Coherent and Effective Professional Development

1. Coherent and Effective Professional Development Brooke Ustazewski ADMPS 2404 12/8/12

2. Niceville School District Basic Information • Westmoreland County: Area is characterized by urban, semi-rural/rural development including residential, commercial, and industrial. • District employs 306 teachers allowing a student:teacher ratio of 17:1 • District resides in 7 buildings: 4 elementary schools, 5/6 building, middle school and high school • School has met Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) goals each year. However, high school is presently in school improvement phase. • Niceville School district has a 97% graduation (Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2012)

3. Niceville School District Basic Information: Race/Ethnicity • The district has 5,233 students currently enrolled. (Pennsylvania State Data Center, 2012)

4. Niceville School District Basic Information: Special Education • The district has 5,233 students currently enrolled. • According to Pennsylvania State Data Center (2012)10.2% of student have qualified for special education services.

5. Niceville School District Curriculum Materials • Literacy: All elementary classrooms are utilizing the Harcourt Trophies Reading Series • Materials include: Themed reading books for each grade level, leveled guided reading books, consumable English language arts books, and consumable spelling books. • Math: All elementary classrooms are utilizing the Pearson School Envision Math Curriculum Series • Materials include: Math textbooks and consumable math books.

6. Niceville School District Current Professional Development Plan • Teacher and student needs: undefined • Professional Development Focus: Formative Assessment • The district hired a researcher and author of formative assessment books to educate and train staff members. • The researcher has been given full rights to plan the trainings. • Trainings are structured around the six formative assessment element (Moss & Brookhart, 2009): • Shared learning targets and criteria for success • Feedback that feeds forward • Student goal setting • Student self-assessment • Strategic teacher questioning • Student engagement in asking effective questions

7. Niceville School District Current Professional Development Plan

8. Niceville School District Current Professional Development Plan • Positives: • All school leaders support implementation and shares district’s long-term goals. • The district possesses the resources to provide trainings and outside support. • Each year has a different focus within formative assessment.

9. Niceville School District Current Professional Development Plan • District Challenges: • Researcher has full jurisdiction to plan content and how information is presented. • No specific strategies are provided to progress implementation. • Trainings lacked reflection of practice or classroom evidence. • There are no clear coaching roles or a determined person who assists teachers to implement into daily practice. • Cadres are training all staff members. • Cadres are unclear about formative assessment and lack the tools to provide practical strategies to effectively implement into the classroom.

10. Niceville School District Recommendations/Modification • Recommendation 1: The district needs to devise a coherent and effective professional development plan based on teachers’ needs. • The district needs to dictate to the researcher the topics to be covered to best fit the districts needs. • Clarity of those needs should be communicated. • Recommendation 2: Training sessions should include simulations of learning using formative assessment. • Teachers acting as learners during training sessions will have a better perspective for how students learn, practice and complete tasks connected to formative assessment. • Provide opportunities to reflect on those experiences and other related experiences within their own classrooms.

11. Niceville School District Recommendations/Modification • Recommendation 3: Trainings should be rooted in content. • Actual curriculum materials and content should be utilized within trainings to help teachers understand how to implement into daily practice. • Recommendation 4: Definitive roles should be communicated and supportive of implementation. • Coaching roles would assist implementation. Cadres could act as coaches to facilitate implementation.

12. References: • Stein, M.K., Smith M.S., Henningsen, M.A. & Silver, E.A. (2009). Implementing standards-based mathematics instruction: A casebook for professional development. • National Center for Educational Statistics. (2012).School district snapshot report (2005-2009): Common core of data. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved from: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sdds/acs09/esdr/overview.aspx?state=42&dist=4202010 • Norwin School District. (2012). Norwin School Distsrict Web Pages. Retreived from: http://www.norwinsd.org/site/default.aspx?PageID=1 • Norwin School District. (2008-2014). Strategic plan summary 2008-2014. Retrieved from: www.norwinsd.org/.../filedownload.ashx?... • Pennslyvania Department of Education. (2012). Academic achievement report 2011-2012. Retrieved from: http://paayp.emetric.net/District/SchoolList/c65/107656502 • Pensylvania State Data Center. (2012). Special Education Data Report. Pensylvania State University. • William, R. P., Barry, J. F., Yamaguchi, R., & Lawrence, P. G. (2007). What makes professional development effective? strategies that foster curriculum implementation. American Educational Research Journal, 44(4), 921-958. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/200446006?accountid=14709