PSEA Continuing Professional Education Planner

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PSEA

Continuing Professional

Education Planner

PSEA Education Services Division 400 North Third Street  PO Box 1724

Harrisburg, PA 17105-1724 1.800-944.7732  www.psea.org

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PSEA Continuing Professional Education Planner 2

This resource was developed by PSEA to assist local school entities to engage in effective planning for continuing professional education as required by Act 48 of 1999. PSEA is pleased to provide its members with this resource and encourages its use by all members of the CPE Planning Committee.

The resources in this planner are arranged in four categories: State Policy

PSEA Analysis

Local Implementation Additional Resources

It is hoped that you will find this information practical and applicable to your purposes. PSEA’s Education Services Division would appreciate any feedback you can provide so that it may continue to develop and refine this tool for the purpose of assisting all school entities to produce meaningful and effective continuing professional education plans and activities for all professional personnel.

Acknowledgements

This resource could not have been possible without the vision and inspiration of Cordell Affeldt. The Council on Instruction and Professional Development was also instrumental in assisting with the design and development of the original materials in May 2000. Thanks also to the talented and supremely competent PSEA staff for their assistance.

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Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (p.1.30, no.14), entitled ―an act relating to the public school system, including certain provisions applicable as well to private and parochial schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the laws relating thereto,‖ further providing for contracts with private residential rehabilitative institutions, for continuing professional development and for a program for continuing professional education; providing for national board certification and for private alternative education institutions for disruptive students; and making an appropriation. View HB8 of 1999.

Important Information About Your Certificate

Beginning July 1, 2000, Act 48 of 1999 required persons holding Pennsylvania professional educator certification to complete continuing education requirements every five years in order to maintain their certificates as active. Please read carefully the information provided below. Note: in order for us to notify you regarding the status of your certificate, you

must keep us apprised (in writing including your social security number) of any changes to your mailing address. Learn more about Act 48 and your certificate.

Act 48 Continuing Professional Education

Approved Provider Guidelines (PDE – 2007)

Ensuring that all Pennsylvania children receive the high quality education that they deserve requires an effective teacher in every classroom and school and district leadership that is focused on raising achievement. The Commonwealth’s educators – from the classroom teacher to the district superintendent—are the most important components of Pennsylvania’s strategy for education success.

As professionals in an ever-changing society, the state’s educators are required to continuously upgrade their knowledge and skill set—just as we expect for lawyers and doctors. Pennsylvania’s professional development law, known as Act 48 of 1999, describes the requirements that apply to all certified education professionals.

In order to further our educational goals and comply with the law, all Act 48 continuing education shall be designed to meet the education needs of school entities and their professional employees, so that they may meet the specific needs of students they are serving. As well, Act 48 continuing education should fill educational gaps in the educator’s professional development. Professional development must be based on sound research and promising practices. And it must be part of an approved plan for building educators’ skills over the long term. Read the Act 48 Approved provider Guidelines.

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Ensuring that all Pennsylvania children receive the high quality education that they deserve requires an effective teacher in every classroom and school and district leadership that is focused on raising achievement. The Commonwealth’s educators—from the classroom teacher to the district superintendent—are the most important components of Pennsylvania’s strategy for education success.

As professionals in an ever-changing knowledge-based society, the state’s educators are required to continuously upgrade their knowledge and skill-set—just as we expect for lawyers and doctors. Pennsylvania’s professional development law, known as Act 48 of 1999, describes the requirements that apply to all certified education professionals.

The professional education plan of each school entity shall be designed to meet the education needs of that school entity and its professional employees, so that they may meet the specific needs of students. Professional development must be based on sound research and promising practices, and it must be part of an approved plan for building educators’ skills over the long term. View the Act 48 Professional Education Plan Guidelines.

2007 Professional Education Plan Guidelines

Questions and Answers

1. What do “guidelines” mean?

Guidelines are interpretations of law and/or regulations and provide operational guidance to school entities in meeting the requirements of law/regulations.

2. Where should we send questions related to the Professional Education Plan

Guidelines?

Questions may be directed to PDE’s Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality. (717) 787-8913

3. What are the deadlines for submission of initial plans or annual reviews/

revisions, in general?

All school entities are to submit plans as per published Strategic Planning Phases. Due dates are Phase I (9/30/2006), Phase II (9/30/2007), or Phase III (9/30/2008), unless an extension was granted by the Department.

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Click here to view a copy of the March 2007 Act 48 Professional Education Plan Guidelines and Approved Provider Guidelines PowerPoint presentation.

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PSEA Analysis

Act 48, the Continuing Professional Education law, was passed November 9, 1999 and signed into law by Governor Ridge shortly thereafter. It replaces Act 178 which was the initial continuing professional education legislation for certification maintenance in Pennsylvania. The passage of Act 48 marks a significant iteration of the original law. The mandate affects all certificate holders regardless of when they received their licensure or what particular licensure they hold. While the state continues to recognize dual level certification, it no longer recognizes that Level II is permanent. Henceforth, all professional educators in Pennsylvania will have to maintain a valid (appropriately converted license from Level I to Level II) and an active (current) certificate. Keeping current means accumulating a prescribed number of hours or credits of professional development within a five-year period of time. Anyone with a certificate issued prior to July 1, 2000 will have five (5) years from that date to accrue the credits or hours needed to maintain active certification. Anyone receiving certification on or after July 1, 2000 will have five (5) years from the date of issuance of the certificate to accrue the appropriate number of credits.

