What to Expect

New residents are required to attend a New Resident Orientation within the first thirty (30) days of residency. During this session, the resident will be familiarized with the program and register for three (3) NJ Leadership Academy professional development sessions to fulfill their Year 1 PD requirement.  

Following district registration and payment of the $850 registration fee, NJL2L will pair each new resident with a trained mentor. The pairing process considers each mentor’s professional and administrative experience with the particular circumstances of each resident’s position, for example: school type (i.e. elementary, middle, high school); community type (i.e. urban, suburban, rural); district Director position (i.e. special education, curriculum and instruction); and other unique requirements of the specific position.

All NJL2L Mentors complete twelve (12) hours of New Mentor Training before becoming  certified and eligible to be paired with residents. NJL2L Mentors are recertified annually through a six (6) hour Mentor Recertification session.

Within two (2) weeks of notification of pairing with new residents, mentors are required to arrange an initial meeting to complete all four (4) state-required documents and to obtain required signatures. The mentor will download each of the required documents as needed from www.NJL2L.org. A copy of the resident’s resume and proof of Provisional Certificate are required to be submitted, in addition to the following state-required documents:

1. Statement of Assurance
2. Standard Residency Agreement
3. Residency Plan (Year 1 & Year 2)
4. Memorandum of Understanding
5. Resume reflecting current position

   NOTE: The Residency Plan should be completed for BOTH Year 1 and Year 2. Districts, residents, and mentors should retain copies of all documents for their records. The initial meeting between the mentor and resident also provides an opportunity for them to determine if their pairing appears to be suitable. If there are any concerns, either may request a change.

Residents will complete the PSEL Reflection and Growth Tool within the first thirty (30) days of residency and download and discuss the results with their mentor as a point of reference for the subseqent 24 months of residency.

The 2015 Professional Standards for Educational Leaders represent the best thinking and latest research related to the impact of leadership on student achievement. The role of the school leader has shifted from a focus on management to a focus on student learning through strong and effective instructional leadership.

Making the standards more “actionable” is the goal of the Leadership Reflection & Growth Tool, which promotes self-reflection and meaningful dialogue by school and district leaders. The tool applies to building-based leaders, as well as central office. In utilizing this tool, key points to consider are:

• This is not an evaluation tool. It is intended for personal and/or team reflection. The goal of the reflection is to target areas of potential growth in leadership practices for both individuals and leadership teams.
• The terms used in the key (emerging, developing and sustaining) reflect growth in leadership practices. The terms are not evaluative.
• Context is critical. For example a leader who has been in a school/district for a significant time may have been able to apply actions related to various standards at the sustaining level. That same leader may move to another district and find that due to conditions in the district, they are again operating at the emerging level. The context of your position, will also determine the priority of the standards you are focused on at any given time. You may determine your current position does not currently require the action delineated for a particular standard you identify as emerging.
• School and district goals, as well as the identification of targeted areas for professional growth, will determine the focus of individual and/or leadership team professional development needs.

Peer Support Groups are organized within regions/counties across the state to enable residents from various districts to meet with other residents and engage in discussions related to both their residency and job-related experiences as a new school leader. Peer Support Group meetings provide a “team mentoring” approach that capitalizes on the range and depth of experience and expertise of the mentors, who will organize and facilitate the Peer Support Group monthly meetings.

NOTE: Residents must attend their monthly Peer Support Group meetings. These documented hours are a crucial part of this state-required two-year program.

Each resident will develop and maintain a leadership portfolio during the two-year residency. The leadership portfolio will be used to systematically collect and organize evidence of each  resident’s progress toward the completion of all residency requirements and their continued professional growth.

In accordance with state requirements, mentors will complete four (4) formative assessments for each resident during the two-year residency. These forrmative assessments will take place at the end of the 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th months, respectively. The Year 1 Resident Review will take place at the end of the 12th month. Formative assessments are based on the ten (10) PSEL standards, mentor observations made through visitations, Peer Support Group meetings, time requirements, and portfolio documentations, as well as other components of the program.

The mentor will hold a formal conference with the resident to review each formative assessment and provide feedback related to his/her continued professional growth and progress in meeting residency requirements.

NOTE: All assessments and interactions between the each mentor and resident are CONFIDENTIAL. Formative and summative assessments will not be provided to the resident’s school district or any agency or individual without the written consent of the resident.

