Winnisquam Regional School District

Professional Development Plan

Approved by School Board 10/06

PURPOSE

Under the federal law No Child Left Behind, educators are publicly accountable for improving student performance.  At the same time the diversity of learners in the classroom presents greater challenges to meet all students’ learning needs.  If all students are to have a chance for success, they must have teachers who know how to teach every student to a high standard. To do this, teachers need more support to meet the learning needs of all students and they need the tools to meet the higher expectations.  Teaching to high standards requires teachers to teach in ways that differentiates the instruction for all students.  Differentiating instruction means that teachers utilize different instructional strategies, lessons, and materials for students that may be in the same classroom.  To plan differentiated lessons, a teacher must assess students’ strengths and weaknesses, have time to analyze the assessment and plan lessons as well as orchestrate classroom management for the pacing, transition and flow of different work assignments for meeting all students learning needs.  Like students, teachers must be actively involved in learning and must have opportunities to discuss, reflect upon, try out and use better instructional approaches to meet accountability measures that increase each year.

One of the important components of improving student performance is through teacher professional development.  Setting high standards for what students need to know and be able to do when they complete their education takes place through the quality of our teachers.  Ongoing professional learning and development to meet the needs of all students is a moral imperative for all educators.  Students come to school with differences in learning styles and backgrounds.  To make connections both emotionally and instructionally to all students, teachers must also be lifelong learners to meet the diverse learning needs of every student, every day and each year.  Professional development enhances teacher quality through attitudes that reflect professional values, and personal commitment, professional knowledge and understanding of content and connecting content to students’ learning processes and professional skills and abilities to actively engaging students as independent learners. 

The purpose of the Professional Development Master Plan is to guide the Winnisquam Regional School District in developing professional development opportunities leading to enriched and improved learning experiences for students. As described above, student learning needs are the focus of professional development. The development and continued assessment of this Master Plan included the following constituent groups: certified staff members, district administrators, School Board members, community members, and parents. This document is a living document and will continue to be reviewed and changed.

Philosophy

The focus of Professional Development is to improve student learning and increase the educational staff’s effectiveness, knowledge, and skill based on the best research and exemplary practices. Having a district-wide philosophy of professional development provides a “compelling picture of the future that inspires commitment” to student learning (Regional Educational Laboratory, 2000).  If all educational staff are to successfully teach all students high standards, everyone who affects student learning must be learning at all times.  Therefore, in teaching and learning for continuous improvement, having a philosophy that aligns with goals that are tied with continuous staff learning will enhance staff knowledge and leadership capacity.  As in any other profession, research indicates that the most effective staff development includes what Winnisquam Regional School District ’s professional development activities offer:

·         Continuous learning, not one time seminars

·         Focus on improving classroom practice and increasing student achievement

·         Activities that are embedded in the daily work of teaching

·         Activities centered on crucial teaching and learning activities- planning lessons, evaluating student work and developing curriculum

·         Activities that cultivated in a culture of collegial support that involves sharing knowledge and experience in the same student improvement objectives

·         Activities which are supported by modeling and coaching that teaches problem-solving techniques

The district’s plan also enhances what our teachers are already doing in creating a learning community focused on and resulting in improved student performance through:

·         Content knowledge

·         Student assessment

·         Knowledge of student development

·         Use of data

·         Classroom management

·         Differentiated Instructional lessons

·         Effective teaching strategies and techniques

Supporting the District and School Improvement Plans

The Winnisquam Regional School District is facing several critical issues in professional development and the need to improve student learning. The District needs to change its focus from professional development based strictly on workshops and coursework, to a focus on a full range of professional development opportunities, including job embedded opportunities leading to enriched learning experiences for students. The professional educator must focus on learning as a life-long process and recognize the need to plan.  The focus will be based on the following:

·         Focus on improving student learning and reducing the gap between actual and desired levels of student achievement

·         Reflection on teaching, investigating ideas on best practices and question how particular practices work with students

·         Development and evaluation of curriculum, instructional activities, and student assessment according to research and standards

·         Organized time for teachers and principals to reflect, dialogue and plan