Other changes support increasing the range of members of continuing professional education planning committees to include parents, business leaders and other community leaders selected by local school boards. Plan approvals are also extended from two to three years. While Act 178 required teachers and administrators to engage in continuing professional development activities, Act 48 requires all certificate holders to do so and specifically identifies the number of credits or hours that are acceptable: six (6) collegiate credits, six (6) continuing professional education credits or 180 hours of programs, activities or learning experiences, or a combination of any of these three. Act 48 also clearly delineates the consequences of a practicing professional educator’s failure to maintain an active certificate. Unemployment! However, it also permits the voluntary deactivation of a certificate if not employed and allows these individuals to engage in substitute teaching for up to 90 days.

Unlike its predecessor, Act 48 requires the state to provide certificate holders notice of the status of continuing education credits or hours in advance of the compliance period deadline date. It also calls for an elaborate system of record keeping by school entities, approved providers and the state.

Act 48 charges both the State Board of Education and the Department of Education to develop regulations and guidelines that provide more specific information about the process and procedures for developing plans, complying with the qualifying mandates, tracking and keeping records and maintaining current status reports (see State Policy for provider guidelines).

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Following is a series of questions and answers regarding the key areas of Act 48: The Plan

The Professional Educator

Compliance Requirements and Certification Approved Providers

Record Keeping Inactive Status

Collective Bargaining Charter Schools

Act 48 Advisory: My Teaching Certificate States It’s Good for 99 Years - What Happened?

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The Plan

When does the district’s/entity’s new continuing professional education plan become effective?

Upon expiration of the existing approved professional plan. [1205.1(a)]

How long will the new CPE plan be effective?

Three years. [1205.1(a)]

How is the plan to be developed?

By a committee of teachers, educational specialists, administrators, parents, local business representatives and other representatives of the community and called the CPE Planning Committee. [1205.1(b)]

Who must approve the plan?

The local board of directors and the PA Department of Education. [1205.1(b)]

Can the plan be amended during its 3-year span?

Yes, amendments may be recommended by the CPE Planning Committee, approved by the Board of Directors and submitted to PDE for approval. Act 48 requires an annual review of the plan by the school entity to determine its alignment to the strategic goals of the district. [1205.1(b)(c)]

Is there a consequence for failure to submit the plan?

Yes. Act 48 asserts that PS 25-2552 of the School Code pertaining to withholding State appropriations will be applied to an entity that fails to comply. [1205.1(b)]

What is the purpose of the plan?

The plan shall describe how the entity plans to achieve its instructional goals through professional growth and development activities of its staff. [1205.1(c)]

What shall the plan specify concerning activity options?

The plan shall specify the continuing professional education courses, the programs, the activities and other learning experiences approved by the Board to meet the professional growth and development needs of the staff. [1205.1(c)]

What shall the plan specify about the needs to be met?

The plan shall show how completing each of these activities options will meet the professional growth and development needs of the entity. [1205.1(c.1)]

What shall the plan specify about the relationship of the activities to assignment and/or certification?

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The plan will show how each of the activity options specified relates to the areas of assignment and/or certification. [1205.1(c.1)]

What are the types of activity options?

Collegiate studies for credit;

Continuing professional education courses taken for credit;

Other programs, activities or learning experiences taken for credit or hourly that might include:

o Curriculum development and other program design and delivery activities at the school entity or grade level as determined by the school entity and approved by the board of directors;

o Participation in professional conferences and workshops;

o Education in the workplace, where work relates to the professional educator’s area of assignment and is approved by the board of directors;

o Review, redesign and restructuring of school programs, organizations and functions as determined by the school entity and approved by the board of directors;

o In-service programs that comply with the guidelines of the Department of Education;

o Early childhood and child development activities for professional educators whose area of assignment includes K through 3;

o Special education activities for professional educators whose area of assignment includes students with special needs; or

o Other continuing professional education courses, programs, activities or learning experiences sponsored by the Department. [1205.1(c.1)]

What shall the plan specify about the impact/results of the plan?

The plan shall describe how it meets the instructional needs of students; the staff development needs of its professional educators and the educational needs of the community. [1205.1(c.3)]

What shall the plan specify about CPE Committee members and selection?

The plan shall identify the members of the planning committee and how they were selected. Teacher representatives are to represent equally elementary, middle and senior high school and be chosen by teachers; educational specialists (school nurses, school counselors, etc.) representatives chosen by educational specialists; administrative representatives by administrators. Parent representative(s) (of children

attending school in the district), business representatives and other community representatives are chosen by the board of directors. [1205.1(c.4)]

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PSEA Continuing Professional Education Planner 12 What shall the plan specify about the providers and procedures for record keeping?

The plan shall identify any providers approved by the CPE Committee that will provide the activity options and describe the procedures the entity requires of the provider to report official notice of credits or hours of continuing professional education successfully completed by staff to the entity. [1205.1(c)(4)]

Is the plan restricted to specifying professional activities for a single school entity?

No. The CPE plan may include joint or cooperative professional education activities with another entity or institution of higher education. [1205.1(c.2)]

The Professional Educator

Who is affected and why?

Act 48 requires all professional educators in the Commonwealth to maintain active certification by meeting mandated professional education requirements every five years. [1205.1(d)/1205.2(a)]

Compliance Requirements and Certification

How is active certification maintained by all professional educators in Pennsylvania?

Through obtaining six (6) credits of collegiate study at an approved institution.

Through obtaining six (6) credits of approved continuing professional education courses.

Through 180 hours of continuing professional programs, activities or learning experiences or any combination of these which is equivalent to 180 hours. [1205.2(a)(1)(2)(3)(4)]

How will the state calculate credits and experience hours?

One credit of study or course is equivalent to 30 hours of continuing professional education programs, activities or learning experiences. [1205.2(b)]

How can professional educators comply with the 6 credits/6 credit hours or 180 hours of professional education programs, activities or learning experiences?

Whether employed or not, professional educators wanting to maintain an active certificate may satisfy the 6/6/180 requirements by completing any of the following:

1. Credits of collegiate study related to an area of assignment or certification at an approved institution of higher education.

