Tennessee Academy for School Leaders (TASL)

Upon successful completion of a TASL academy, a leader will build their skill in vision setting, effective instructional leadership, high quality literacy instruction, and the TN Instructional Practice Guide

Initial Principal and Assistant Principal TASL Academy

·       Who: Principals and assistant principals that:

o   Hold an active instructional leader license

o   Are currently serving in a TASL-mandated role and have not previously completed an Initial TASL Academy, Administrator Academy, or University Partnership Pathway

o   Attend all required virtual sessions, complete all components of each module, and complete a case study

·  What: A Leadership group that will engage in learning, support, and networking with the result of 14 TASL Credit Hours and administrator licensure advancement to (ILL-P).

·  Where: The Initial TASL Academy is a combination of online meetings and task-based in-person experiences. Leaders will complete online modules, virtual meeting sessions, and in-person tasks throughout the Initial Academy.

·  When: Academies begin during the beginning of each school year and are completed during that same school year.

·  Why: In accordance with T.C.A. § 49-5-5703, all administrators are required to complete an Administrator Academy once every five years in order to support instructional leadership development.

·  Requirements: Attend all virtual meetings (5), complete all modules of each course in the TeachALL system (4 courses total), and complete a summative case study (covered in last course in TeachALL).

·  Enrollment: To enroll in TASL Academy, check with your local district office or the TASL website: Tennessee Academy for School Leaders (TASL) (tn.gov). Registration launches each year during the last week of July until the end of August. Participants that meet the requirements will be notified immediately after registration is closed.

·  Registration Form

·  Cost: Academies are offered at no cost; however, participants are responsible for any travel expenses incurred

The admission process to the TASL Academy is as follows:

·  Applicants ensure they meet eligibility requirements and self-register through the TASL website or through their respective district communications.

·  TASL director will reach out to eligible applicants, confirm enrollment, and gather pertinent enrollment information.

·  Accepted applicants will be notified of meeting logistics prior to academy start date.

Initial Supervisor TASL Academy

The Supervisor academy is held each year and begins during the start of the second semester. Eligibility requirements are standard for each academy. If any district level instructional supervisors are academy-eligible, the admission process to the Academy is as follows:

• Applicants ensure they meet eligibility requirements and self-register through the TASL website or through their respective district communications.
• TASL director will reach out to eligible applicants, confirm enrollment, and gather pertinent enrollment information.
• Accepted applicants will be notified of meeting logistics prior to academy start date.

·         Who: District-level supervisors who (1) are TASL-mandated, (2) have never completed an Initial TASL Academy, and (3) hold a valid ILL or ILL-P.

·         What: Leadership group academies that provide learning, support, and networking with the result of 14 TASL Credit Hours and administrator licensure advancement to (ILL-P).

·         Where: The Initial TASL Academy is a combination of online meetings and task- based in-person experiences. Leaders will complete online modules, virtual meeting sessions, and in-person tasks throughout the Initial Academy.

·         When: Academies begin and end in the second semester (January-April) of the school year.

·         Why: In accordance with T.C.A. § 49-5-5703, all administrators are required to complete an Administrator Academy once every five years in order to support instructional leadership development.

·        Requirements: Attend all virtual meetings (3) and complete all modules of each of the two total courses in the TeachALL System.

·         Enrollment: To enroll in TASL Academy, check with your local district office or the TASL website: Tennessee Academy for School Leaders (TASL) (tn.gov). Registration will launch in July and close in November 2023.

·         Cost: Academies are offered at no cost; however, participants are responsible for any travel expenses incurred

TASL Recertification Principal and Assistant Principal Academy

The TASL Recertification Principal and Assistant Principal Academy and the TASL Recertification Supervisor Academy are new academies for experienced administrators in TASL- mandated roles.

·         Who: TASL-mandated principals and assistant principals who have already completed an Initial TASL Academy, Administrator Academy, or University Partnership Pathway.

·         What: Abbreviated TASL Academy that administrators must complete every five years until they acquire TASL exemption status.

·         Where: The Recertification Academy is completely online and consists of a series of asynchronous learning modules.

·         When: The Recertification Academy occurs during the first semester of the current school year.

·         Why: In accordance with T.C.A. § 49-5-5703, all administrators are required to complete an Administrator Academy once every five years. This academy is designed toprovide a more streamlined recertification process for individuals who have already completed an initial academy .

·         Requirements: Meet all eligibility requirements and complete all modules for each course (total of 2 courses).

·         Enrollment: To enroll in the Recertification Academy, contact your local district during mid to late summer and request access to the enrollment form.

·         Cost: Academies are offered at no cost.