·         Data driven decisions made by analyzing student work

Data Driven Decision Making

The District is focusing on a data-driven decision-making model to improve student learning and this will include a link to professional development.  The District’s Data and Assessment Committee will look for trends in student learning and help to direct the district in making changes. Student data can be easily accessed through the MMS software program and NWEA’s Map testing program. Data from NECAP and NHEIAP tests are used as well to direct the areas of growth that the district as a whole address to improving student learning. The NWEA program connects student growth to DesCartes which defines each student’s instructional level and the skills needed to move to the next level.  The skill levels listed are directly tied to the New Hampshire Grade Level Expectations (grades 2-8) and Grade Span Expectations (grades 9-12).  Teachers individually will review student data.  Grade level teams and schools will also review data to determine how best to increase student achievement. The following are research-based strategies proven to increase student achievement that will be a focus of district:

·         Writing Across the Curriculum

·         Assessment Driven Teaching

·         Building Vocabulary Skills

·         Instructional Alignment

·         Scope and Sequence of District Curriculum

·         Gap Instructional Strategies

·         District-wide Sampling Portfolio Assessments

·         Differentiated Instruction

·         Bloom’s Taxonomy and Howard Gardner

·         Building Rigor in All Areas of the Curriculum

All of these are directly related to the DINI, SINI and Strategic plan. They also reflect the effective development research on different schools around the U.S. Department of Education’s National Awards.  When teachers have time to analyze data and student work samples, they are able to analyze data and student work samples, they are able to identify student learning outcomes, instructional practices and research-based strategies that most efficiently and effectively produce learning results.  The Winnisquam School District has been working toward implementing the five goals of professional development listed above.  There is evidence of the use of rubrics, writing across the curriculum, curriculum alignment, etc.  Therefore, to build on the excellent work that is already going on in the district and that focus will be ongoing because “the job of defining quality is never done” (Schmoker, 2000).

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AND FUNCTION

            Composition

The Professional Development Master Plan Committee shall be comprised of representatives of the following: the school board, administrators, teachers, special educators, specialists, paraprofessionals, and the community. The number of the representatives on the committee will be as follows:

            Teachers from WRHS/WRMS                 2

            Teachers from USS/SS/SCS                  3

            Building Principals                                 2

            Special Educators                                  2

            Paraprofessionals                                  2

            District Administrator                              1

            School Board Member                            1

            Parent/Community Member                    2

Function

The Professional Development Master Plan Committee develops, implements, and evaluates the local master plan. The responsibilities of the committee shall be to:

·         Review Data from the various sources of Standardized and Non-standardized Assessments to measure the effectiveness of the Professional Development Master Plan in improving student learning

·         Design and recommend policy to the school board

·         Review and update the Professional Development Master Plan

·         Address the district’s in-service needs

·         Provide and evaluate professional growth activities

·         Share needs assessment information with the superintendent of schools

·         Evaluate the function of the system

·         Hear appeals from staff

·         Aid educators in the re-certification process

Goal Setting

The Winnisquam Staff Development Plan is a three-tiered approach.  All decisions about staff development are data driven at each level:

·         District level staff development is an ongoing, long-term plan to increase the effectiveness of employees through interventions aimed at achieving district identified goals.

·         Building level development is a one to three year plan at the school or department level to achieve identified building goals.  Building and department goals will relate to district goals yet be flexible in adapting to the desired direction of the site administration and staff.

·         Individual level development is a three-year, formal and informal plan for activities, which meet individual needs aligned with district direction.

In the planning stages of the process, the committee realizes that one size does not fit all when it comes to professional development. Within this process the following questions must be addressed:

·         What are the students learning needs?

·         How can the educator meet the needs of students to have them successfully achieve or exceed state standards?

·         How can the educator assess skills efficiently and effectively?

·         What tools does the educator need to accomplish student learning?

·         What professional development is needed to help educators?

All teachers must have equal access to quality professional development.  This development should meet the teachers varied backgrounds, needs and own learning styles.  They should promote a supportive culture which helps to build professional communities, promote collaboration, experimentation and challenging discourse between all members of the educational community.  It is equally important to promote the development of leaders who will take responsibility for promoting programs and strategies linked to school improvement and support other professionals as they move forward.

