Professional Learning – Background Information / Documents
Professional Learning Plan
- Professional Learning Plans have a focus on collective efficacy.
- There are 10 professional learning days in the district calendar. Three days before the start of school, one at the end and seven throughout the year, about one each month.
- The monthly PL days are purposefully designed as follows:
- 1 hour for personal reflection
- 1.5 hours for PGP groups and district “good to knows”
- 3 hours for continued PGP and team meetings
- 1 hour for building level professional learning focused on district priorities
- Sample PL agenda.
- PGP Groups – (Professional Growth Plans) PGPs –
- Annually, every teacher engages in a professional growth question (PGP). This is an inquiry question related to a district priority as a short cycle change. Currently, teachers select one of three strands to focus on related to engagement: relationships, clarity, or challenge.
- A sample of questions
- Samples of a PGP group.
- The PGP template. The PGPs are part of the teacher evaluation process and contribute to the final evaluation. This is because the district values reflection as a high impact on student performance and promotes innovation and risk taking in instruction.
- PLA (Professional Learning Advisory) is a standing advisory to work with leadership. The three core purposes are 1. inform 2. invest 3. influence. With deep and extensive information regarding the district, this group influences decisions about professional learning and system priorities overall. There are shared meetings with the leadership team to ensure professional learning is supporting the vision in ways attuned to staff needs.
- In addition to the collective professional learning plan, the PLA advocated for a portion of District Professional Learning budget be reserved to support an individual’s PGP and overall professional growth through the PL Stipend.
- Summer IDA Sessions (Intentional Design Academy) Every summer, the district offers one week of professional learning for educators. Stipends and professional credit are earned through these sessions that are aligned with district priorities.
- READ Training: All teachers who are required to complete READ training have completed.
Learning Communities:
- PGPS Groups serve as learning communities.
- Grade level and department meetings meet regularly as learning teams. Middle and high school have two plan periods daily to support these teams. Elementary has 2+ hours plan one time per week for this purpose. Preschool does this collaboration on Fridays.
- Rounds are conducted at all schools.
Professional Growth Plans:
- BV Schools Teacher Evaluation. The District uses a locally developed and meeting the state requirements of the SB191. It has three categories.
- Category 1 – Professional Practices (25%) matching the district’s high quality teaching indicators (8 elements of IDA) are aligned with the Colorado Educator Effectiveness standards.
- Category 2 – Professional Growth/Professional (25%). Because the district values evidence-based innovation and risk-taking paired with reflective practices, 25% of the teacher evaluation is based on qualities of professional outlined in the Profile of a Professional and through engagement in the Professional Growth Question (PGP) Teachers work in small PGP groups to share data and results of their inquiry practice/ short cycle change impacts. It is scored on PGP scoring guide.
- Category 3 – Student Learning Outcomes (50%).
- Timeline for Teacher Evaluation
Resource Allocation:
- 10 contract dates allotted for Professional Learning. The budget reflects this in teacher compensation.
- Summer IDA sessions give opportunity for staff to earn additional salary as well as accumulate credits to move higher on the salary schedule at an accelerated pace. This is the reason BV Schools has on of the highest average salaries compared with other rural districts. The budget reflects this in teacher compensation.
- PL Stipends. Every teacher is allotted $300 available annually.
- Teachers have up to two IDA days per year during which they can request individually or collectively to curriculum map. Substitutes costs are allocated.
- Resource Allocations can be found on the district priority sheets. Priority 1 has particular allocation to Professional Learning.
Data Driven:
- Professional Learning is primarily assessed through its impact on student academics and well being.
- Professional Learning Advisory (PLA) meets annually to analyze implementations based on staff feedback. Adjustments for the next year are considered based on quality implementation and patterns of preference.
- Professional Learning is on a cycle of comprehensive evaluation every five years. The PLA conducts this evaluation, studying student results and educator implementation to adjust. Research in best instructional practices is also studied. Current Professional Learning program evaluation
Evaluated:
- Professional Learning impact is evaluated through the Professional Learning Program Evaluation process.