TASL Recertification Supervisor Academy

·         Who: Instructional supervisors who have already completed an Initial TASL Academy, Administrator Academy, or University Partnership Pathway.

·         What: Abbreviated TASL Academy for TASL-mandated instructional supervisors to complete once every five years until they acquire TASL exemption status.

·         Where: The Recertification Academy is completely online and consists of a series of asynchronous learning modules.

·         When: The Recertification Academy occurs during the first semester of the current school year.

·         Why: In accordance with T.C.A. § 49-5-5703, all administrators are required to complete an Administrator Academy once every five years. This academy is designed to provide a more streamlined recertification process for individuals who have already completed an initial academy.

·         Requirements: Meet all eligibility requirements and complete all modules for each course (total of 2 courses).

·         Enrollment: To enroll in the Recertification Academy, contact your local district during mid to late summer and request access to the enrollment form.

·         Cost: Academies are offered at no cost.

If an instructional leader holding an ILL-B is ineligible for an induction academy or chooses against joining an academy, he/she may choose to advance via the University Partner Path (UPP), a two-year, independent study program that requires a partnership among the candidate’s school district, the local approved university, and the candidate for advancement. Approved universities are those with educational leadership programs endorsed by the department. It is important to understand that this path is not a class, nor can it be completed in fewer than two years.

The University Partner Path process is as follows:

1.       The candidate must contact the university partner and ask to be assigned a mentor from the leadership program. This mentor guides the development, implementation, and reflection of a candidate’s unique learning needs through the utilization of the professional learning plan (PLP). This is not a review of past learning, but an intentional plan focused on current and future school change. The mentor is required to verify the various stages of the process via signature as indicated on the PLP template. The designated UPP PLP is available from TASL.Information@tn.gov.

2.       The candidate must obtain confirmation of two years of successful evaluation by the Tennessee Instructional Leadership Standards (TILS) from the district. These evaluations must occur during the implementation of the PLP. They cannot be from previous years. This confirmation is documented by obtaining the appropriate signatures via the license application process.

3.       While in a TASL mandated position, the candidate must keep his/her TASL hours current for the validity period of the license.

4.       Once the two-year period is complete, the candidate must submit the PLP and the request for advancement via the online process through TN Compass.

While this path is approved for all administrators desiring to advance an administrative license, the University Partner Path is the only pathway approved for administrators with more than three years of experience in any administrative role. For more information, contact the TASL office at TASL.Information@tn.gov.

Instructional Leaders

Instructional Leader licenses allow educators to serve in administrative positions in Tennessee schools. Educators must visit TN Compass to take action on a current license.

Renew

Educator licenses must be renewed on or before the date of expiration. The Licensure Renewal Application Checklist provides detailed instructions for renewing a license.

·    Administrator License (ILL & ILL-P)—Administrator

To renew an ILL or ILL-P, an administrator must:

·  currently serve in administrator position (i.e., assistant principal, principal, or instructional supervisor) in an approved Tennessee public school system or Category 1, Category 2, or Category 3 approved non-public school.

·  have been evaluated as an administrator for the previous two years under the Tennessee Instructional Leadership Standards (TILS);

·  have completed or currently completing the required Tennessee Academy for School Leaders (TASL) credit hours required for each two year cycle (July 1-June 30);

·  submit an administrator license renewal application and TASL hours in TNCompass for approval by the department’s office of educator effectiveness.

·  Administrator License (ILL & ILL-P)—Non-Administrator

Educators not employed in an administrator position (e.g., teachers, non-instructional school district central office personnel, etc.) whose ILL, ILL-P, or Professional Administrator License (PAL) credential is eligible for renewal must submit an application for renewal to the office of educator licensure. Please note that all renewal applicants must possess another active Tennessee educator license at the time of application submission.

Advance

Beginning Administrator License (BAL) Conversion

Educators with the Beginning Administrator License (BAL) must convert to an Instructional Leader License (ILL). Educators who meet the requirements for advancing to the ILL-P must process their advancement through TNCompass. Educators who hold an expired BAL must complete the BAL to ILL conversion unless they meet the requirements for advancement to an ILL-P. To convert a BAL, an educator must:

·  review the Tennessee Instructional Leadership Standards (TILS) 5.106, Administrator Evaluation Rubric, and Overview Presentation;

·  submit the online review; and

·  submit a “Reactivate License” transaction in TNCompass.

Update Personal Information

Locating Current Approved TASL Events:

·  Log into TN Compass

·  Click the “Home” tab

·  Scroll down and locate the “My TASL Status: tab

·  Click the “View TASL Events: tab