SDL · High-Yield Cheatsheet · NY School Leadership Prep

What this page is built from The objective blocks below are the 2008 SDL assessment framework, compressed. That framework and the test design are the only official statements of what 103 and 104 measure, and the framework cites no external standards set — not PSEL, not ISLLC. NYSED separately publishes the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL), NYS Version, Regents-adopted in 2017; that is the vocabulary of current New York practice and of your preparation program, but it is not what this test is written from, and no official crosswalk exists. Speak PSEL in your district; write the framework on the test.

Blueprint at a glance

Two tests, scored separately. Each is a 60-item multiple-choice section plus two written assignments — and the two sections are worth exactly the same.

MC items per part

Written assignments per part

50 / 50

MC share / written share — on both parts

220

Passing scaled score, each part

Objectives (8 per part)

Subareas (2 per part)

4 hrs

Testing time per part, +15 min tutorial & NDA

17 / 33

Weight: short task / long task

The most misread fact about this exam The multiple-choice section is 50% of your score and the two written assignments are the other 50% — on Part One and Part Two alike. Two essays weigh as much as sixty items. One long task is worth 33% of a whole test by itself, about what all thirty MC items in an entire subarea are worth. Drilling content and never rehearsing a timed 300–600-word response is studying half the test.

Part	Subarea	Objectives	MC	MC %	Written assignment	Written %
One (103)	I. Developing, Communicating, and Sustaining an Educational Vision	0001–0004	30	25%	Assignment One — Work Product, 150–300 words	17%
	II. Supervising Districtwide Change and Accountability	0005–0008	30	25%	Assignment Two — Case Study, 300–600 words	33%
	Total	0001–0008	60	50%	2	50%
Two (104)	I. Leading the District Educational Program	0001–0005	37	31%	Assignment Two — Educational Program Analysis, 300–600 words	33%
	II. Managing District Resources and Compliance	0006–0008	23	19%	Assignment One — Management Problem Solving, 150–300 words	17%
	Total	0001–0008	60	50%	2	50%

Source: NYSED / Evaluation Systems, School District Leader Test Design and Assessment Framework (© 2008) and School District Leader Preparation Guide (© 2010). Counts and percentages are the framework’s own “approximate” figures. The MC section includes some non-scorable field-test items; every scorable item counts the same.

The asymmetry that trips people up on 104 On both parts, Assignment One is short (150–300 words, 17%) and Assignment Two is long (300–600 words, 33%). On 103 that maps intuitively: short task from Subarea I, long task from Subarea II. On 104 it inverts. The long 33% task (Educational Program Analysis) comes from Subarea I — Leading the District Educational Program; the short 17% task (Management Problem Solving) comes from Subarea II — Managing District Resources and Compliance. So on Part Two, Subarea I carries 31% of the MC and the 33% essay — about two-thirds of the test. Finance, facilities and compliance total 36%.

Order and pacing

You may write the two assignments in either order and return to either as time permits; both can be flagged for review like MC items.
Four hours covers the whole part — 60 items and both essays. There is no separate essay clock.
Both parts in one appointment runs 8 hrs 40 min, including a 40-minute lunch.

Registration facts that shape your plan

Offered by appointment during testing windows only — and the SDL windows are not the SBL windows.
Fees: Part One $169 · Part Two $168 · both $337.
Retake wait 30 days · registration valid one year · free reschedule up to 24 hours before · scores post at 10:00 p.m.

Part One · Test 103 — the eight objectives

Subarea I (0001–0004): vision, communication, collaboration. Subarea II (0005–0008): change, planning, data, accountability. Titles are the framework’s; bullets are what it says generates items.

0001

Leadership concepts and principles and their application

Subarea I · the NY governance objective

Leadership theory and practice, plus the professional and political environment of district leadership in New York State.

Key theories of leadership, the research supporting them, and best-practice applications
Applying leadership principles to design and execute districtwide systems that raise achievement — leadership as system-building, not personal style
The role of the board of education and the structure and governance of public schooling in New York
The functions of BOCES — the only place in either framework where BOCES is named outright
State and federal law, regulation and judicial decisions affecting district management
The NYS Code of Ethics for Educators and the role of values and ethics in district leadership
Interpersonal and communication skills as leadership competencies

0002

Developing and implementing a shared, sustainable educational vision

Subarea I

How a district vision gets built, aligned, resourced, communicated and revisited.

Engaging building leaders and other stakeholders in developing the vision
What makes a vision sound and sustainable — focused on students meeting state learning standards
Aligning it with board policies and goals and with the instructional program
Aligning district and school visions, supporting mutually supportive vision statements at every school
Relating the vision to the political, economic, social and cultural context of community, state and nation
Promoting it among constituencies, including securing the financial and human resources to realize it
Using the vision as a benchmark for analyzing needs and accomplishments
Continually evaluating, refocusing and clearing obstacles in specific content areas

0003

Principles and practices of clear and effective communication

Subarea I

Communicating with every audience a district leader faces — routinely and in a crisis.

