Adapting a Professional Development Plan

Video Transcription

Hi. My name is Ashley, and today's lesson is titled Adapting a Professional Development Plan. In today's lesson, we will identify when it is appropriate to develop a new plan, and we'll look at how changes are made to the plan. Lastly, we'll look at the role of accountability during plan development.

When should a new plan be developed? Professional development or improvement plans are similar to individual plans, where instructional coaches and teachers make changes as needed. Changes to plans should not occur too frequently, without much planning, so it is important to allow the plan to reflect the teacher's goals with his or her students in mind. There are many reasons why a new plan would need to be developed-- lessons and assessments do not meet expectations; negative feedback has been received from either the student, coach, or peer, which indicates that something is not effective. Feedback may also come from professional learning communities, such as critical friends groups.

If new tools are now available, it could be a reason to begin a new plan. Or maybe the material that is being used requires a different approach. Maybe students' needs and circumstances have changed or new needs have come to light. Lastly, a new plan may need to be developed if your current plan is not aligned with school and district goals and initiatives.

Sometimes teachers are resistant to change. They may feel like the process is too overwhelming, or they may already have enough changes currently being made. Or maybe they feel like they've already invested enough in the professional development plan.

How are changes made to the plan? When making changes to the plan, always focus on improving student achievement. Elicit suggestions from students, peers, and coaches. Instructional coaches can also be helpful in helping teachers to develop the reflective skills and use a cycle as they build on their skills. Also, in making changes, the teacher should consider what went well and what still needs improvements. Feedback from observations and assessment data should be used to make final conclusions.

What is the role of accountability? Accountability in education holds educators and schools accountable for student achievement, which is the main goal of education. The purpose of accountability ensures that students are learning what they're supposed to be learning. It also shows that students are learning and receiving the same educational experience, despite their location or their socioeconomic status.

Accountability also ensures that the curriculum is the same throughout the district, no matter the school or teacher. Student assessment data is significant when determining accountability. These assessments are used in developing instructional improvement or development plans improving instructional practices, and it is used to determine the success of the plan and whether changes need to be made.

Accountability also encourages referencing of standards when analyzing data. The student's progress is looked at against the standards when coaches and teachers review assessments and other evidence. Instructional teams use standards in order to measure the students' learning.

Let's recap what we have discussed in today's lesson. There are many situations where a new plan should be developed. If the current plan is not aligned to school and district goals or if negative feedback has been received from either students, peers, or coaches, then a new plan should be developed.

Changes can be made to the plan by first considering what needs to be done to improve student achievement. Elicit suggestions from students, peers, and coaches in order to make changes to the plan. Lastly, we found that accountability holds educators and schools accountable for student achievement. Student assessments play a major role in determining accountability.

Does your professional development plan or improvement plan need to be revamped? Now it's your turn to apply what you've learned in this video. The Additional Resources section will be super helpful. This section is designed to help you discover useful ways to apply what you've learned here. Each link includes a brief description, so you can easily target the resources you want.