Administration Credential Information
Administration Credential Course Information
The Montessori Administration Credential Course is comprised of 208 academic hours in-residence, and 1080 practicum/administration hours over a nine-month practicum. The American Montessori Society Administration Credential is awarded to the graduate.
The sequence of twenty (20) course-components with 280 instructional hours comprise the academic knowledge and rationale regarding the philosophy and administration. The final course components (AD.01 – AD.05) are taken at the practicum seminars during the administration practicum which is a minimum of 720 hours.
Administration Courses
AD.01.A Program Development: Working with Families
16 hours – 1 credit unit
Families are the critical context within which the Montessori school operates. Working with families is as important as working with and understanding the child. In this course the adult learner examines all ways in which the role of the family impacts all aspects of the school organization. The use of effective communication with families, provision of support services for families, and opportunities for school involvement are examined. Shared decision- making procedures, strategies, and outcomes support the family’s sense of shared responsibility for outcomes.
AD.01.B Program Development: Participatory Decision Making
16 hours – 1 credit unit
What is participative management, and why is it important? Three principles of collaboration consider different styles of leading to various perceptions in addition to rethinking management to involves the head and the heart. The first step –is to look within. How do you perceive power, what about your work style?
AD.01.C Educational Leadership: Effective Leadership Strategies
16 hours – 1 credit unit
Exploring leadership styles that are both effective and identifying one’s own leadership style with its strengths and deficits. Leadership as a role, leadership tasks and functions, leadership as a repertoire of skills and competencies, leadership traits and dispositions, and leadership style are explored as distinct topics. The link between effective leadership and program quality is emphasized.
AD.01.D Educational Leadership: Observation of Environment & Teacher Quality Principles
8 hours - .5 credit units
The importance of the prepared environment is a Montessori principle with implications for school leadership. Assessment tools are examined which allow the quality of a program to be assessed across objective standards of the prepared environment in addition to the quality principles of a strong Montessori program. Implementation and practice with the assessment tools is an requirement of the class.
AD.01.E Educational Leadership: Assessment & Learn Differences
8 hours - .5 credit units
The Montessori principle of individualization of instruction presumes learning differences. Sometimes the differences require intervention by special needs or learning differences specialist. The educational learner does not need to be that specialist, but does need to know enough to determine that certain behaviors are indicators of an assessment need, to understand the findings of the child assessment report, and to determine how the assessment indicators can be supported in the Montessori setting. This class prepares the director for this situation.
AD.01.F Educational Leadership: Professional Development
16 hours – 1 credit unit
A plan for individual teacher development and full staff development both requires the input of the intended recipients. Though different in outcome, both processes are collaborative by nature. For individual professional development one-on-one involvement and meeting(s) are required. Ideally a plan that spans at least the year is developed with a timeline,
AD.01.G Educational Leadership: Working with Boards & Community, Expansion, Accreditation
16 hours – 1 credit unit
Five elements were consistently present and paramount to effectiveness of school boards:
- The percentage of board members who are current parents has minimal direct influence on strategic effectiveness within boards of trustees. A high percentage of current parents on a board - more than 60 percent, generally - impairs that board’s capacity to think and act strategically.
- Strategically effective boards are intentional about onboarding new trustees. Although most boards have a process of orientation, boards that exhibited higher strategic effectiveness ratings invested in organizational socialization and acculturation of new trustees (“onboarding”) over longer periods of time. Strategically effective boards protect and perpetuate healthy board culture.
- The purposeful use of committees is associated with increased strategic effectiveness. The relationship between the use of committees and strategic effectiveness is an important structural component of board governance. The purposeful use of committees is critical to a board’s ability to effectively locate more immediate, tactical concerns within its longer-term strategic focus.
- Boards that rate highly on strategic effectiveness contribute positively to institutional performance. Findings confirm the assumption that healthy boards positively impact institutional performance of the independent schools they serve.
- The relationship between board chair and head of school is critical. A healthy and productive relationship between board chair and school head has a very strong effect on board strategic effectiveness. Issues of expansion are prevue of the school board.
Accreditation is a self-reflective process to be supported by the board.
AD.01.H Educational Leadership: Licensing, Regulations & Compliance
16 hours – 1 credit unit
The extensive Rules and Regulations that govern all licensed family-based and center-based day care centers is examined in its entirety with the goal of preparing the adult learner for taking the Community Care Licensing test for directorship. Compliance with other agencies such as building permits, country use-permits, and insurance procurement issues are further examined
AD.02.A Montessori Philosophy: Fundamentals
16 hours – 1 credit unit
Planes of Development, Sensitive Periods, Absorbent Mind, Spontaneous Repetition, Development of the Will are the principles in the First Plane of Development. The Second Plane of Development is characterized by sticking the child’s imagination as the curriculum offers the keys to the universe. The Third Plane of Development is characterized by the interface of the student with the larger economic community. The impact of the characteristics of the child/student in the Planes of Development profoundly impact the environment and the curriculum that is appropriate. Peace Education, Cosmic Education, and the embrace and respect for differences underpin all Planes of Development.
