Leadership for Students Activities - January 2015, NASC Edition - (Page 5)

Questions & Answers Rewarding Effective Leadership Q I have only been an adviser for two years, and when I accepted the position, I quickly realized that our student council was very active and had a busy calendar of activities. The council meets every other week, and the committees meet before or after school, a practice that I assume is fairly normal. In my first year, I discovered that very little training had been provided. Students operated on a trial-and-error basis; it seemed that a project's success hinged on the individual leadership strengths of the members. This year, I introduced monthly leadership lessons. Each lesson includes some type of evaluation to help students see how well they understand and apply the lesson's content. Because student council is not a leadership class, we don't give grades or credit, but I would like to track and reward their development and growth as leaders to help them become more accountable as individuals and as a council group. Can NASC suggest an alternative to grading that accomplishes my goal? A In lieu of grades, an excellent technique for tracking the progress of student leaders on skills and knowledge is to use a rubric specifically designed for leadership. The rubric model shared on the next page focuses on performance and includes three key parts. Four performance levels in the rubric classify what level of mastery the student leader has achieved in a given skill. Each level defines the general achievements needed to reach that level. The rubric also includes observable actions for each performance level that can be used to determine which level students have reached. When composing a rubric, be purposeful in selecting titles and indicators that reflect growth and effort. The focus should be on what is achieved rather than what isn't. Avoid titles like "rookie" or "newbie" because a student's experience with the student council is not what is being evaluated. Depending on the skill being applied, even seasoned student leaders may initially january 2015 5

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Leadership for Students Activities - January 2015, NASC Edition

Editor’s Note
Questions & Answers
Take Note
Being a Leader
From the Director
Building a Buzz
The Calm Created by Disruption
2015 Leadership Calendar
Giving Students a Voice
Middle Level Activities
Lessons for Leaders
Scholarships & Awards
Activities Exchange
Things to Do

Leadership for Students Activities - January 2015, NASC Edition