Individual Professional Development Master Plan goals should be fully aligned with the Winnisquam Regional School District and each respective school goals. Therefore, individual goals are to be designed and selected based on need for improved instructional practice in order to meet student needs and to improve student learning and performance.  Staff development activity offerings and selections are developed to improve teaching, student learning, and performance. These needs are determined according to assessment data as measured against school and district goals as well as state and national frameworks. After reviewing assessment data, teams of teachers and/or administrators, provide a list of potential areas of improvement to the Professional Development Master Plan Committee. The committee then prioritizes possible goals and develops appropriate workshops and activities to address these goals. Parent input from school surveys is also considered.  In addition to maintaining a standing budget line item process to generate resources for professional development, the Winnisquam Regional School District establishes long range plans on a continual basis to support achievement of individual professional development goals as they relate to district/school goals. This document will be reviewed and revised if necessary on a yearly basis.

DATA COLLECTION AND INTERPRETATION

Identification of Local Student Learning Needs

Student needs on the local level are identified through the use of the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP), NWEA MAP, Pre-Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT),Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and Advanced Placement Examinations (AP). A variety of non-standardized methods such as daily observation of student progress, portfolios, report cards, and midterm and final examinations are also used.

Collection, analysis, and dissemination of data

The responsibility and process of determining the link between student performance and professional growth will become embedded in the educational setting by collecting and analyzing the following data. The results will be used to implement necessary instructional and curricular changes.

Standardized Measurements

Non-Standardized Measurements

The abovementioned professionals within each category will meet to discuss the results of the analysis of the data and how it relates to mastering GLEs and GSEs.  At the district level this takes place three times a year following NWEA testing and NECAP and it ongoing at the building level.  If changes need to be made in curriculum, all stakeholders will be present during the analysis phase and changes can take place immediately. If the data suggests that professional development opportunities are needed, each group should direct suggestions to their building Professional Development representative to report to the committee to assess the overall effectiveness of the Professional Development Master Plan in improving student learning.

DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT PLANS

The Winnisquam Regional School District makes Professional Development Committee sponsored workshops available to all professionals and paraprofessionals as required by Ed 512.06 to fulfill their 30 CEU per content area requirement respectively for recertification. Professionals and paraprofessionals certified under Ed 504.05 are required to set goals with the building administrators and will be monitored for progress and improvement.

  Annual Timeline for monitoring Individual Staff Development Plans

Summary of Re-Certification Requirements

Professional Staff

The State Board of Education mandates that each school district in New Hampshire will be responsible for overseeing the re-certification of all professional staff members. The Professional Development Master Plan is designated to help professional staff members meet their re-certification requirements.

After a person receives initial certification, s/he must accumulate at least 75 CEU’s (defined as 1 clock hour per CEU) hours of professional growth every three (3) years.

The situations described below highlight the differences in requirements for re-certification.

          Situation One: A professional staff member with one endorsement needs 75 CEUs with 30 of those in his/her            knowledge of subject or field of specialization. The  remaining 45 hours can be earned in component areas 2        through 7.

1 Endorsement Area x 30 hours of subject knowledge = 30 CEU’s

Other areas                                                                   45 CEU’s

TOTAL  75 CEU’s

Situation Two: A staff member with two endorsements needs 105 CEU’s with 30 hours in each field of specialization for which he/she is certified (e.g. 30 hours in English and 30 hours in learning disabilities). The remaining 45 hours can be earned in component areas 2 through 7.

2 Endorsement Areas x 30 hours of subject knowledge = 60 CEU’s

Other Areas                                                       =          45 CEU’s

            TOTAL 105 CEU’s

Situation Three: A staff member with three endorsements needs 135 CEU’s with 30 CEU’s in each field of specialization for which he/she is certified. The remaining 45 hours can be earned in component areas 2 through 7.

3 Endorsement Areas x 30 hours of each area of certification         = 90   CEUs

Other Areas                                                                                = 45   CEUs

                           TOTAL 135   CEUs

For each additional endorsement, a staff member must earn an additional 30 CEU to keep current and re-certified every three years.

Situation Four: A paraprofessional must earn 50 CEU’s during a three year cycle. 

Paraprofessional Staff

Under present law the only paraeducators who must be certified in New Hampshire are those who are employed in Title I schools (as designated by the Department of Education) or have been hired using Title I or IDEA funds.

Ed 512.06 Certified Paraprofessionals. Requirements for certified paraprofessionals shall be as follows:

(a) For those certified paraprofessionals who are employed by a unit listed in Ed 512.01 a minimum of 50 CEUs shall be required in areas determined by the professional development master plan required by this part; and

(b) For those certified paraprofessionals who are not employed by a unit listed in Ed 512.01 a minimum of 50 CEUs of paraprofessional growth shall be required in one or more of the 7 components listed in Ed 512.02(g).