Ongoing dialogue with building leaders, board members, community, families, students and staff about core values, goals, policies, practices and achievements
Communicating regularly with board members — a recurring item stem
Reaching diverse audiences through multiple modes: individual and group meetings, activities, media releases, formal presentations
Articulating the vision in terms of learning outcomes, core values, shared norms and research
Communicating assessment results to families and stakeholders
Reporting goals and results accurately — addressing setbacks as well as advances
Community and public relations; technology; effective writing, speaking and listening
Communicating in crises and other heightened emotional environments

0004

Processes of collaboration and cooperation

Subarea I

Working with people inside the district and with the groups beyond it whose support the district needs.

Collaborating with the board, building leaders, staff, families, students and community to set and implement goals
Working with key external groups: employees’ organizations, businesses, legislators, SED, higher education, the media
Building ongoing partnerships with community agencies and institutions of higher education
Working with diverse community groups; creating respect and trust; using diverse perspectives to achieve the vision
Conflict-resolution and consensus-building techniques in varied contexts
Planning with colleges for prospective-educator experiences that benefit both the candidates and district students
Behaviors that affirm integrity and ethics in all interpersonal contact

0005

The process of change and its management

Subarea II · source of the Case Study

Initiating, supporting, monitoring and sustaining change in an educational environment.

Concepts and applications of the change process — the change agent’s role, building consensus, overcoming obstacles
Making the case for change: eliciting input, identifying needs, clarifying goals, focusing on outcomes
Supporting schools’ own initiatives and empowering constituents to drive improvement
Initiating change with building leaders and board members, anticipating resistance, establishing context
Monitoring change and making adjustments to reach goals
Analyzing community culture and power structures, formal and informal, and enlisting support

0006

Comprehensive, long-range planning and implementation

Subarea II

Multi-year planning at district and school level — including planning for your own succession.

Data-driven long-range planning aligned to core values, goals and mission
Factors in comprehensive planning, including involving all key stakeholders
The district leader’s own role — convener and sponsor, not sole author
Initiating, leading, implementing and sustaining planning at school and district level, informed by multiple data sources and technology
Succession planning: identifying, recruiting, developing, mentoring, retaining, promoting and coaching potential leaders to expand capacity and sustain the vision

0007

Data-driven decision-making and problem-solving skills and procedures

Subarea II

How decisions get made: data, logic, collaboration — and calculated risk.

Procedures for decision making: clarifying issues, identifying goals, analyzing options
Gathering, analyzing and using data from a variety of sources — the framework insists on more than one
Risk taking and its appropriate use: assessing risk continuously, adjusting course quickly, and taking a principled risk even without unanimous support
Critical thinking: using logic and evidence, questioning assumptions, evaluating preconceptions, distinguishing beliefs from provable statements
Promoting collaborative decision making — valuing diverse views, negotiation skills
Developing consensus and facilitating creative problem solving

0008

How to promote accountability

Subarea II

Accountability for the system, for its schools, and for yourself.

The importance and implications of accountability in a public system
Methods for assessing educational quality and progress and enforcing accountability
The role of testing, and using testing data to evaluate instructional effectiveness and drive improvement
Establishing school and district monitoring and accountability systems tied to stated goals
Building a culture of accountability rather than a compliance ritual
Reporting district progress toward learning goals and accepting responsibility for outcomes

Part Two · Test 104 — the eight objectives

Subarea I (0001–0005) is the educational program: learning, standards, students, staff, professional development — 31% of the MC plus the 33% essay. Subarea II (0006–0008) is operations, finance, facilities and compliance.

0001

Understand and support learning throughout the district

Subarea I · source of the 33% essay

Curriculum, instruction and assessment seen from above the building.

Developmental and learning theories, curriculum development, instructional delivery and classroom practice, applied to the diverse needs of all students — students with disabilities, English language learners, gifted and talented
Sound assessment practices planned and implemented to support schools and their staff
Implications of student differences — cultural background, home language, disability, family characteristics, learning style
Practices that sustain a district culture of learning and growth and of equity and diversity
Instructional technology, and working with building leaders and teachers to integrate it into instruction and assessment
Providing schools with resources, flexibility, structures and policies that make the goals reachable

0002

Establishing and promoting standards and expectations

Subarea I

Setting explicit expectations for students, staff and leaders — and modeling them.

Communicating high standards and expectations for oneself, staff and students
The role of explicit standards for students, teachers and school leaders in achieving shared goals
A district and school culture that promotes excellence and supports informed, responsible risk taking
Clearly defining roles and responsibilities of district and school staff — who decides what, in writing
Embodying and promoting ethical conduct, high expectations and a strong work ethic

0003

Effective methods for providing support to students

Subarea I

Resources, safety, services, and the outside agencies that supply them.