2. Credits of continuing professional education courses related to an area of assignment or certification

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conducted by providers approved by the Department.

3. Hours of other continuing professional education programs, activities or learning experiences related to an area of assignment or certification conducted by providers approved by the Department.

4. Credits or hours completed in any collegiate studies, continuing professional education courses or continuing professional education programs, activities or learning experiences included in the entity’s professional education plan and conducted by:

PDE;

Department approved providers; School entity;

Providers approved as part of the professional education plan of the school entity. [1205.2(1)(2)(3)(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)]

What other kinds of credits/hours could be applied to meet these requirements?

Credits or hours not covered or enumerated in 1-4 above and approved by the entity’s board of directors.

Credits or hours required to obtain administrative certification.

Credits or hours in an area other than the area of assignment or certification if the professional educator may be transferred by the board to another assignment. The board must approve these credits or hours. [1205.2(5)(6)(7)]

Approved Providers

Who will develop the procedural guidelines for approved providers?

The Department of Education. [1205.2(d)]

What providers must be approved by PDE?

Providers of collegiate study;

Providers of professional education courses;

Providers of CPE programs, activities or learning experiences;

Provider who is included as part of the professional education plan of a school entity, for use by a school entity’s professional education committee.

[1205.2(d)(1)(2)(3)(4)]

View a list of PDE approved providers.

What providers do not need to be approved by PDE?

The PDE;

A school entity as approved as part of the CPE plan; A provider approved as part of the CPE plan [1205.2(d)(3)]

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PSEA Continuing Professional Education Planner 14 Can a local Board of Directors disapprove a course, program, activity or learning experience?

Yes. When it assumes all costs of credit or hours and determines the course, program, activity or learning experience is inconsistent with the goals of the plan. [1205.2(e)]

Will the Department provide access to continuing professional education programs?

Yes. The law requires PDE to annually provide, at minimum, 40 hours of continuing professional education courses, programs, activities and/or learning experiences at no charge to educators employed by a school entity. [1205.2(f)]

Search current course offerings available through PDE.

Record Keeping

Who is responsible to develop a record keeping system to track credits and hours of professional educators?

The Pennsylvania Department of Education. [1205.2(g)]

Will on-going information about the accrual of an individual’s credit and hour status be available to school entities and to individual professional educators?

Yes. Reasonable access to reports and records relating to records of a professional educator’s continuing professional education status is required by law. [1205.2(h)(2)]

Check your Act 48 status online.

Will advance notice be provided to professional educators and school entities regarding the number of credits needed to comply with the mandate?

Yes. Notice shall be provided no later than twelve (12) months prior to the end of the 5-year compliance period. [1205.2(h)(1)]

What other notification will be available?

Notice of inactive certification requires by a professional educator.

Notice of inactive certification due to failure of the professional educator to meet the requirements whether the individual is employed by an entity or not.

Notice of reinstatement. [1205.2(g)(3)(4)(5)]

Will a professional educator have the right to appeal the Department’s decision regarding the status of recertification?

Yes. An appeal process is required to be developed by the PDE. [1205.2(i)]

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PSEA Continuing Professional Education Planner 15 Will there be any provisions for granting extensions for professional educators to comply with the provisions of Act 48?

Yes. PDE is mandated to develop procedures to process requests for granting extensions of time for professional educators unable to complete the provisions of this law due to extenuating circumstances. [1205.2(j)]

Request for Extension-Extenuating Circumstances: Act 48 (PDE Form 338 R-3)

Inactive Status

Who may apply for Inactive Certification Status?

A professional educator who is not employed by a school entity as a professional or temporary professional employee may apply to the Department of Education for inactive certification. [1205.2(k)]

Request for Voluntary Inactive Certification (PDE Form 338 R)

What are the employment implications of an inactive certificate?

Inactive certification will disqualify an individual from being employed as a professional or temporary professional employee in Pennsylvania. [1205.2(3)]

Under what circumstances, if any, can a professional educator ever work with an inactive certificate in PA?

An individual with an inactive certificate may be employed as a temporary substitute for no more than 90 days during a school year. [1205.2(k)(3)]

What does inactive status mean in terms of compliance to the professional development provisions of this act?

An inactive certificate suspends the requirements of this law until inactive status is removed. [1205.2(k)(I)]

How many hours of continuing professional development will be necessary to reactive the certificate of someone who has requested deactivation?

Upon request to remove the inactive status of a professional educator’s certificate, the individual will have the same number of hours of continuing professional education and the same amount of tie in which to complete the hours as existed at the time the inactive status was granted. [1205.2(k)(I)]

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PSEA Continuing Professional Education Planner 16 How does one qualify to remove inactive status?

By applying to PDE and showing evidence of the completion of 30 hours (one credit) of continuing professional education within the immediate preceding twelve (12) months. [1205.2(k)(2)]

Request for Removal of Voluntary Inactive Status (PDE Form 338 R-2)

Will any credits or hours be applicable to reactivation?

The Department of Education is charged by law to establish guidelines to approve courses that will authorize the remove of inactive certification. [1205.2(k)(2)]

Collective Bargaining

What if the provisions of this law conflict with an existing collective bargaining agreement?

The language of the law prohibits Act 48 provisions from superseding or preempting provisions of a collective bargaining agreement between a school entity and an employee organization in effect on the effective date of this act (July 1, 2000). However, all future agreements will have to comply with the provisions of the new law. [1205.2(n)]

Charter Schools

Are charter schools affected by Act 48?

Yes. All certified employees of a charter school must comply with the provisions of this new law. An uncertified teacher or administration of a charter school, employed full time, shall comply with the continuing professional education requirements relating to 1205.1 and 1205.2(a) through (c) to maintain employment. [1205.3]

Who maintains records of uncertified teachers and administrators employed full time in charter schools?

