Planning: Dimension 4.3
Dimension 4.3 Professional Development:
The teacher enhances the professional community.
Clarifying Statement:
As professionals in the field, it is important to stay current and refine one's knowledge and skill set. The Professional Development dimension is directly tied to all other dimensions in that the T-TESS process is about continuous improvement and growth in multiple professional development platforms. Based on the self-analysis, goal setting process, and feedback from others, effective teachers focus on continuous improvement so that student performance is ultimately enhanced. Although learning needs to be personalized, in high-performing organizations, a culture of ongoing, sustained, and quality professional development is established and threaded throughout the year, rather than one-time professional development sessions held in isolation. Learning is ideally directed to one or more of the T-TESS dimensions with some aspect of coaching and mentoring to guide the implementation phase. Changes in practice and mastery of new skills are a result of continuous practice with specific feedback about performance.
Standards Basis:
Standards Basis: 3A, 6A, 6B, 6C
Possible Sources of EvidencePossible Sources of Evidence:
- Goal-Setting and Professional Development Plan (GSPD)
- Conferences and Conversations with the Teacher, Including the End-of-Year Cconference
- Analysis of Student Data
- Daily Interaction with Others
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T-TESS Alignment to Practice
- Teachers engage in ongoing self-analysis to identify and target professional learning opportunities.
- Teachers seek feedback from supervisors, coaches, and peers.
- Teachers apply what is learned and value job-embedded professional development as a means of refining their practice.
- Teachers engage in relevant, targeted professional learning that aligns with their professional growth goals and students’ academic and social-emotional needs.
- Teachers collaborate with their colleagues, are self-aware about their interpersonal interactions, and are open to feedback.
- Teachers play an active role in participating and leading professional learning communities to improve instructional practices and student learning.
- Teachers continuously seek opportunities to lead learning with students, other educators, and the school community within and beyond their classroom.
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Key Questions
- How are teachers supported in the self-analysis, goal setting, and professional development phases?
- How does current professional development align with research about teacher and student learning?
- How is job-embedded professional development supported by coaching, mentoring, and feedback loops during the implementation phase?
- How does the professional development impact student learning?
- How are resources identified and utilized to enhance outcomes and initiatives?
Distinguished
- Leads colleagues collaboratively in and beyond the school to identify professional development needs through detailed data analysis and self-reflection.
- Seeks resources and collaboratively fosters faculty knowledge and skills.
- Develops and fulfills the school and district improvement plans through professional learning communities, grade- or subject level team leadership, committee leadership or other opportunities beyond the campus.
Accomplished
- Leads colleagues collaboratively on campus to identify professional development needs through self reflection.
- Fosters faculty knowledge and skills in support of the school improvement plan through professional learning communities, grade- or subject level team leadership, committee membership or other opportunities beyond the campus.
Developing
- Engages in most scheduled activities, professional learning communities, committee, grade or subject-level team meetings as directed.
Improvement Needed
- Engages in few professional development activities, professional learning communities or committees to improve professional practice.