Identifying, securing and leveraging internal and external resources for student learning and activities
Allocating resources to schools equitably in ways that address diverse student needs
A safe, secure, healthy and supportive environment that is age-appropriate and developmentally sound
Learning what students need through background research, incisive questioning and perceptive analysis
Support services for students with disabilities, English language learners and at-risk populations
Collaborative relationships with social service and health service providers
Warning signs of violence, prevention, intervention, and consulting police and emergency services

0004

Support to building leaders, teachers and other staff

Subarea I · you supervise principals

Supervising, developing and sustaining the adults — principals first.

Encouraging leadership, creativity, innovation, action research, responsible risk taking, stress management, collaboration, trust and mutual respect
Effective induction and retention plans for staff
Diagnosing staff needs and implementing strategies with ongoing support
Supervisory models — developmental, clinical, coaching — used to monitor and improve performance
Developing capability through supervision and evaluation of teachers and building leaders, effective assignment, and systems of mentoring
Delegating authority without abrogating responsibility — the framework’s own phrasing, and a reliable distractor test
Professional support focused on authentic problems and student outcomes

0005

Fostering ongoing staff development and sustaining personal professional growth

Subarea I

Professional learning as a system — and your own continued growth as part of it.

Integrating continuous learning into the work: collaborating with staff, identifying needs, setting goals, implementing PD plans, and engaging staff in formal and informal self-assessment
Effective and equitable personnel processes — recruiting, selecting, inducting, assigning, terminating, advancing and awarding tenure — to retain a highly qualified, diverse staff
Adult learning principles and motivation theory applied to PD design
Allocating adequate time, funding and resources so PD plans are actually implemented
Technology and other resources supporting learning and PD across the organization
A personal plan for self-improvement, using listening and reflection; managing stress
Time management procedures, including technology to enhance efficiency

0006

District-level operational management

Subarea II · source of the 17% essay

Organizations, people, contracts, data and resource alignment.

Major theories and research from education and other disciplines on managing organizations and people
Group dynamics, team building, process skills, systems theory, and formal and informal power structures
Supervision and direction of school-level management and other district staff — i.e., supervising principals
Collective bargaining and contract management that support and extend the educational vision
Using data and technology to monitor and evaluate school and district management and catch issues early
Assessing effectiveness in meeting goals and reaching out to the broader community
Aligning resources and making resource decisions from mission, goals and priorities

0007

District financial and facilities management

Subarea II

Budget development, revenue, financial reporting, emergency management and physical plant.

Political, economic and social factors affecting district financial planning
Budget planning and management, and working with stakeholders to establish the district budget
Managing finances and facilities so they support educational goals, not merely balance
Building capacity by securing and creatively allocating resources and planning for additional ones
Public school financing at federal, state and local levels — tax revenues, other sources, and restrictions on the uses of funds
Communicating with the board and reporting financial information to varied audiences
Emergency management and crisis response
Keeping the physical plant, equipment and support systems operating safely and efficiently

0008

Supervising compliance with federal, state and local mandates

Subarea II

Knowing the law well enough to build compliant policy — and to keep the district out of court.

Laws and regulations governing district and building management, human resources, student rights, and parent/guardian rights
Education case law and its relevance to district and building management
Communicating with local, state and federal representatives
Applying statutes and regulations, developing policy in accordance with law, and limiting the district’s vulnerability to legal action
Federal, state and local reporting requirements
Student safety and welfare, including New York requirements for identifying and reporting suspected child abuse and maltreatment

The district-level shift

Most SDL candidates come from a principalship, and the most common way to lose points is to answer a district question with a building answer. Every item asks what the superintendent does — and the superintendent builds systems rather than fixing the case in front of them.

Dimension	Building leader thinking	District leader thinking — what the test rewards
Who you supervise	Teachers, aides, building staff. You observe classrooms.	Principals. You supervise, support and evaluate building leaders and hold them accountable for their buildings. You rarely appear in a classroom in a correct answer.
“Instructional leadership”	Observation cycles, feedback, coaching individual teachers, one school’s data.	Coherence across schools. Aligned K–12 curriculum, common assessment practice, one PD architecture, comparable opportunity in every building. You fix the system that produced the classroom problem.
Whose authority	District policy and the superintendent’s direction; a building budget you administer.	Board of education policy. You recommend; the board adopts. You cannot commit the district beyond what policy authorizes, and you report to the board as a body — never to individual members privately on district business.
Scope of data	One school’s results and subgroups.	Districtwide data systems — comparing schools, spotting building-to-building variation, disaggregating across the system, reporting publicly.
Resources	Advocating for your building’s share.	Allocating equitably across schools per the district’s vision and priorities — which sometimes means your former building gets less.
Time horizon	This year’s plan, this year’s cohort.	Multi-year. The framework’s words: patient and persistent, a long and broad view, building a system that will endure, with succession planning built in.
External relations	Your school community.	The board, the voters, employee organizations, BOCES, SED, legislators, media, higher education, health and social agencies — and the taxpayers who vote your budget.
First move	Address the incident.	Diagnose, convene, systematize. Data from more than one source, then the stakeholders who must live with the decision, then the policy or structure that prevents recurrence.