The Charter School. [1205.3]

Retroactive Credits or Courses

In the initial year of the implementation of the continuing professional education mandate, the Department of Education may approve credits or courses completed on or after January 1, 2000. [1205.2(c)]

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Act 48 Validity: My Teaching Certificate States It’s

Good for 99 Years - What Happened?

PSEA receives many inquiries as to why Pennsylvania teachers now have to meet Act 48 Continuing Professional Education requirements in order to keep their certificates valid. In response to these inquiries, our Legal Division has researched this issue and provides the following insight.

My certificate says it’s valid for 99 years. Can the state change the validity requirements?

Holders of professional licenses in any profession hold their licenses subject to reasonable rules and regulations. The courts have held consistently that it is

reasonable to require professionals to engage in a program of mandatory continuing professional development. In fact, most professions in Pennsylvania and throughout the country are required to participate in such programs.

As an example, there was a court case in Connecticut dealing with whether a statue that invalidated permanent teaching certificates and substituted five year certificates subject to renewal upon completion of continuing professional development was unconstitutional and in violation of teachers' contractual rights. The court concluded that no constitutional rights or contractual rights were violated.

In this case, the Pennsylvania legislature has not invalidated your license but has imposed a condition for your continuing to hold it in active status -- namely, the requirement that you engage in professional development.

Did PSEA challenge the enactment of Act 48?

PSEA did work hard to change the original Ridge Administration proposals to make them more reasonable. For example, the Ridge Administration had originally proposed 360 activity hours or 12 credits every 5 years. Further, PSEA was successful in

requiring the Department of Education to offer certain courses free of charge. (These can be accessed at http://pa.professionaleducation.org.) We have also been working very hard to help our members satisfy the legal requirements through in-service arrangements, which, in many cases, we have negotiated through the collective

bargaining process, RCPE events, videoconferences and/or Act 48 programs for locals. We certainly understand the burden that this Act puts on all professional educators in Pennsylvania but the legislation is lawful.

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if you are having difficulty completing your required work by June 30, 2005 or 5 years after your certificate was granted. If necessary, your UniServ Representative will assign a PSEA attorney to help you should your certificate be affected by the Act 48

requirements, which we certainly hope will not be the case.

We encourage all members to frequently monitor their Act 48 hours/credits accrued via PDE’s website at https://www.perms.ed.state.pa.us/Screens/wfPublicAccess.aspx

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LOCAL

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1. Effective continuing professional education programs have commitment from all parties.

2. Continuing professional education is continuous, not one-shot efforts and differentiated based on development needs.

3. Organizational and decision making structures must support continuous professional education goals – i.e. schedules which prevent sufficient mentoring practices will not support quality professional development no matter how good the plan appears to be on paper.

4. Effective continuing professional education plans should include a range of different types of professional development activities and delivery systems.

5. Effective planning participatory, not adversarial.

6. Continuing professional education plans are student-focused, data-driven and performance-results oriented.

7. The content of the development activities must have proven value to teaching and learning.

8. Continuing professional education plans need to be localized and specifically address the local needs of staff and students.

9. Effective continuing education plans must build on what is and what is desired to be.

10. Professionals learn well when development activities are focused, on-going and sustained, active and engaging, collegial, client-focused and job embedded (related to actual practice).

11. Quality professional education programs focus on teachers as central to student learning but include other members of the school community as well.

12. Good professional education programs focus on individual, collegial and organizational maintenance and improvement.

13. Effective professional education programs respect and nurture the intellectual and leadership capacities of teachers, principals and others in the school community. 14. Effective professional education activities reflect the best available research and

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to high student achievement standards.

16. Continuing professional education activities promote continuous inquiry and improvement embedded in the daily life and culture of schools.

17. Continuing professional education activities are planned collaboratively by those who will participate in them.

18. Successful continuing professional education programs require substantial time and adequate resources.

19. Professional education is driven by a coherent, long-term plan based on defined learning goals and teaching skills.

20. It is evaluated ultimately on the basis of its impact on student learning and teacher effectiveness. The results of the assessment inform subsequent professional development planning.

21. Effective professional education supports good teaching and organizational leadership practices.

22. Effective professional education planned activities are rooted in and based on the best available research of what works for student learning.

23. Quality professional education programs contribute to measurable improvement in student achievement.

24. Continuing professional education activities are aligned with school and district learning achievement goals.

25. Effective continuing professional education programs encourage teachers to use research-based teaching strategies applicable to their instructional objectives and to the unique learning needs of their students.

26. Planning continuing professional education programs require developers to learn and apply collaborative skills in conducting meetings, making shared decisions, solving problems and working collaboratively and in tandem for the sake of the students.

27. Continuing professional education activities are based on knowledge about human learning and development.

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Activities for all participants should be tied to the learning needs of the students.

Activities for all participants should be tied to the district and building learning goals established through the strategic plan. Activities should be organizationally supported and properly

resourced to optimize their impact.

Activities should be continuous and on-going, not one-shot, sit-and-get, make-and-take kinds of programs.

Activities should be followed up by establishing resulting expectations then measuring the outcomes against those expectations for future planning and decision making.

Activities must be related to practice and be embedded in the work participants are engaged in.

Planning committees need to review the criteria identified in the PDE Professional Education Plan Guidelines and apply them to their plan.

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Credit Hour Experiences Curriculum Development Activities

 Develop a new district or school curriculum.

 Serve as a member of an instructional materials selection committee.

 Be recognized for innovative curriculum development and teaching practices through funding grand awards, PSEA’s IPD Innovative Teaching Awards, Teach of the Year, Millken and other sources acknowledging their excellence.

 Conduct action research studying the effects of certain curriculum and/or instructional practices on student achievement levels.