By the end of Year 1, the resident will submit the required Action Research Project Proposal to his/her mentor for review, feedback, and approval. This will be a job-embedded project that focuses on the PSEL standards.

The resident may only begin his/her Action Research Project following approval of his/her mentor.

The Action Research Project is expected to be completed prior to the Summative Assessment at the end of the twenty-third (23rd) month of the two-year residency.

The Action Research Project will be shared in a Powerpoint presentation to their Peer Support Group at the end of the Year 2 Residency.

Mentors will complete a Summative Assessment at the end of the twenty-third (23rd) month, which includes the mentor’s:

1. Verification of the resident’s completion of all Year 1 and Year 2 residency requirements
2. Assessment of the resident’s job-embedded Action Research Project and Presentation
3. Assessment of the resident’s professional growth during the twenty-four (24) months of  residency
4. Recommendation for Standard Principal Certification
5. The signed original Summative Assessment Report will be submitted by the mentor to the NJL2L Program Coordinator within two (2) weeks of the required mentor/resident conference.

The Summative Assessment requires that the mentor rate the resident’s overall performance based on state-approved criteria that are aligned with the PSEL standards, and make the following recommendations to the State Board of Examiners for Standard Principal Certification:

1. “Approved” for certification – This rating should result in issuance of Standard Principal Certification; however, the district is under no obligation to retain the resident even though he/she has received a favorable recommendation for certification.
2. “Insufficient” progress manifested – This rating means that the resident will not be issued Standard Principal Certification, but may continue employment and the residency for up to one additional year under provisional certification. The district is under no obligation to retain a resident with this rating, although it may choose to do so.
3. “Disapproved” for certification – This rating means that the resident will not be issued Standard Principal Certification, may not be retained in the district, will not be permitted an extended time period as a resident, or seek future employment under provisional certification.

NJL2L will transmit the Summative Assessment to the NJ Department of Education.

NOTE: All assessments and interactions between each mentor and resident are CONFIDENTIAL. Formative and summative assessments will not be provided to the resident’s school district or any agency or individual without the written consent of the resident.

All residents and mentors will also be required to complete an online evaluation at the end of Year 2, which will provide data related to NJL2L program design and implementation to inform continued program improvement. A sampling of participating districts will also be included in the annual program evaluation.

At the end of the twenty-four (24) months of residency, under the guidance of his/her mentor, the resident will prepare to address New Jersey’s professional development requirement for all school leaders, which is waived during the two-year residency period and will be required in Year 3 of employment.

In accordance with the New Jersey Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL’s), all school leaders must identify one or more professional development goals and develop a three-year Professional Growth Plan (PGP), which is based on a self-assessment that is aligned with the New Jersey PSEL standards.

The professional development goals and PGP must be approved by the resident’s superintendent and be directly linked to improving teaching and student achievement.

At the end of the third year, the superintendent will certify fulfillment of the PGP to the NJDOE based on evidence presented by the school leader, and the school leader’s professional development goals and PGP will be modified as needed for the next three-year professional development cycle.

If a resident changes districts and/or positions during the 2-year residency period, he/she may continue the residency program for Standard Principal Certification without interruption and with the same mentor unless circumstances require a change of mentor.

If the resident is appointed to a position requiring an administrator certification, he/she must begin a new residency for standard school administrator certification and time completed and fees paid during the NJL2L Residency Program cannot be applied to the School Administrator Residency.

If a resident takes a district-approved leave of absence during the 2-year residency period, he/she will be put on hold with no fees returned. In the event that the leave of absence exceeds two years, the resident will be required to begin the NJL2L program from the beginning including all documents and fees.

If a resident is dismissed or otherwise removed from his/her position by the district during the 2-year residency period, no fees will be returned unless requested. If fees are returned, the resident will be required to payback the fees should they return to the program within the 2-year period. In the event the resident does not obtain a position requiring a principal certification within two years, the resident will be required to begin the NJL2L program from the beginning including all documents and fees, once a new position is obtained.

If a resident obtains a position requiring Supervisor or Director of School Counseling certification, the resident will be placed on hold for up to two (2) years.

NOTE: If the Residency is interrupted for any of the above reasons, the district AND resident or mentor required to notify NJL2L as soon as possible in writing indicating the effective date(s). NJL2L will notify the NJDOE.