You own these; a principal does not

Budget development and the annual vote — you build the proposed budget with the board and business official, present it publicly, and it goes to the voters.
Districtwide contracts and procurement — bidding, purchasing policy, transportation, food service, technology.
The BOCES relationship — which services the district buys through a CoSer, what stays in-house, and the aid consequences of that choice.
Negotiations with employee organizations — you or your designee sit at the table, the board ratifies, and Triborough shapes every calculation.
Districtwide data and student information systems, and the state reporting built on them.
Personnel recommendations only you can make — tenure recommendations to the board, probationary appointments and discontinuances, and the recommendation to prefer §3020–a charges.
Board relations — agendas, policy development, executive session practice, board goal setting.
Districtwide compliance — state and federal reporting, ESSA designations, Title I fiscal rules, special education capacity, safety plans.

Answer-shape tells on district items

An option where the superintendent personally does a principal’s task is nearly always wrong — except when the item tests delegation, where the right answer delegates authority and retains responsibility.
An option that bypasses the board on policy, money or personnel is wrong.
An option acting on a single data source, or on one complaint, is wrong. The framework says “a variety of sources.”
An option solving it for one school when the stem shows the problem in several is wrong.
An option that imposes before eliciting input is usually wrong — but so is one that studies forever. The framework endorses principled risk without unanimous support.
An option treating a legal or contractual obligation as negotiable is wrong.

One sentence to carry into every item The superintendent works through people and structures. If an answer choice does not touch a person you supervise, a policy the board adopts, a resource you allocate or a system you monitor, it is probably not the superintendent’s move.

New York vocabulary and structures the exam assumes

103 objective 0001 and 104 objective 0008 both require the New York governance, finance and legal environment, and item stems are written inside it. Verified against New York law and NYSED practice as of August 2026; reconfirm anything decision-critical before relying on it professionally.

Board of educationThe governing body. It acts only as a body in a properly convened meeting — an individual member has no authority to direct staff. It adopts policy, hires and evaluates the superintendent, adopts the budget for submission to voters, and votes appointments and tenure.

Policy vs. administrationThe line the exam keeps testing. The board sets what and why through policy; the superintendent decides how and executes. A board member intervening in a personnel or operational matter is a governance problem, and the fix routes it back through policy and the board as a body.

Superintendent of schoolsThe district’s chief executive and chief instructional officer, appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the board under a multi-year employment contract. There is no tenure in the superintendency.

District superintendentA different office: chief executive of a BOCES who also serves as the Commissioner’s field representative for that supervisory district. “District superintendent” in an item means BOCES, not your local superintendent.

BOCESBoards of Cooperative Educational Services — regional entities letting component districts share what they cannot efficiently run alone: special education, CTE, alternative education, instructional and administrative support. Districts buy services, share costs, and earn BOCES aid on qualifying prior-year BOCES expenditures — so “in-house or through BOCES” is an aid question too.

CoSer & cross-contractingA CoSer (cooperative service) is the specific shared service a district contracts for through its BOCES, with its share charged back. Cross-contracting is buying a service from another BOCES, generally arranged through your own so the service stays properly aidable.

The “Big 5”New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers — large city districts that are fiscally dependent on their municipalities. No annual budget vote, and not eligible for BOCES membership. If an item turns on a public budget vote, it is not a Big 5 district.

Annual budget voteIn most districts the third Tuesday in May (fourth Tuesday only where the Commissioner authorizes it for a religious-observance conflict). A public budget hearing must be held 7–14 days before the vote. Voters must be U.S. citizens, 18 or older, resident in the district 30 days.

Contingency budgetAfter a defeat the board may resubmit once or go straight to contingency; after a second defeat contingency is mandatory. Under the tax cap law the levy may not exceed the prior year’s — zero growth, the administrative component is capped against the prior year or last defeated budget, and certain expenditures become impermissible.

Property tax levy limit (“the 2% cap”)Chapter 97 of the Laws of 2011. It caps growth in the tax levy — not the rate, not spending — at the lesser of 2% or CPI, then applies a statutory formula with a tax base growth factor, PILOT adjustments and exclusions (certain voter-approved capital costs, large court judgments, pension growth above a statutory trigger). Piercing the limit takes a 60% supermajority of votes cast; the calculation is filed with the State Comptroller first.