 Write a textbook or collaborate with others in writing one.

 Develop and conduct workshops to assist colleagues to understand the new student standards; or apply research-based teaching strategies; or engage in peer assistance.

 Participate in regional and/or state sponsored development projects for teachers and administrators like the Governor’s Institute.

 Develop and conduct workshops to assist school board members and parents to understand new curriculum, new textbooks, approaches to teaching reading, a unique use of technology you have adopted, how you assess student work, etc.  Develop and conduct presentations at regional, state or national level conferences,

symposiums, workshops and other educational interest sponsored forums on teaching and learning.

Credit Hour Experiences Professional Practice

 Serve as a faculty member in one of the governor’s schools for gifted students.  Actively participate in developing and implementing a peer assistance or

differentiated supervision program in your school or district.  Serve as a mentor for a new teacher.

 Train colleagues to be mentors for new teachers or teachers needing collegial assistance.

 Complete the portfolio and site assessment requirements for National Board Certification.

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 Receive local, state or national recognition for your teaching performance.

 Actively participate in local, regional, state or national research projects that focus on effective teaching practices.

 Form a group study for teachers and/or educational specialist and conduct discussions that focus on instructional problem solving, professional decision making and sharing, and the like.

 Actively work with community agencies, social workers, home and school visitors and others to strengthen delivery of social services to students.

 Develop and conduct workshops for colleagues on the importance of effective teaching practices such as reflective teaching and collegial support.

 Write and publish articles on teaching strategies and student achievement.

 Conduct action research on the importance of group study discussions and reflecting teaching practices to teaching effectiveness, professional growth and student achievement.

 Assist the district or school to develop and implement effective teaching standards and indicators.

 Develop and conduct effective teaching academies for new teachers

 Research the impact on student achievement and/or teacher effectiveness of learning environment interventions like class size, block scheduling, joint planning time, etc.

 Serve as a member of the district/school’s continuing professional education committee.

Credit Hour Experiences Academic Achievements

 Complete a Master’s Degree in your subject area or in an area directly related to teaching and/or classroom management practices.

 Collaborate with an institution of higher education in a research project which focuses on effective teaching practices for student achievement.

 Participate in a partnership with higher education faculty for the purpose of improving teaching effectiveness and raising student achievement.

 Teach a practicum or methods course as an adjunct faculty member for a state-approved teacher preparation institution.

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technology knowledge, etc.

 Serve a term on an intermediate unit in-service board.

 Conduct presentations on teaching and learning for in-service credit.

 Enroll and successfully complete training activities related to effective teaching and learning practices conducted by PDE and PDE approved providers including web-based tutorials, long-distance instruction and winter and summer workshops.

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PSEA Continuing Professional Education Planner 26 Keys to effective team planning commonly shared vision significant trust sufficient energies resourcefulness support

A Resource for CPE Planning Committees

Act 48 of 1999, which officially took effect on July 1, 2000, requires all professional educators holding Pennsylvania certification to maintain active certification through continuing professional education. Act 48 further authorizes that every school entity is required to submit to the Secretary of Education a professional education plan every three years which shall be a blueprint of how the educational needs of the school entity (student learning goals and academic standards) will be met through the continuing education of its professional employees (CPE needs). The CPE plan shall specify the CPE courses, programs, activities and other learning experiences designed by staff and community representatives and approved by the local school board to meet the professional needs necessary to provide appropriate teaching and learning environments to achieve the student learning goals and academic standards.

Through these three-year CPE plans, school entities can plan focused and substantive professional education activities tied to effective teaching and learning practices. The more targeted the outcomes of the plans are, the easier it will be to focus activities. Vague and generalized CPE plans will tend to yield vague and generalized CPE activities, an often heard criticism of current in-service practices. The following material is offered to assist CPE Committees to develop their plans. While the law provides extensive flexibility for local committees to exercise in developing their plans, there are certain steps common to all developers which are articulated below. No committee need seek an easy recipe for developing its own unique CPE plan based on its unique needs. As educators know, good planning takes time and resources.

This section contains the steps identified by the PA Department of Education for preparing the professional education plan and is complemented by additional advice developed in part with the help of several colleagues of the Abington Heights EA and its administration.

1. The Professional Education Planning Committee

All representatives serving on the CPE Committee should be chosen carefully to ensure the following:

That there is, throughout the committee membership, a knowledge and respect for the importance of professional development to student achievement and quality practices.

That there is appropriate representation of all experience levels from novice to master level educator.

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That educational specialists are understood to be professionals holding the following certificates: school nurse, school guidance counselor, school dental hygienist, home and school visitor, school psychologist, instructional technology specialist, etc.

That the numbers of representatives on a planning committee should reflect the facility with which decisions must be made and the nature of deadlines to be met. A committee that is too large or too small could be problematic.

That members be selected who will function well in team endeavors. For example, if the former Act 178 has functioned well in the past, consideration might be given to adopting the same members to serve on the CPE Committee and adjust the membership to comply with the mandated composition and organizational range of Act 48.

Other considerations in setting up the CPE Committee:

 Alternates for teachers and administrators be chosen to facilitate transition of new

members and coverage for absent members.

 Before the CPE Committee is convened, a small subcommittee (perhaps from the

178 committee) meets and identifies names for community representatives for the Board to consider.

 A small group comprised of teachers, educational specialists and administrators

meet prior to convening or appointing the whole committee to prepare a set of operational guidelines for the committee consideration - the structure; the decision making process; the agenda for the planning cycle; the supporting materials needed for the committee to consider - e.g. needs assessment data; voting or advisory membership for community members; the ideal size of the group, etc.

