The goal of professional development is to hone teachers’ knowledge and skills so as to improve student performance. To this end, professional development should provide learning for staff that focuses on what has been identified as the gaps between the educational goals of a district and/or its schools and actual student learning, the skills that staff need to close those gaps, and the current staff skill level.

In order for this to happen, professional development opportunities need to engage staff in “high quality” professional development that deepens their understanding of content and pedagogy. While many definitions for highly qualified teachers are rooted in a belief that content is critical, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) definition is far more inclusive, especially around teaching strategies and reaching diverse learners. The federal statue, adopted by states and passed down to districts stipulates that districts should provide quality professional development opportunities that do the following:

1. Improve and increase teachers’ knowledge of the academic subjects they teach;
2. Are an integral part of broad school-wide and district-wide educational improvement plans;
3. Improve classroom management skills;
4. Support the recruiting, hiring, and training of highly qualified teachers;
5. Advance teacher understanding of effective instructional strategies that are based on scientifically based research, and strategies for improving student academic achievement or substantially increasing the knowledge and teaching skills of teachers;
6. Give teachers, principals, and administrators skills to provide students with the opportunity to meet state academic content standards and students academics achievement standards;
7. Are high quality, sustained, intensive, and classroom focused in order to have a positive and lasting impact on classroom instruction and the teacher’s performance in the classroom and are not one – day or short – term workshops or conferences;
8. Are developed with extensive participation of teachers, principals, parents, and administrators of schools;
9. Are designed to give teachers of limited English proficient children and other teachers and instructional staff, the knowledge and skills to provide instruction and appropriate language and academic support services to those children including the appropriate use of curricula and assessments;
10. As a whole are regularly evaluated for their impact on increased teacher effectiveness and improved student academic achievement
11. Includes instruction in the use of data and assessments to inform and instruct classroom practice;
12. To the extent appropriate, provide training for teachers and principals in the use of technology so that technology and technology applications are effectively used in the classroom to improve teaching and learning in the curricula and core academic subjects in which the teachers teach;
13. Provide instruction in methods of teaching children with special needs;
14. Include instruction in ways that teachers, principals, pupil services personnel, and school administrators may work more effectively with parents.

Hanover Public School will continue to strive to provide professional development opportunities for staff that, as much as possible, adhere to the fourteen (14) indicators as defined in the federal statute. In addition, next year’s professional development opportunities will also focus on the top three priority areas identified by staff in the annual professional development survey (Conducted by the former Director of Curriculum‐ see attached composite survey) this past February. Of the ninety – four (94) individuals who responded to question #7 “According to your IPDP, in which of the following area(s) do you need more professional development? (Please circle all that apply), staff selected the following as their top three priorities:

1. Exploring your content area further 47.8%
2. Integrating technology in the classroom 38.3%
3. Monitoring and assessing student performance 23.5%

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1. Improvement in MCAS scores in the percentage of students scoring in English Language Arts and Mathematics in the Advanced and Proficient categories
2. Improvement in the use and interpretation of a variety of assessment data by staff to make decisions about students
3. Improvement in the percentage of staff who utilize technology as part of their instructional strategies to enhance teaching and learning
4. Improvement in special needs services so as to better achieve equity for special needs students in curriculum access and delivery and excellence in programming

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The specific planning process to ensure linkage between district educational goals and school - level professional development rests with directors and building administrators planning and collaborating on implementation. However, implementation begins with these district educational goals.

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