State aidThe largest revenue stream in most districts, delivered through many categories on statutory formulas — general operating aid plus expense-driven aids for transportation, building, BOCES and special education. Formula-driven, lagged, and dependent on accurate reporting: bad data reporting is a revenue problem.

Foundation AidNew York’s principal general operating aid formula, enacted 2007 after the Campaign for Fiscal Equity litigation: the cost of an adequate education, adjusted for regional cost and pupil need, less an expected local contribution based on district wealth. Phase-in to full funding completed in the 2023–24 state budget; the formula’s inputs have been under review since, so treat dollar figures as year-specific.

Reserve fundsPurpose-restricted funds a district may legally save in: capital (voter authorization to establish and to expend), repair, tax certiorari, unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, employee benefit accrued liability, retirement contribution and insurance reserves. Money cannot move freely between them. Separately, unrestricted unassigned fund balance is capped at 4% of the ensuing year’s budget.

Internal controlsSegregation of duties, authorization, documentation, reconciliation and oversight. New York’s post-Roslyn accountability legislation (2005) hard-wired much of it: an independent claims auditor appointed by the board, an internal audit function, an audit committee, an annual external audit, and fiscal-oversight training for new board members. You own the control environment even though the business official runs the mechanics.

Claims auditingPre-payment review of every claim against the district for legality, accuracy and documentation. The claims auditor reports to the board, not the business office, and cannot be the person who authorizes or records the transaction. Any scenario where one person orders, receives, approves and pays is describing a control failure.

Open Meetings LawPublic Officers Law Article 7. Board business happens in public, with notice. An executive session requires a motion made in open session naming the general subject area, carried by majority of the total membership, and is limited to enumerated grounds — collective negotiations, proposed or pending litigation, matters leading to the appointment, discipline or dismissal of a particular person, and that person’s medical, financial or employment history. “Personnel” alone is not a valid reason, and public money may not be appropriated in executive session.

FOILFreedom of Information Law, Public Officers Law Article 6. District records are presumptively public; the agency must respond within five business days — grant, deny, or acknowledge with an approximate date — and denials are appealed internally, then to court under Article 78. Withholding or redaction requires a statutory ground (personal privacy, inter-agency deliberative material, FERPA-protected records). “Ignore it” is never right.

NYS Code of Ethics for EducatorsNamed directly in 103 objective 0001. Adopted by the Board of Regents in 2002: six aspirational principles covering each student’s potential, challenging and supportive learning environments, the educator’s own learning, collaboration with colleagues, collaboration with families and community while respecting confidentiality, and advancing the ethical foundation of the learning community. Aspiration, not a disciplinary code — distinct from conflict-of-interest law and from a district code of conduct.

APPRAnnual Professional Performance Review — evaluation of classroom teachers and building principals, negotiated locally and approved by NYSED. §3012–d is the long-standing framework; the newer NYS–STEPS (§3012–e) system now coexists with it during a transition, with districts able to adopt earlier and adoption becoming mandatory by June 30, 2032. You are the evaluator of record for principals, and APPR is a mandatory subject of bargaining.

Tenure and probationFor teachers and building principals appointed on or after July 1, 2015, probation is four years — changed from three. Tenure also requires effective or highly effective composite ratings in at least three of the four years and no ineffective rating in the final year. Tenure is granted by the board upon the recommendation of the superintendent; the board cannot grant it without that recommendation.

§3020–aThe due-process route to discipline or dismiss a tenured teacher or administrator. Written charges are preferred, the board votes whether probable cause exists, and the employee may demand a hearing — typically suspended with pay pending outcome. An expedited track exists for cases built on consecutive ineffective ratings. You investigate and recommend; the board votes charges; the hearing officer sets the penalty.

Taylor LawCivil Service Law Article 14 (1967). Public employees may organize and bargain collectively; strikes are prohibited with statutory penalties; PERB administers the act and hears improper practice charges. Impasse runs mediation, then fact-finding with a public report, then legislative determination by the board. Unilateral change to a mandatory subject of bargaining is an improper practice.

TriboroughThe Taylor Law amendment continuing the terms of an expired agreement until a successor is reached — including salary step increments. This is why an expired contract still carries cost growth, why the union’s urgency to settle is lower than yours, and why “let the contract lapse” is never a correct answer.

The superintendent in negotiationsYou are the board’s chief negotiator or you designate one. You cost out every proposal against the levy limit and multi-year projections, brief the board in executive session under the collective-negotiations exemption, and the board ratifies. You do not settle on your own authority, and you do not negotiate with an individual employee around the contract.