2. Needs Assessment and Goal Setting

Every CPE plan must reflect the needs of the school entity and its strategic plan and the needs of its professional employees, students and community. In other words, the Plan’s content must be based on student learning goals/academic standards and the professional needs to achieve these goals and standards (Act 48, 1999).

Committee members should begin the needs assessment discussion by studying existing student and professional data and determining quickly what other data are needed and/or pertinent information it will require to inform its goal setting.

Committee members, after assessing these data, should spend some time brainstorming the learning goals. What does the data tell us about our students’ knowledge and skills in instructional areas? What does the data tell us about student attitudes towards school? Work? Drugs? What does anecdotal data tell us about student interactions with one another? With staff? With others? What is the nature of our student wellness and school practices that support healthy minds and bodies? What does our data tell us about professional needs in terms of knowledge, skills and

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PSEA Continuing Professional Education Planner 28 Questions to consider when

compiling needs data

What student data does the entity currently have on hand?

How old is this data?

Does the student data come from a variety of sources?

Does the data focus on academic achievement only or does it profile attitude and study behaviors and student demographics?

What additional student data would be important to have? How can we collect data and use it in the time we have to develop the plan?

Is there another source we could contact for data - a local university, college, or intermediate unit?

What professional data does the entity currently have on hand?

How old is the data?

Does our professional data come from a variety of sources?

Does the data identify actual and perceived professional development needs?

Have the professional staff including teachers, educational specialists, supervisors, administrators, superintendent and all certificated assistants had the opportunity to identify their individual needs?

What does our strategic plan say about student and professional needs?

Does our district have long-range administrative plans that could provide needs data? For example, does our district have a technology plan that will require extensive training for the staff? collegiality?

Eventually, committee members will have to come up with a set of goals that frame the outcomes of the continuing professional plan in terms of what skills, knowledge and dispositions the professional staff will need to ensure that the community and student learning goals will be achieved.

Other considerations in identifying need data:

 Has the community been surveyed? On

what? The academic program?

Transportation? Intervention programs like DARE? Professional Development plans? Student Achievement?

 If the plan is to focus on teaching and

learning, what data exists or needs to be collected to inform the planners about the nature of the learning environment and the organizational structure and decision-making processes that support effective teaching and learning practices in the school entity?

 Do the needs data provide a comprehensive and rich profile of the skills, knowledge and dispositions needed

by all professional staff (including

teachers, educational specialists,

administrators, supervisors and the

superintendent) to support effective

teaching and learning practices?

Once the CPE Committee has had time to study and discuss the data (and this could take some time), it must set its goals for students and staff that support student learning. Student goals should be driven by what the achievement and other data say

and by the academic standards set forth for students by the State Board of Education. Professional goals should concern knowledge and content, applications of pedagogical

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Consider the knowledge and content, the application of pedagogical skills, the skills

of management, planning, organization and leadership and the professional capacity building skills that would be applicable for the professional staff:

 For classroom teachers?  For educational specialists?  For principals and assistants?  For department chairs?

 For curriculum supervisors, directors and coordinators?  For superintendent and assistants?

Committee members may want to invite teachers, administrators, supervisors, IU

curriculum coordinators and college and university teacher educators to discuss professional practices deemed effective through research and experience.

How do the professional needs assessment data compare to these student goals?

In other words, what skills, knowledge and/or dispositions will the professional staff need to strengthen, enhance, acquire or maintain to help achieve these student goals?

3. The Delivery System or the Plan to Achieve the Goals

Once the student goals are set, and the professional goals aligned to achieve them, the CPE Committee is ready to begin to consider training options and activities or the ―Delivery System‖ as the PDE Guidelines refer to them.

The CPE plan must specify the education needs to be met through each CPE option. The options may include but are not limited to collegiate study, continuing professional education courses taken for credit, and programs, activities and learning experiences taken for credits or hours.

In order to assist CPE Committees to focus on their plans, PDE Plan Guidelines require that ―action plans to achieve the professional education goals over three years should be developed and included in the CPE plan.‖ Competencies to be achieved by each

CPE activity should be developed and assessed as part of the evaluation process of the plan but do not need to be included in the plan.

Other Considerations in Developing the Delivery System or Plan

Professional education activities should be tied directly to identified student needs

and professional practices combined. In other words, the practices of teachers, educational specialists, supervisors, administrators and superintendents all contribute to quality teaching and learning and CPE plans should reflect this “whole is larger than the sum of its parts” concept.

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What are the kinds of activities that can be offered? Here committee members may

want to generally brainstorm among themselves; borrow from Act 178 plans; refer to other professional organization publications and web sites. PSEA, NEA, ASCD and ERIC may be helpful.

Are some activities more appropriate for certain skills, knowledge and/or dispositions

than others? For example, would collegiate study be more appropriate for enhancing pedagogy skills than teacher-driven workshops?

Are some activities more appropriate for experience levels of professionals - that is,

is one option more appropriate than another for a teacher new to the profession? For the veteran administrator? For the mid-career guidance counselor?

Committee members should understand that the more activities included in the plan,

the more individualized the CPE opportunities will be. The fewer, the more generalized the CPE opportunities will be across staff and functions. The nature of these activity options will probably depend on whether the committee wishes to focus the professional development program on skill/knowledge building in a narrow area, such as computer literacy for all professional staff, or to individualize CPE to meet the varying needs of all staff in any number of skill/knowledge areas. Or, in fact, if the committee wants to decide it will settle on somewhere in between. This decision is an important one that must be dealt with early on by the committee members and should be informed by data and the entity’s strategic plan.

Important issues to discuss when identifying the types of activities include the

following:

 Will teaching a college course accrue credits for the instructor who is a

member of the entity’s teaching staff?

 Will conducting an service workshop or activity workshop accrue

in-service credits or hours for the instructor who is a member of the entity’s professional staff?