AD.02.B Montessori Philosophy: Research & Self-Reflection
16 hours – 1 credit unit
The Journal of Montessori Research advances knowledge of Montessori education through both empirical research studies and critical reviews of the literature available in an open access forum. The Journal of Montessori Research advances knowledge of Montessori education through both empirical research studies and critical reviews of the literature available in an open access forum. The American Montessori Society Research Library furthers the exploration of Montessori researched principles and practice. These are the class’ primary resources.
AD.03.A Montessori Curriculum & Materials: Infant & Toddler
16 hours – 1 credit unit
The practices, environment and materials for the newborn, infant, and toddler are examined in the home and in group care.
AD.03.B Montessori Curriculum & Materials: Early Childhood
16 hours – 1 credit unit
The classic areas of Practical Life, Sensorial, Language and Mathematics with a brief overview of botany, zoology, history and geography are examined.
AD.03.C Montessori Curriculum & Materials: Elementary
16 hours – 1 credit unit
The classic areas of Language, Mathematics, Geometry, Botany, Zoology, History and Geography are examined in addition to Physics and Chemistry.
AD.04.A. Educational Leadership: Effective Leadership Strategy & Style
16 hours – 1 credit unit
The quest for Montessori excellence and authenticity begins with an inner quest to discover who we are, our passions, values, talents, personal resources, and even those foibles and annoying habits we might prefer not to acknowledge. Having a better understanding of ourselves is the first step to achieving a better relationship with others in achieving excellence in our Montessori schools.
AD.04.B Educational Leadership: Leading & Managing a School
16 hours – 1 credit unit
Planning for all the school events including families and staff, operations which deals with facility
AD.04.C Educational Leadership: Communication
16 hours – 1 credit unit
The role communication in the teacher and family handbooks, the newsletter, brochures, academic program, summer program, weekly e-blast, orientations, school tours, all the formal communications project your school identity past branding and imaging.
AD.05.A School Operations: Fiscal Management & Legal Issues
16 hours – 1 credit unit
Planning the annual budget demands knowledge of all aspects of school expenditures, and all income sources. Knowledge of past budgets can suggest present budgets. Strategic Planning effects future needs with the typical fiscal implications. A real, or more typically, a hypothetical budget is produced.
AD.05.B School Operations: Branding, Media Presence & Enrollment
8 hours – .5 credit unit
Establishing a presence in the community is paramount: Logo, Tag Line, Branding. Traditional vehicles are letterhead, envelops, business cards, newsletter, report cards, yearbook, all literature. Media includes a website presence, Face Book, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
AD.05.C School Operations: Recruiting & Hiring
16 hours – 1 credit unit
The quest for Montessori excellence is found in the recruitment, selection & orienting of teaching staff. Personnel resources are central to the Montessori School. The school administrator must develop procedures and skills in recruiting, selecting, & orienting teaching staff.
AD.05.D School Operations: Public & Charter Schools
8 hours – .5 credit unit
The basic process and requirement for establishing a Montessori Public and Montessori Charter School in California are identified. Visiting and interviewing the principals are important in this process of becoming acquainted with Montessori in the public sector.
AD.05.E School Operations: Strategic Planning
8 hours – .5 credit unit
Strategic Planning embraces the Mission Statement, the Goals and Objective, and places these core beliefs into the future – where does this take up in five, ten, twenty years.
AD.06.A Practicum Seminars I
Coursework from AD.01 – AD.05 offered in monthly seminars.
AD.06.B Practicum Seminars II
Coursework from AD.01 – AD.05 offered in monthly seminars.
AD.07 Year-Long Project
The Year-Long project can focus on any on aspect of the role of the administrator, and it can take the form of the daily logging of the Reflective Practitioner. The quest for Montessori excellence and authenticity begins with an inner quest to discover who we are, our passions, values, talents, personal resources, and even those foibles and annoying habits we might prefer not to acknowledge. Having a better understanding of ourselves is the first step to achieving a better relationship with others in achieving excellence in our Montessori schools.
AD.08.A Administration Practicum I
A minimum of 360 hours in an administrative position are required to meet the requirements of the first semester of administration practicum.
AD.08.B Administration Practicum II
A minimum of 360 hours in an administrative position are required to meet the requirements of the second semester of administration practicum.