CSE and CPSEThe Committee on Special Education (school-age) and Committee on Preschool Special Education (ages 3–5), appointed by the board; required membership includes the parent, general and special education teachers, a district representative qualified to supervise special education and knowledgeable about the general curriculum and district resources, and someone who can interpret evaluation results. District obligations: child find; arrangements for services within 60 school days of consent to evaluate; annual review and reevaluation every three years; a full continuum in the least restrictive environment; and paying for out-of-district placement when the district cannot provide FAPE.

Special education due processNew York runs a two-tier system — impartial hearing officer, then appeal to a State Review Officer, then court. Stay-put holds the current placement during proceedings. In discipline, removal beyond ten school days triggers a manifestation determination; for weapons, drugs or serious bodily injury a district may use an interim alternative educational setting for up to 45 school days regardless of manifestation.

§504Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act — a civil rights statute, not a funding program. Broader eligibility than IDEA: an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, read expansively since the 2008 ADA Amendments Act. Districts provide FAPE through accommodations, designate a 504 coordinator, keep grievance procedures, and fund it locally. A student ineligible under IDEA may still qualify under §504.

ESSA designationsNew York identifies CSI (lowest-performing Title I schools and high schools with very low graduation rates), TSI (a consistently underperforming subgroup) and ATSI (a subgroup performing at the level of the lowest-performing schools). Identified schools write a SCEP; a district with identified schools is a Target District and writes a DCIP. Identification runs on a multi-year cycle.

My Brother’s KeeperNew York’s state-funded initiative — the first of its kind in the country — supporting the achievement and well-being of boys and young men of color through competitive district grants, family and community engagement, and educator diversity work. A district-level equity lever.

CR–S FrameworkNYSED’s Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework, built on four principles: a welcoming and affirming environment; high expectations and rigorous instruction; inclusive curriculum and assessment; and ongoing professional learning. The language NYSED expects a district equity plan to be written in.

DASAThe Dignity for All Students Act, effective July 1, 2012, prohibiting discrimination, harassment and bullying — including cyberbullying — on protected grounds including actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and expression) and sex. Every school designates a Dignity Act Coordinator; staff must report orally within one school day, in writing within two; districts investigate, respond, train staff and report incidents to the State.

McKinney–VentoFederal protections for students experiencing homelessness. Districts designate a local homeless education liaison, enroll students immediately even without records, immunizations, proof of residency or guardianship, offer a choice between school of origin and school of current location where feasible, provide transportation, and run a dispute process while the student stays enrolled.

Title I comparability & supplement-not-supplantTwo separate fiscal tests. Comparability: services funded by state and local dollars in Title I schools must be comparable to those in non-Title I schools — and provable. Supplement, not supplant: Title I funds add to rather than replace state and local resources; under ESSA the district shows a Title I-neutral methodology for distributing state and local funds instead of defending each expenditure. Maintenance of effort limits how far district spending may fall without an aid penalty.

Regents & Commissioner’s RegulationsThe Board of Regents heads the University of the State of New York and sets education policy; members are elected by the Legislature. The Commissioner runs the State Education Department and issues the Commissioner’s Regulations (Title 8 NYCRR) — Part 80 certification, Part 100 curriculum and graduation, Part 154 English language learners, Part 200 students with disabilities. They carry the force of law.

§310 appealsEducation Law §310 — a person aggrieved by an action of a board of education or school officer may appeal to the Commissioner of Education, generally within 30 days of the act complained of. It is an administrative remedy decided on the papers; the decision is final unless challenged in court under Article 78. Related: §306 provides for removal of a school officer for willful violation or neglect of duty.

Reporting suspected child abuseNamed explicitly in 104 objective 0008. School personnel are mandated reporters: report immediately by telephone to the Statewide Central Register on reasonable cause to suspect abuse or maltreatment, then file the written report with the local child protective service within 48 hours. The duty is individual and non-delegable — telling a supervisor does not discharge it, and district policy cannot require permission to call.

Numbers worth memorizing

Stable figures a district leader is expected to know. Items marked approx are approximations by nature or vary by district; anything budget-year-specific is deliberately excluded.

The exam itself

Number	What it is
220	Passing scaled score. Each part is scored and passed separately.
212 / 211	Certification exam waiver scores (within 0.5 SEM of passing): 212 on 103, 211 on 104. Also requires a 3.5+ overall GPA on a conferred bachelor’s or master’s and an active certification application.
60 + 2	Selected-response items and written assignments per part. Some MC items are non-scorable field-test items.
50% / 50%	MC share / written share, on both parts.
17% and 33%	Weight of Assignment One (short) and Assignment Two (long) on each part.
150–300 / 300–600	Word ranges, short and long written assignments.
4 hours	Testing time per part, plus 15 minutes for the CBT tutorial and nondisclosure agreement.
8 hrs 40 min	Total appointment for both parts in one day, including a 40-minute lunch.
$169 / $168 / $337	Part One / Part Two / both parts.
30 days	Wait before retaking a failed part — though in practice the window calendar controls, since SDL is offered only by appointment inside windows.
1 year / 24 hours	Registration validity; deadline to reschedule without a fee.
10:00 p.m.	When scores post online on your window’s score report date.
4 to 1	The written score scale, plus unscorable and blank.