 CPE Committees need to determine the hour values of activities, learning

experiences and programs. For example, suppose the local entity has an ongoing training program such as cooperative learning conducted by trained staff members. If this program is included in the CPE plan, how many hours is this activity worth?

 Suppose someone teaches the same workshop multiple times, will he/she

receive the same credit and/or hours each time or will the Committee differentiate values of preparation versus instructional time?

 If recognition awards for innovation and achievement are considered

appropriate activities, how will the committee assess the hour value of these experiences?

The Pennsylvania Department of Education Guidelines may be helpful to committees in establishing hour values. The Intermediate Units may also provide advice in this regard. PSEA supposes that these kinds of issues will differ across different school

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Approved Providers

After listing the options and enumerating activities, it is time to identify sources that can provide these options. Because the school entity is an automatic approved provider and an approver of providers, it need only mention the providers of the activities in their CPE plan to “approve” them.

Providers could include but are not limited to:

Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) approved in-service courses.

PDE’s continuing professional education programs (i.e. the 40 free CPE hours conducted each year as required by Act 48)

Government agency sponsored conferences, workshops, seminars and/or

coursework (i.e. Governor’s Institutes for Teachers)

Commercially sponsored training workshops (Cantor, PLS)

Joint staff development workshops sponsored by educational entity and the regional

IU (i.e. Midwestern Region In-service programs)

NEA

PSBA (Pennsylvania School Boards Association) and NSBA

PASA (Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators) and AASA

PASCD (Pennsylvania Association of Supervisors and Curriculum Directors) and

ASCD

PTA

PSEA (Note: all locals should work to include PSEA as a provider in the CPE plan) PFT

PAESSP (Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School

Principals) and NAESSP

PCTM (Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of Mathematics) and NCTM PCTE (Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English) and NCTE KSRA (Keystone State Reading Association) and IRA

Other local and regional education associations Area businesses and corporations

Community social agencies Local school districts

Intermediate units Travel experiences

Internet and distant learning experiences Staff presentations

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While local school entities have a great deal of flexibility in determining how to assess their plans, the Department of Education’s Plan Guidelines say that the evaluation should include the goals (were they achieved?), the activities (were they pertinent and effective?), the plan itself (should it be revised and/or updated?) and competencies (have they been measured and are they being applied?)

PDE recommends using the following five sources of assessments: Participant reaction to activity.

Participant learning achievements.

Organization support and change. (Has the organization adequately supported the CPE plan for its professional staff and what has been the impact of this support or lack of support?)

Participant application of knowledge, skills and dispositions. Student achievement/outcomes.

Amendments to the CPE plan must be recommended by the CPE Planning Committee and approved by the Board of School Directors and submitted to PDE for approval.

5. Approval and Submission

Every plan must be submitted with the appropriate signature form. The CPE plan must be included in the strategic plan required by Chapter 4 Academic Standards and Assessment Regulations.

The plan should be sent to:

Pennsylvania Department of Education Bureau of Teaching and Learning Support 333 Market Street

Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333

The Bureau will forward a letter of approval. Should you need additional information, contact the Bureau by phone at 717-783-6646, 717-772-4944, fax at 717-772-3621, or mail.

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PSEA Continuing Professional Education Planner 33 1. Principles/Standards

Every district local should adopt a set of principles or standards that define its philosophy of continuing professional education programs. These standards or principles should drive the decisions concerning the following considerations.

2. Membership

Who will be the members of the professional development committee representing teachers and educational specialists? How will these members be chosen? Has your local adopted a set of these standards for CPE Committees? Do these standards provide guidance as to who should participate or how they should be chosen? Should there be a variety of ages, experiences and backgrounds? What about filling unexpired terms? Should there be a provision to keep infusing the faculty group with different representatives? If so, what should they be? Should there be term limits? If so, what should they be?

3. Name

What shall the planning committee be called? Consider a name that focuses on the importance to teaching and to learning – teacher and student. Suggest a name that reflects professional growth and development, not mandate compliance!

4. Roles and Responsibilities

Should the roles and responsibilities of planning committee members be differentiated? Should teachers handle some issues and administrators others? What about the other members of the committee? What should their roles and responsibilities be? Again, what do your standards suggest about division of labor? Is the focus school-wide or district-wide or both? Should there be subcommittees at each school feeding the main committee? Is the focus on student achievement? Teaching skill and knowledge? Management skills? Coordination and decision-making skills?

5. Schedules

When will the committee meet? Meeting times should optimize sustained and substantive planning discussions, deliberations and decisions.

6. Ground Rules

Ground rules should be established identifying how the committee will operate, who will facilitate, how often it will meet, the nature of how decisions will be made, how communications will be handled, who is responsible for what, the level of candor and confidentiality, the guidelines for discussing and debating, etc.

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bargaining unit representatives may want to establish ground rules among themselves to support and frame their own caucuses and communicate channels.

7. Quality Control

Decisions about the quality of the planned professional development activities must be conducted. To ensure uniform application of quality standards, a set of criteria needs to be adopted by the committee.

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All school entities are to submit plans as per published Strategic Planning Phases. Due dates are Phase I (9/30/2006), Phase II (9/30/2007), or Phase III (9/30/2008), unless an extension was granted by the Department.

Phase I School entities

Phase II School entities Phase III School entities

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ADDITIONAL

RESOURCES

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Part of the PSEA Promising Practices to Close Student Achievement Gaps Series

The so-called No Child Left Behind Act requires schools receiving Title I funds that do not make AYP for at least two years to commit at least 10 percent of Title I funds for professional development. PSEA believes that anything worth doing, and worth

directing Title I funds toward, is worth doing very well. Too often, however,

teachers, support professionals, and educational specialists find that professional development is poorly supported, poorly planned, poorly implemented and disconnected from their job responsibilities and other professional development.

