AMC Overview Recording.* 8-10
          Year 1 Implementation         6 Strongly Encouraged, 4 Required 25-32
Year 2 Implementation 6 Encouraged, 4 Required 20-25

* Planning Year CCSP Sub-grantees must document AMC Overview Recording requirement was meet via submission of a CCSP Grant Training Request Form.

 

CCSP Administrator Technical Assistance Requirements for 2-Year Grant Recipients

Grant Year Trainings      Mentoring Hours
                Year 1 Implementation                       6 Strongly Encouraged, 4 Required      20-25
Year 2 Implementation 6 Encouraged, 4 Required 32-42

 

Principal and Induction Program Requirements:

 

  • Must hold an initial principal license and currently working in a leadership role at a charter school with that license for at least one year.
  • Attend at least one training a year with your AMC approved mentor.
  • Fulfill 32 hours within one year.

AMC Training Dates

Event dates and registration information can always be found on our Charter School Events page. This information is updated regularly as event locations are determined. 

All meetings for the 2023-24 school year will be held in-person. Location for in-person meetings will be sent to attendees the day before via email correspondence sent by the Schools of Choice unit. AMC participants are strongly encouraged to participate in person as it fosters genuine connections and meaningful professional development. A hybrid option via Zoom Meetings will be offered to schools that are not along with the front range or are unable to attend this in-person meeting for extenuating circumstances. In these situations, please connect with Gisa McCray Simmons for the Zoom Meeting information a week before the scheduled event.

 

2023-2024 AMC Cohort Dates

  • Wednesday, September 6

  • Wednesday, October 4

  • Wednesday, November 1

  • Wednesday, February 7

  • Wednesday, March 6

  • Wednesday, May 1


Resources

AMC & Principal/ Administrator Induction Program Document Submission Process Update

For the 2023-24 grant cycle, AMC & Principal/Administrator Induction Program documents including the participant agreement, individualized growth plan, and mentoring/reflection log will be submitted electronically via Smartsheet. Forms will be linked below and accessible below.

AMC Documentation 

  • CCSP Grant Training Request Form (Smartsheet Form) - To be used by planning year zero (0) CCSP Sub-grantees to document review of the AMC Program Overview Presentation.
  • AMC Remediation Form (Smartsheet Form) - This Smartsheet form will be completed to record your summary and reflections on missed AMC Meetings. For the 2023-24 school year, attendance at four AMC Meetings is required and attendance at six meetings are strongly encouraged.
  • Participant Agreement (DOC) - This document will be completed as a word doc to confirm participation in the AMC & Principal/ Administrator Program.
  • Participant Agreement (Smartsheet Form) - This Smartsheet form will be completed to specify participation in the AMC & Principal/ Administrator Program.
  • Individualized Growth Plan (DOC) - This document will be completed as a word doc to establish goals and actions steps for this year and guide you in your work with your mentor and uploaded into the Individualized Growth Plan Smartsheet form linked below.
  • Individualized Growth Plan Smartsheet Submission Form (Smartsheet Form)
  • Mentoring/Reflection Log Template (Excel Sheet) - This document will be completed as a word doc and uploaded into the Mentoring and Reflection Log Smartsheet form linked below.
  • Mentoring/Reflection Log Smartsheet Submission Form (Smartsheet Form) 

AMC Resources


Contact Information

If you have questions, please contact:

Gisa Simmons

Senior Consultant, Charter School Program Lead Trainer

Simmons_g@cde.state.co.us