Running a New York district

Number	What it governs
Third Tuesday in May	Annual budget vote and board election in most districts (fourth Tuesday only by Commissioner authorization for a religious-observance conflict). Not applicable to the fiscally dependent Big 5.
7–14 days	Window before the vote in which the public budget hearing must be held.
18 / 30 days	Voter qualification: U.S. citizen, at least 18, resident of the district at least 30 days.
Lesser of 2% or CPI	Core of the tax levy limit (Ch. 97, L. 2011) before the formula, growth factor and exclusions. It caps the levy, not the rate and not spending.
60%	Supermajority of votes cast needed to adopt a budget that pierces the levy limit.
0%	Permitted levy growth under a contingency budget.
2	Maximum times a budget may go to the voters. A second defeat forces contingency.
4%	Cap on unrestricted unassigned fund balance as a percentage of the ensuing year’s budget.
4 years	Probation for teachers and building principals appointed on or after July 1, 2015 — changed from three. Tenure also requires effective/highly effective ratings in 3 of the 4 years and no ineffective rating in the final year.
June 30, 2032	Deadline for districts to have adopted the NYS–STEPS evaluation system (§3012–e); §3012–d remains available until then.
5 business days	FOIL response deadline — grant, deny, or acknowledge with an approximate date.
30 days	Deadline to bring a §310 appeal to the Commissioner.
1 / 2 school days	DASA reporting of a material incident: oral report, then written report.
48 hours	Written follow-up after the immediate telephone report of suspected child abuse to the Statewide Central Register.
60 school days	New York’s timeline for arranging special education programs and services after consent to an initial evaluation.
3 years	Maximum interval between special education reevaluations; IEPs are reviewed at least annually.
10 / 45 school days	Removal threshold triggering a manifestation determination; maximum interim alternative educational setting for weapons, drugs or serious bodily injury.
3 years cert	Full-time teaching, pupil personnel service or educational leadership experience required for the SDL certificate.
Jan 1, 2031 cert	Deadline to apply and meet all requirements for the Professional SDL certificate. No new SBL/SDL programs registered on or after 2/1/2025; existing programs discontinued on or after 9/1/2030. The exam survives the certificate — the Administrator certificate created by Regents action on January 13, 2025 requires passing both the SBL and SDL exams.
37 approx	BOCES statewide. Stable for years, but not a fixed statutory number — know the function, not the figure.

Deliberately not on this list Current-year Foundation Aid totals, this year’s CPI or tax cap growth factor, state aid ratios and per-pupil benchmarks. They change annually, the exam does not test them, and quoting a stale figure in a written response is worse than quoting none. Cite mechanisms — “the levy limit constrains the increase” — not numbers you cannot verify in the test center.

Written-assignment scoring, compressed

Four written tasks across the two parts, all scored on the same three criteria and the same four-point scale — and together they are half of everything.

Read this if you also studied for the SBL SDL does not use the SBL criteria. SBL is scored on Completeness / Accuracy / Depth of Support and Understanding. SDL is PURPOSE / APPLICATION OF CONTENT / SUPPORT. They are not synonyms. The SDL passing scaled score is 220, not 520; the fees, testing windows and weights are different too. Do not carry any of it over.

Criterion 1

PURPOSE

“Fulfill the charge of the assignment.” Arithmetic, not artistry. If the task asks for two issues, one strategy and an explanation, a response with one issue cannot fulfill the purpose however well written. Count the bullets in the task and answer each in its own sentence.

Criterion 2

APPLICATION OF CONTENT

“Accurately and effectively apply the relevant knowledge and skills.” The knowledge is the framework’s — district-level leadership. This is where a building-leader answer loses points: accurate, but applied at the wrong altitude.

Criterion 3

SUPPORT

“Support the response with appropriate examples and/or sound reasoning reflecting an understanding of the relevant knowledge and skills.” Every claim gets a because. On document-based tasks, support means citing the specific evidence in front of you.

Score	What the score point means, in one line
4	Thorough command — completely fulfills the purpose by responding fully to the task; accurate and highly effective application; strong support with high-quality, relevant examples and/or sound reasoning.
3	General command — generally fulfills the purpose by responding to the task; generally accurate and effective application; support with some relevant examples and/or generally sound reasoning.
2	Partial command — partially fulfills the purpose, responding in a limited way; limited, partially accurate and partially effective application; limited support with few examples and/or some flawed reasoning.
1	Little or no command — fails to fulfill the purpose; largely inaccurate and/or ineffective application; little or no support with seriously flawed reasoning.
U	Unscorable — unrelated to the assigned topic, unreadable, written in a language other than English, or lacking sufficient original work to score.
B	Blank — no response.

