Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j38CiIG06326; Fri, 8 Apr 2005 08:44:18 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 8 Apr 2005 08:44:18 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <42AC7D79@webmail.utk.edu> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: jataylor <jataylor@utk.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2011] Draft PD Policy Update X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Infinite Mobile Delivery (Hydra) SMTP v3.62.01 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Status: O Content-Length: 6634 Lines: 131 Colleagues: Thanks to all who offered feedback on and off-list thus far. Below is a draft of policies based upon what we have discussed up to date. Now is the time -- on the AALPD list -- to suggest additions or concerns. In some cases (see below), you will see examples that accompany some of the policies. I have inserted these examples based upon your feedback. Because the listserv only allows messages in "plain text format", I've marked policies with a bullet; and examples with a double asterisk. At the end of the list is an example of policies in practice that ask for additional funding. Please see below. We need your feedback -- now's the time to share your perspectives. More to come, Jackie For a formatted version of the message below, visit: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/PDPolicyPlatformUpdates ***************************************** Draft Policies • Expectations for Participation in Professional Development: Every program and state should set and publicize the expectation that all teachers, no matter how experienced, must have a relevant professional development plan and are expected to continue learning throughout their careers. **Examples for Establishing Expectations to Participate in PD:** Administrators, including supervisors, and other colleagues can encourage teachers to grow professionally, for example, by providing paid work time for PD, by including PD activities as part of a teacher job description, by putting PD on the agenda at staff meetings, and by setting aside a time (a day a month, for example) for PD work and staff discussion about it. • Paid Professional Development Release Time: Every teacher practitioner should have a minimum of 2.5% of their annual working time as paid professional development. **Examples of Professional Development Activities:** Build in sufficient paid time for teachers and administrators to engage in professional development activities as a part of paid professional development release time: 1) Encourage participation in substantive PD, such as: adding a major new set of teaching skills; learning a major new area of content to teach; peer evaluation, peer mentoring, and/or systematic supervision; conducting classroom and other kinds of research; writing a journal article; learning to use -- and integrate -- new technology for student learning; or adding a new dimension to the role of teacher such as counselor, public policy advocate, assessment specialist, or LD specialist. 2) Encourage participation in workshops, conferences, and short courses, but consider this as a lesser priority than participation in more significant professional development activities (like those listed in 1 above) which are sustained over time. • Professional Development Plans: In addition to paid professional development release time, each program should be funded at an additional .5% of its annual staff hours (at the minimum) to conduct a process for teachers to develop an annual professional development plan that dovetails with the program’s improvement process (which starts from students’ needs for improvements in instruction and services). All teachers should be required to have PD plans, and programs should be monitored to see that these are real and meaningful to teachers and to the program. • Teacher Evaluation: Programs should conduct a teacher performance evaluation that asks teachers to show evidence that they have acquired new skills and knowledge described in the goals of their professional development plans. Programs should look at evidence of improved student learning, and evidence of links between teacher professional development and those new learning gains. • Program Improvement: A minimum of 2.0% of each program's budget should be set aside for teachers to participate in program improvement [such as designing a new curriculum (not just lesson planning), recruiting, designing a new student orientation, etc.], that starts with the students' needs for improving program structures and services. Programs should systematically set and evaluate program improvement goals, and as part of their program improvement plans to describe the role, resources and major activities of PD which will enable teachers to acquire the needed knowledge and skills. • Tuition Reimbursement: Programs should be funded to provide tuition reimbursement at the equivalent of one (?) college course per semester to teachers who have higher education attainment as a part of their professional development plans. [needs examples] • (What should we call this policy?): Programs should be supported in valuing creativity, constructivist (project-based) and other unconventional instructional approaches, teachers' insights about their own and other teachers' professional growth. • Relevance of Professional Development Activities: Every state literacy resource center or professional development system/agency and every program must use the professional development plans of the practitioners in their state or program to plan professional development activities relevant to teachers’ and (ultimately) students’ needs. **Policies In Practice** Here is one example of how the program improvement policy might be put into practice in relation to paid professional development release time and professional development plans. If: • .5% is allocated for developing a PD plan for each teacher; • 2.0% is allocated for teachers to be involved in program improvement; and • 2.5% is allocated for each teacher to participate in professional development; then... For full-time teachers, who teach 40 weeks a year at 40 hours a week (1600 hours a year) this would be about 80 hours a year: 40 hours in their own PD, 8 hours a year to develop their PD plan, and 32 hours to be involved in program improvement. If a teacher teaches for 40 weeks a year, that's 2 hours a week out of her full-time job spent on professional development and program improvement. For part-time teachers, while all of this is proportional, there should be a minimum: If a teacher teaches 8 hours a week or less over 40 weeks, then the teacher would be able to participate a minimum of 12 hours of PD for the year, and a minimum of 8 hours to be involved in some type of PI. The full percent would be in place if a teacher teaches over 8 hours per week. For example, if a teacher teaches 15 hours a week or more, then the full % is in play (15 X 40 = 600 hours teaching = 15 hours PD, 3 hours developing a PD plan, and 12 hours participating in program improvement).
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon Oct 31 2005 - 09:48:32 EST