Writing a High Quality Professional Development Plan

Julee Dredske, CESA 5 PI 34 Specialist

Today’s Agenda:

  • Discuss the requirements of the PI -34 legislation
  • Discuss the components of a Professional Development Plan
  • Write a high quality PDP

Goals, Objectives, Activities, Collaboration

  • Goal: I will develop an understanding PI-34 and the license renewal process so that I will be able to renew my current teaching license prior to the end of the licensure term.
  • Objective: I will learn how to complete a PDP.
  • Activity: Write Parts A-E of the PDP prior to the completion of the workshop.
  • Collaboration: Workshop presenter, participants

What is PI 34?

  • Standards
  • New Licensure Categories
  • Mentoring Programs
  • New Licensure Procedures

PI 34 is only applicable to all teachers—professional educators and initial educators

What are the three categories of professional standards?

  • Wisconsin Educator Standards:

–10 Teacher Standards

–7 Pupil Service Standards

–7 Administrator Standards

  • Each standard category has three parts:

–Knowledge (Content)

–Dispositions (Attitudes)

–Performances (Skills)

Why have standards?

  • To put expectations on the table for conversations.
  • To provide a framework for development.
  • To provide opportunities for reflection and self-assessment.
  • To provide fair and equitable basis for assessment.

Working With a Team . . .

  1. Choose one of the ten teacher standards.
  2. Describe what “teacher behavior” would look like with that standard.
  3. Describe what “student behavior” would look like with that standard.
  4. Be prepared to report your responses to the large group.

Licensure Categories:

–Initial Educator (5 year non-renewable)

–Professional Educator (5 year renewable)

–Master Educator (10 year renewable)

Initial Educators Requirements:

  • Provide collaboratively developed orientation to Initial Educator
  • Provide support seminars reflecting the Standards
  • Provide a qualified mentor to the Initial Educator

Mentor Qualifications:

–is an educator and colleague;

–is trained to provide support, assistance and feedback to the Initial Educators

–is not part of the formal employment evaluation process

–holds appropriate teacher, pupil services, or administrator license

The Professional Development Plan (PDP):

  • Instead of taking six college credits every five years, teachers will be required to complete a Professional Development Plan every five years.
  • The plan must focus on at least two standards and needs to be approved by the Professional Development Team.

Purpose of the PDP:

  • To serve as a mechanism for license renewal between you, your Professional Development Team, and the State Superintendent
  • To show how you plan to increase your proficiency based on the Wisconsin Educator Standards
  • To show how you plan to improve your pupils’ learning

Principles for Creating a PDP:

  • To give you an opportunity to:

–Direct your growth

–Work with others to further your vision/goals

–Address two or more of Wisconsin Educator Standards

–Be a risk taker

Components of the PDP:

  • Description of School and Teaching Situation
  • Description of the Goals/Standards to be addressed
  • Rationale for the Goal
  • Plan for Assessment/Documentation of Achieving the Goal
  • Plan to Meet the Goal

Initial Educator PDP Process:

  1. Year 1: Reflect on teaching practice—year one
  2. Year 2: Write PDP including all necessary components for Parts A-E
  3. By Jan. 1 of Year 2: Submit to Review Team for Goal Approval
  4. Year 2, 3, 4: Annual Review of you PDP
  5. Year 5: Documentation of PDP Completion

–3-5 evidence pieces

–Final reflection & summary

–Submit to Review Team for PDP Verification

PDP Review Team for Initial Educators:

  • A peer of the same subject or level (preferably not the mentor)
  • An administrator designated by the district administrator and subject to approval by the school board
  • A higher education representative

PDP Review Team for Professional Educators:

  • 3 peers holding the same license (teacher, pupil services, administrator)

Role of the Review Team:

  • Review and approves professional development goals
  • Majority verifies successful completion of plan to State Superintendent
  • Trained on the Wisconsin Standards and Professional Development Plan
  • Trained to use the rubric for the Professional Development Plan
  • Review and verification of the PDP for Initial Educators

Let’s start planning for writing PDP:

Step 1: Reflection

  • First component of the PDP
  • Optional, but necessary

Examples of self-reflection processes:

  • Reflection journal logs
  • Student, peer, and parent feedback
  • Collection of student/school data over time
  • Analysis from classroom observations
  • Examination of critical incidents
  • Rubrics describing components of good teaching based on WI Educator Standards

Standards Self-assessment

  • Used to identify strengths and weaknesses
  • Allows time to comment on specific strengths and weaknesses within each standard area
  • Helps you connect your self-assessment to your PD plan

Preparing to Write a PDP

  • Define the vision & results you want to achieve.
  • Observe and articulate the current situation in relationship to the results you want (reflection).
  • Creating Your Vision
  • What do you desire to learn that would be so compelling to inspire your growth professionally
  • AND
  • Have a positive impact on students?