DEVELOPING YOUR PLAN

The following 5 phases will provide structure for the educator to frame his/her individual professional development goals over a one to three year period.

Phase I: Understanding the content in my district, school, and self

Phase II: Writing your individual professional development goals

Phase III: Implementing the plan

Phase IV: Documenting the plan: Professional Development Portfolio

Phase V: Reflection and Presentation of the Plan

PHASE I: UNDERSTANDING DISTRICT, SCHOOL, AND INDIVIDUAL GOALS

This is an investigative phase asking you to examine the documents that are intended to chart the course of improvement in your district and school.

Ed 512.06 Certified Paraeducators. Requirements for paraeducators certified under Ed 504.05 shall be as follows:

(a) For those certified paraeducators who are employed by an agency listed in Ed 512.01, a

minimum of 50 continuing education units shall be required in areas determined by the professional development master plan required by this part; and

(b) For those certified paraeducators who are not employed by an agency listed in Ed 512.01, a

minimum of 50 continuing education units of paraprofessional growth shall be required.

The following diagram summarizes this procedure:

Winnisquam Regional School Board Goals

  District Goals Developed

School Goals Developed

Individual Professional Development Goals

Individual professional development goals for the staff must be aligned with those of the District

and/or those established for the building level. At the end of reviewing guiding questions you will have identified the critical goals of the district and of the school. To this end, you should be ready to contribute significantly towards reaching these goals. To serve as a catalyst for your goal setting process, questions allow you to gain the most from your professional development initiative. Change, modify, or add to the list as you find the appropriate guiding questions that match your professional development effort.

 Guiding Questions for Understanding District, School and Individual Goals

PHASE 2: Writing Professional Development Goals

The focus of our Professional Development Master Plan is to increase student achievement as

evidenced through the utilization of data. To increase student achievement, two goals are needed: (1) goals for student learning and (2) goals for teachers. Plans must address the teacher’s current job assignment.

To set goals for student learning, teachers must consider the following:

1. Relationship between knowledge about teaching and learning;

2. Nature of each discipline as it relates to local, state, and national standards; and

3. Analyzing student needs.

Teacher goals are directly linked to student outcomes. To analyze these outcomes, teachers must have information such as related data from local, state, and nationally-normed assessments, student needs, and teacher performance, as well as available support systems. By the beginning of October following his/her re-certification year, the staff member meets with his/her building supervisor to develop a professional growth plan. The professional growth plan must be completed before any work on the plan can be approved and completed. This plan is intended to cover a three-year period, which aligns with the educator’s re-certification

cycle. Short and long term goals are written and reviewed with the supervisor at the end of each year to assess the progress and determine if modifications, changes, or new goals are necessary for the following year. Goals are written reviewed with the supervisor at the end of each year to assess the progress and determine if modifications, changes, or new goals are necessary for the following year. Goals are written on the three-year professional growth plan form.

Guiding Questions for Writing the Plan

Teacher Competencies

As required by Ed 512, the master plan provides professional growth opportunities for veteran and new teachers by offering several different options for earning CEUs. These opportunities range from independent study to job embedded activities, as well as in-house and outside presentations, to create a wide range of professional development activities. These activities offer experiences for educators and paraprofessionals to gain expertise in the areas of planning and preparation, classroom climate, knowledge of learners and learning, and the school’s role and organization.

Professional Development Opportunities

Professional development is a series of integrated learning experiences. Every staff development hour (CEU) is

accumulated through a variety of approaches that combine to form a unique Professional Development

Master Plan consistent with an individual’s professional goals. The professional educator is continuously assessing and evaluating his/her needs within the educational environment. With this in mind, the professional is able to constantly evaluate his/her approach within the classroom and within the school community, directly impacting student achievement.

The five educational professional development purposes are:

1. To focus on developing awareness through the introduction of new information relating to subject and content areas.
2. To build knowledge of learners and learning.
3. To translate new knowledge of developmentally appropriate teaching, best practices for subject and content areas taught and place into practice and application.
4. To focus on new methodologies that help teachers learn through the process of using a new approach, practice, or process.
5. To provide opportunities to reflect on teaching and learning.