Score point language condensed from the official School District Leader Preparation Guide (© 2010 Pearson). Responses are evaluated on the criteria above, not on writing ability — but they must be clear enough to permit a valid judgment and conform to the conventions of edited American English.

Part	Task type	Drawn from	Words	Weight	The charge, in its usual shape
103	Work Product (Assignment One)	Subarea I — vision, communication, collaboration	150–300	17%	Often a memo to a named audience: why this matters now · two key issues and why each matters · your appropriate role as superintendent.
103	Case Study (Assignment Two)	Subarea II — change and accountability	300–600	33%	Citing specific examples: what the superintendent did well · what they did poorly or failed to do · three actions to resolve the situation and why each will be effective.
104	Management Problem Solving (Assignment One)	Subarea II — resources and compliance	150–300	17%	Two important issues to consider · one strategy · why that strategy is likely to be effective.
104	Educational Program Analysis (Assignment Two)	Subarea I — the district educational program	300–600	33%	Document-based, with several district documents behind tabs: one strength plus a strategy to build on it · two weaknesses · a strategy for each · why each will be effective.

Task shapes are from the official sample assignments in the SDL Preparation Guide. Your form’s exact charge will differ; the counting structure — “two of these, one of those, and why” — is the constant.

What earns the points

Mirror the task’s bullets as your structure. Three asks, three chunks. Graders scoring PURPOSE need to find coverage.
Attach “because…” to every claim. Naked assertions score at 2.
Hit the counts exactly — two issues means two, not one and not four.
Cite the documents on document-based tasks: the number, the trend, the letter.
Answer as the superintendent, in first person, doing superintendent-level things.
On the Case Study the action section is prospective. “Should have…” belongs in the failures section, never in the actions.

What loses them

Writing long instead of writing complete. A rambling 700 words that misses a bullet still fails PURPOSE.
Answering at building level — observing the teacher, running the PD session, calling the parent.
Generic best practice with no anchor in the stimulus. If documents are provided and you never touch them, SUPPORT collapses.
Proposing something unlawful, unbudgeted, or outside board policy.
Naming a strategy without explaining why it will work — usually its own scored bullet.
Typing your name in the answer box. Responses are scored anonymously.

Budget the clock like the weights The written half is worth as much as the multiple-choice half, and the long task alone carries twice the weight of the short one. A workable split inside the four hours: roughly two hours for the 60 items, 25–35 minutes for the short assignment, 50–60 minutes for the long one, and a reserve for review. Draft the long response before you polish anything.

If you only have one hour

Last pass before you walk in. Ten things, in order.

1. The weights. 50% MC / 50% written on both parts; Assignment One 17%, Assignment Two 33%. On 104 the 33% task comes from Subarea I and the 17% task from Subarea II.
2. The three criteria, by name. PURPOSE · APPLICATION OF CONTENT · SUPPORT. Say them out loud. They are not the SBL criteria.
3. The four task shapes and their counts. Work Product, Case Study, Management Problem Solving, Educational Program Analysis — and how many issues, strategies and explanations each demands.
4. The Case Study rule. Strengths and failures look backward; the required actions look forward. No “should have” in the action section.
5. The altitude rule. You supervise principals, allocate across schools, build systems. Cross out any option where the superintendent does a principal’s job — unless the item is testing delegation.
6. Board vs. superintendent. The board sets policy and acts only as a body; you administer and recommend. Tenure, budget adoption and contract ratification are board actions on your recommendation.
7. The money spine. May budget vote → levy limit (lesser of 2% or CPI, exclusions, 60% to override) → two defeats means contingency with zero levy growth → reserves are purpose-restricted → internal controls, claims auditor, external audit.
8. The compliance spine. IDEA/CSE timelines and LRE · §504 · DASA · McKinney–Vento · Title I comparability and supplement-not-supplant · ESSA CSI/TSI/ATSI with DCIP and SCEP · mandated child abuse reporting.
9. The labor spine. Taylor Law — no strikes, PERB, mandatory subjects. Triborough keeps an expired contract alive, steps and all. You negotiate, the board ratifies. Probation is four years for appointments on or after July 1, 2015; tenured discipline runs through §3020–a.
10. The default correct move. Data from more than one source → involve the stakeholders who must live with it → act within board policy and law → build the system, not the one-off fix → monitor and adjust. Nearly every framework objective ends in monitor and adjust.

And one thing to stop doing Stop hunting for a New York statute to cite in your written response. The rubric rewards purpose, application and support — not citation. Know the law well enough to avoid proposing something illegal and to name the right process (“through the CSE,” “in executive session,” “subject to negotiation”), then spend your words on the strategy and on why it will work.