Step 2: Writing the Plan

Component A: Description of School & Position

  • Description must include:
  • School location: urban, suburban, rural
  • Ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic diversity
  • Special needs students
  • Building and district initiatives
  • Current content areas, grade level, position
  • Years of education experience
  • WINSS (linked on QEI website)
  • Free & Reduced lunch count

Component B: Description of the Goal

  • It must answer the question “Where do I want to go?”
  • Be verifiable
  • Relevant to self-reflection
  • Impact professional growth
  • Effect student learning
  • Address two or more WI Educator Standards
  • Writing a Verifiable Goal
  • Definition of verifiable: To prove to be true or accurate; substantiate, confirm. To test or ascertain the accuracy or truth of.
  • Using stems (I will . . . so that . . .)
  • Sample Goal Statements

Component C: Rationale for the Goal

  • Rationale must Link to self-reflection, link to school/position, link to two or more WI Educator Standards
  • Think ….
  • What is your rationale (Why?) for the goal statement you created?
  • How does this goal connect to your current teaching situation?
  • Why did you select this goal?
  • What standards does it connect to?

Component D: Plan for Assessing and Documenting

  • Must document the results of the goal
  • Show how the goal will be assessed
  • Assessment must document results of efforts to improve professional growth and student growth.
  • Think ….
  • How will you assess the results of your goal?
  • What measures will you use to share student progress?
  • What measures will you use to share professional growth over time?
  • How will you be able to prove that your goal was met?

Evidence:

  • Professional Growth

–Letters of recommendation

–Attendance at professional meetings/workshops—minutes

–Journals, diaries or published articles

–Action research projects and results

–Transcript of college course work (Better yet—what you did with what you learned!)

–School assignments outside the classroom

–Supervisory evaluations

–Peer observations/evaluations

  • Student Learning

–Samples of student work

–Student test results—large scale and/or small scale

–Survey results

–Pictures

–Parent letters

–Attendance improvements

–Charts/graphs of increased participation

–Graduation rate increases

–Program participation

Component E: Objectives, Activities, Timelines, & Collaboration

  • Objectives are verifiable actions. Their completion should result in goal accomplishment.
  • Activities & Timelines: Activities outline actions and steps that lead to the achievement of objectives/goal. Timelines must be established for each activity.
  • Collaboration: Collaboration takes many forms: with peers, PDP team, mentor etc.

Think and write….

  • What actions do you need to complete in order to meet your goal?
  • Who will you collaborate with? A peer? Grade level team? Department team? Administrative team?
  • What activities would support your objectives/goal?

At end of year 2, 3, 4:

  • Step 3: Annual Review of your PDP

–Is the responsibility of the educator.

–If an initial educator makes a major revision to the goal during years two, three, or four, the Initial Educator must submit a complete Annual Review form to the PDP team for review by April 1st of the year the changes occur.

–The form must include reflection and revision

At the end of year 5:

  • Step 4: Documentation of Completion of your PDP

–Component A: Evidence of Professional Growth and Student Learning (3-5 pieces—label!)

–Component B: Reflection and Summary

–Summary and Reflection Statement

–Discussion of the achievement of the goal and any changes made to the goal throughout the cycle.

–An analysis of indicators of growth towards standards identified in PDP.

–Reflection and analysis of professional growth and how it impacted student learning.

Then what? . . . PDP Verification & License Renewal

  • After PDP is completed, you will submit the plan to a Peer Review Team for verification.
  • Send with a copy of PDP goal approval form by Jan. 15 of year 5.
  • 2/3 majority must verify by April 1.
  • Send PDP verification form along with license renewal application to DPI by June 1.
  • PDP Review Team database
  • PI 34 consortium schools may have their PDP reviewed at no cost
  • Membership to the PI34 consortium is by district or individual if you are not employed by a school district--$175 annually
  • You may convene your own PDP team; can do electronically with QEI (tricky)