Evaluating Principal Preparation Candidate Competence Using Medical School Methodology 111
which they had participated during the MSA Assessment. The students’ reaction to the PLE
was very positive.
The MSA faculty members have begun their review of PLE assessment activities. The
initial response from the individuals who participated in the pilot has been very
positive. Faculty members are aware of the void that currently exists in the MSA Assessment
program and have supported the partnership that resulted in this pilot effort. The OCSAE are
encouraged that the “Standardized Patient” (SP) methodology can successfully be applied to
other fields beyond clinical education and assessment. Collaboration between multiple
departments enhances the opportunity to pool resources of faculty, staff, facilities, and
infrastructure to reduce overall cost for the College of Education. The OCSAE can benefit
from such a collaboration by increasing productivity, broadening the scope of the
standardized patient program, and leveraging performance based assessment facilities.
Some questions must be answered as we move forward with this partnership:
- How will the new activities be integrated into the current assessment program?
- What additional cost will result from adding the new modules?
- How can the current schedule of activities be modified to accommodate the new
activities? - How can the PLE data be entered into the MSA final report?
- What kind of partnership must exist between the LEED Department and Clinical
Skills Assessment to ensure the continuity of the activities? - How will LEED and Clinical Skills Assessment share resources and resolve
issues/problems? - Who will be responsible for the coordination of the overall program and how will
program improvement be achieved?
DISCUSSION
The expectation currently placed on preparation programs to produce graduates who can
effective lead schools has never been greater. Those expectations will likely increase in the
future. It is, therefore, no longer acceptable to produce graduates who can pass a test, give a
report, or present a paper on how to be an effective leader. Programs must collect and use data
that accurately demonstrate what their students can do.
This paper has presented information on a pilot study that combined two authentic
assessment methodologies currently used in medical schools and principal preparation
programs. The pilot attempted to combine the two approaches. Preliminary results suggest the
addition of PLE type activities to activities currently used in the principal preparation program
can improve the overall quality of the outcome for students and programs. In addition, it
appears departments of educational leadership and offices of clinical skills assessment and
education can work cooperatively to achieve mutually beneficial results.
This partnership also has the potential to provide opportunities beyond preparation. The
professional development of current administrators is an area of potential application of the
assessment tools developed for students. This kind of assessment would give participants
specific, behaviorally supported evidence of current behavior and provide motivation for
improvement. Data produced through assessments would be a valuable resource for research
into effective preparation practice, effective leadership behavior, and many other topics
currently in the literature.