Educators, researchers, and others know from research as well as experience what constitutes high-quality professional development. Specifically, professional development that helps educators grow and learn has six characteristics.

1. High-quality professional development is embedded in a well-structured

system with supportive leadership. School leaders need to foster at least seven

characteristics to support professional growth in their school:

o Build a shared vision around a small number of school goals

o Foster a sense of community, not top-down implementation of a program o Market the need for change

o Organize the work of teachers around student learning o Use data wisely

o Foster innovation and calculated risk-taking

o Invest in professional development for every staff person, not just teachers

2. High-quality professional development usually takes place during the school

day, is sustained, and is embedded in the work of teachers. There is simply no

substitute for finding time during the day for educators to collaborate, apply new ideas, and share their learning. Evidence shows that effective professional development needs to be seen as a regular, on-going part of school life. Training needs to be accompanied by coaching during the school day, and educators need to have opportunities to share experiences and learn from each other. In order to accomplish this, school leaders may have to employ substitutes to allow educators to observe and collaborate, alter

scheduling so that key groups of teachers can have shared planning time, provide early-release days so that teachers can work together during afternoons, and use existing meeting time in new ways to foster professional collaboration.

3. High-quality professional development is comprised of appropriate methods and instructional design to meet specific goals. Professional development can take

many forms: not all lectures are bad, and not all classroom coaching sessions are good. The most important consideration in deciding how to structure a particular element of professional development is the goal associated with the professional development

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that point, planners can work backwards, asking how the desired learning relates to school goals, defining the intended outcomes, deciding what evidence will measure those outcomes, and then planning a professional development experience to meet the intended goals.

4. High-quality professional development has appropriate resources committed

to it. Understanding district expenditures on professional development is complicated

— so complicated, as a matter of fact, that few districts have an accurate idea of what their investments are. In one study of staff development, annual district expenditures varied from $1,500 to $5,000 per teacher. Almost universally, districts in this study spent more than they thought they did on professional development. Most importantly, though, the study pointed out that most professional development expenditures are fragmented, uncoordinated, and not based on specific learning goals (Miles & Hornbeck, 2000). Professional development expenditures need to be targeted, organized, tracked, and evaluated.

5. High-quality professional development is built on collegiality and collaboration

among school staff to solve important problems. In some countries teachers have

10 or more hours a week to work together on instructional issues; teachers in the U.S. report having less than an hour a week to examine instructional issues together. Nevertheless, evidence is growing that working collaboratively is important: when educators work collectively, they are more likely to believe that what they do has a positive effect on students. This belief changes our behavior in important ways and improves student achievement (Goddard, Hoy, & Hoy, 2000; Lee, Smith, & Croninger, 1995). Because of the link between collegiality and student achievement, successful professional development helps educators think about their practice in the context of a professional community. It also gives educators opportunities to use their collective expertise and support to make decisions about instruction (NRCELA, 2002).

6. High-quality professional development is evaluated according to goals. Professional development has commonly been evaluated by what some call the

―happiness scale‖ — measures of how much attendees liked the session or activity. Like any other school program, the results of professional development need to be evaluated in relation to school goals. Evaluating sustained professional development activities should also be ongoing. Evaluating professional development programs in this way may require very different criteria and strategies than those that schools and districts

currently use.

When professional development possesses these six characteristics, it can improve the school culture, increase student learning, and improve educational practice.

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have found ways for educators to work together during the school day. Often, this involves creative scheduling or the use of substitutes to free educators’ time while school is in session.

One Size Does Not Fit All. All educators bring their own strengths to their work, and

all educators have specific areas where they would like to grow professionally. Effective professional development programs encourage educators to define and then meet their own learning needs.

Confidentiality. Effective professional development requires that teachers feel

comfortable sharing ideas, asking questions, and requesting help. It also requires that teachers invite each other to observe classroom practices. All of these activities require a high level of trust. Building that trust can only happen when teachers believe that their questions, requests, and other kinds of sharing will never be referred to disparagingly, that no information shared for the purpose of professional development is ever used for evaluation, and that educators who are engaged in professional development together do not report to administrators about the challenges faced by their colleagues.

PSEA’s Professional Development Opportunities

One of PSEA’s Strategic Priorities is ‖Quality Education‖. Every public school and classroom will be an effective learning environment. PSEA members will be recognized as providers of quality education services and as advocates for their profession by promoting high standards for licensure and professional development. PSEA strives to achieve this goal with the Act 48 Program/Professional Learning Exchange.

Act 48 was enactment on July 1, 2000 and mandates that all PA educators have continuing professional education. PSEA’s Act 48 Program/Professional Learning Exchange offers workshops approved for Act 48 activity hours. Approved faculty consists of PSEA staff, and in some cases, selected PSEA members.

PSEA is dedicated to assisting its members in all aspects of their careers including their standard of living, their work environment and their professional growth and development. The PSEA Act 48 Program/Professional Learning Exchange (which is the professional arm of PSEA) presents multiple opportunities for members to seek their personal best in their work: ultimately it is the individual’s responsibility to determine their professional needs and to engage in those activities that maximize their professional effectiveness. The standards members apply to their performance reflect the commitment they have for their profession. This web-based catalog focuses on such opportunities. Visit PSEA’s website at www.psea.org and click on the professional development section of Teaching and Learning.

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PSEA Continuing Professional Education Planner 40 Q: How can I arrange to have one of these workshops?

A: In most cases, you may contact the presenter directly. You may also contact PSEA’s Education Services Division at 1-800-944-7732 for assistance. Be prepared to provide the workshop title, date, location and an approximate number of participants.

Q: Is there a cost to have one of these workshops?

A: There is no cost for these workshops.

Q: When are these workshops available?

A: Unless otherwise noted, workshops are available weekdays, evenings and weekends.