Department website: https://www.atu.edu/tel/
This certificate program is for those with an existing Masters degree in a related field (subject to EDLD Program Director approval). It includes all coursework necessary to add the "P-12 Building Level Administrator" endorsement (code 276) to your Arkansas Educator's License, which qualifies you to serve as a building administrator at any level from preschool to 12th grade. Designed to meet the needs of today's busy educators, the program is 100% online with a rigorous, interactive design that reflects the Quality Matters Rubric (the gold standard for online instruction).
This program also reflects the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL), the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) "Building Level" Standards, and current Arkansas School Leadership Standards.
This certificate may be completed online.
Students interested in the P-12 Building Level Administration Graduate Certificate program should submit the following:
1. An application to the Graduate College;
2. Pay the application fee;
3. Arkansas Educator's License;
4. Documentation of at least three years teaching experience. (A letter from the Superintendent or designee is required.)
5. Three letters of recommendation from principals, superintendents, college faculty, or similar educational leaders that attest to the applicant’s potential for effective educational leadership. Helpful documentation may include any of the following: National Board-Certified Teacher, Leadership Training (Teacher Leader Academy, ESL Academy, etc.), Related Micro-credentials (effective teaching, leadership, etc.), Evidence of ability to raise student achievement, Other evidence adult leadership activities; and
6. Optional Documents: Documentation of a current “effective” or “highly effective” TESS rating. (If applicant is from outside Arkansas, then an equivalent rating may be substituted.), Documentation of the appropriate Pathways Proficiency Credential or evidence that he/she is currently progressing along one of the Pathways for Proficiency approved by DESE. If the latter, Phase 1 training documentation is required prior to graduation or program completion.
State/National Standards
ATU’s Educational Leadership (EDLD) program reflects the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Building Level Standards 1 as well as the Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Competencies for P-12 School Level Principals. 2
Learning Objectives
As school leaders, students who complete the EDLD certificate will demonstrate the capacity to promote the success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to:
1) ... collaboratively lead, design, and implement a school mission, vision, and process for continuous improvement that reflects a core set of values and priorities that include data use, technology, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community. (NELP 1.0)
2) ... understand and demonstrate the capacity to advocate for ethical decisions and cultivate and enact professional norms. (NELP 2.0)
3) ... develop and maintain a supportive, equitable, culturally responsive, and inclusive school culture. (NELP 3.0)
4) ... evaluate, develop, and implement coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, data systems, supports, and assessment. (NELP 4.0)
5) ... engage families, community, and school personnel to strengthen student learning, support school improvement, and advocate for the needs of their school and community. (NELP 5.0)
6) ... improve management, communication, technology, school-level governance, and operation systems to develop and improve data-informed and equitable school resource plans and to apply laws, policies, and regulations. (NELP 6.0)
7) ... build the school’s professional capacity, engage staff in the development of a collaborative professional culture, and improve systems of staff supervision, evaluation, support, and professional learning. (NELP 7.0)
8) ... successfully complete an internship that provides coherent, authentic, and sustained opportunities to synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills identified in NELP standards 1–7. (NELP 8.0)
1 NPBEA. (2018). National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Program Standards - Building Level. Retrieved from: www.npbea.org.
2 https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/Administrator_School_Level_Principal_P-12_Competencies_final__2023_EEF.pdf
For program assessment visit: https://www.atu.edu/assessment/program_assessment.php
