Professional Development

Staff professional development is centered on seven effective strategies for instruction that our District has identified to concentrate on during the 2008-2009 school year.  Staff development days, early release days, vertical team meetings, professional learning communities and grade level collaboration are just a few of the many opportunities that teachers will be able to delve deeply into the instructional strategies and tools that the district has chosen to enhance student learning. 

These strategies are: 

• Student participation and engagement strategies
• Academic vocabulary development
• Differentiating and compacting the curriculum
• Marzano’s researched based instructional strategies
• Effective classroom management and relationship building
• Assessment through the eyes of the student
• Standards-based lesson planning

Beginning Teacher Support and ASSESSMENT (BTSA)

Peer Assistance and Review   (PAR)

All first and second year teachers participate in BTSA in order to earn their clear credential. The BTSA participants attend workshops on differentiation and classroom management.

The PAR Consulting Teacher provides guidance and support for veteran teachers who want to develop new instructional strategies. The participants may attend the BTSA workshops as appropriate. The consultant also models, in the participant’s classroom, the Kagan strategies used for cooperative learning.

TECHNOLOGY

District and site level staff development is planned through School Site Plans and grants that the Technology Department received.