Opportunities for professional growth are considered to be most valuable when they are met within relative context of a teacher’s or administrator’s current and/or anticipated position.  PD activities included in individual plans need to:

• Reinforce school and an district improvement goals
• Increase student achievement
• Increase knowledge of subject and content areas taught and field(s) of each specialization for each re-certification taught
• Increase knowledge of learners and learning
• Increase knowledge  of effective developmentally appropriate strategies and best practices for subject and area of re-certification

Job embedded professional opportunities have been incorporated within the list below. The following Professional Development Opportunities include, but are not limited to: (purposes noted in parentheses)

Job-Embedded Activity

and High Quality Formal                     CEU’s ( 1CEU=1hour)                    Required forms

Professional Development Activities

The Professional Development Master Plan recognizes differences among educators. The 14 opportunities listed above allow for an individual’s plan to encompass activities unique to his/her specific needs for re-certification.

District Support for Fulfilling Individual Professional Development Plan

In addition to providing embedded professional development activities, the Winnisquam Regional School District , currently, provides each teacher with up to $700 to attend workshops which they feel will help them to attain the goals of their individual plans.  The district also allows for a teacher to take up to three graduate courses in their field of knowledge in a given year.  Administrators and paraprofessionals also have funds available to them for course work and workshops.

Phase IV: Documenting the Plan: Staff Development Portfolio

An effective individual Professional Development Master Plan must be created to strengthen one’s

knowledge in these three areas critical to good teaching:

a.) Knowledge of your subject

b.) Knowledge of how children learn and

c.) Pedagogical knowledge

Areas that need to be strengthened can be identified using, but are not limited to, the following methods:

a.) Self-awareness, personal reflections

b.) Administrative observations

c.) Peer conversations

d.) Content area specialists

e.) Student/parent feedback

                        f.) Results of standardized and non-standardized measures

The teacher will reflect on the various activities that s/he has participated in throughout the plan.  Reflection will review the success of the activity as to student achievement success. The teacher will meet with a building administrator at the beginning of his/her re-certification cycle to discuss strengths and weaknesses and to determine the emphasis on the professional growth plan for the  next three years.

Demonstration of completion of plan

Each teacher will create and maintain a professional growth binder/portfolio. Information to be collected

will include, but not be limited to, the following:

Section 1: Knowledge of Field (30 CEU)

This component relates to the individual’s command of knowledge related to his/her primary teaching or service assignment.

· Transcripts

- Workshop attendance certificates and a brief summary of the useful outcomes of the workshop

                        - Write-up of job-embedded professional developments (teacher conversations centered around

  content area topics)

· Sample lesson plans

· Partnerships with experts in field and demonstration of application in the classroom

· Curriculum development

· Demonstration of personal growth in an identified weakness

· Professional readings/research

· Mentoring

· Student/parent feedback

Section 2: Knowledge of Learners and Learning (45 CEUs must be addressed in the remaining sections- minimum of 15 CEUs directed toward designated district goal, remaining can address district initiatives )

This component relates to the individual’s understanding of the nature of different types of

learners and learning. For example: characteristics of the preadolescent, nature of learning disabilities, problems in coping with parent’s divorce, concept formulation, right/left brain hemisphere dominance.

· Transcripts

· Workshop attendance certificates and a brief summary of the useful outcomes of the workshop

. Write-ups of job-embedded professional developments (teacher conversations centered 

                            around effective teaching strategies and how children learn)

· Sample lesson plans

· Partnerships with experts in field and demonstration of application in the classroom

· Curriculum development

· Demonstration of personal growth in an identified weakness

· Professional readings/research

· Mentoring

· Student/parent feedback

             Section 3: Reflection on the work completed as it relates to student achievement.

Phase V: Presenting the Plan

At the end of the re-certification cycle, the teacher and building administrator will review the contents of

the binder/portfolio to determine what has been accomplished in the teacher’s professional growth plan. The educator will also complete a summary of activities using Form H (Completion of Form A Goals).  A Form H will be completed for both Goals 1 and 2.  See Appendix for Evaluation Summary Form.

Guiding Questions for Reflection, Presentation and Summarization of the Plan

THE APPEALS PROCESS

If there is a disagreement between the staff member submitting the evidence and the supervisor, an appeal may be made to the Professional Development Committee.  An Appeals Sub-Committee will consist of one principal, one SAU administrator and two teachers appointed by the Staff Development Committee Chairperson.  If the staff member disagrees with the decision handed down by the committee, the appeal is sent to the Superintendent of Schools.  The superintendent’s decision is final