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High Quality Professional Development

Professional development (PD) is planned, sequential, and coherent learning over a sustained period of time that equips teachers with content knowledge, instructional skills, and abilities that they apply to teaching. These changes to educator practice will promote improvements in student outcomes and enable students to perform at high levels (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017). Professional development should conform to best practices in research and relate to educators' assignments and professional responsibilities. The Hanover Public Schools will provide a high-quality professional development program for all members of its staff. The overarching goal of PD is to change teacher behaviors so that the teacher’s practice will promote increased student learning.

Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., Gardner, M., & Espinoza, D. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning Policy Institute.

Vision Statement

Hanover Hawks will soar and succeed without limits.

Mission Statement

The Hanover Public Schools prepare students to soar and succeed by upholding the highest expectations for teaching and learning. We engage all learners within a welcoming, challenging, and supportive learning environment by promoting

  • Meaningful and relevant curricula
  • Opportunities for character development, self-responsibility, and leadership
  • A culture of curiosity, creativity, empathy, and inclusion
  • A community where all feel welcomed
  • Enrichment opportunities in the arts, athletics, and fundamental life skills
  • Transparent and trusting relationships

Motto

Soar and Succeed

Professional Development Key Elements

Hanover Public Schools' professional development is characterized by the following key elements:

  • The purpose of each PD session should be clearly identified to participants. The purpose should state the intended changes in educator knowledge, skills, attitudes, and or practice and the student outcomes that these changes will promote.
  • PD should be aligned with student learning needs and teacher learning needs. During PD educators should develop sophisticated forms of teaching so students can develop conceptual understanding, reasoning, and critical thinking skills, complex problem-solving, effective communication, collaboration, and self-direction. Student needs can be identified by looking at students’ unfinished learning such as skill gaps, incomplete learning, misunderstandings, misconceptions, errors, and omissions found in student performance, work products, and classroom assessments
  • PD provides adequate time to develop teaching skills. PD sessions should be sequential, cumulative, and coherent. Teachers need sufficient time to learn, practice, implement, and reflect upon new strategies to facilitate meaningful changes in their practice. Strong PD initiatives typically engage teachers in learning over weeks, months, or even academic years, rather than in short, one-off workshops.
  • PD should use models and modeling of evidence-based practice. Curricular models and modeling of instruction provide teachers with a clear vision of what best practices look like. Teachers may view models that include lesson plans, unit plans, sample student work, observations of peer teachers, and video or written cases of accomplished teaching.
  • PD is content focused. Professional development content should directly relate to what teachers teach, how that curriculum content should be taught, and how students can best learn that content. This component includes both deepening teacher knowledge of the subject matter they are teaching and the pedagogical approaches that have been shown to be successful in helping students learn that subject matter. Effectiveness is improved if the professional development uses the same curriculum materials that teachers will later use with their students. Curricular models and modeling of instruction should provide teachers with a clear vision of what evidence-based (best) practices look like. Teachers may view models that include lesson plans, unit plans, sample student work, observations of peer teachers, and video or written cases of teaching.
  • PD should include active learning using adult learning theory. Active learning is learning by doing and thinking about what you are learning and how well you are learning (e.g., planning, monitoring, and assessing your learning; developing an awareness of one's strengths and weaknesses; recognizing how you are learning). Active learning can include being taught by an expert teacher who is modeling evidence-based best instructional practice; being observed implementing a new teaching strategy and receiving feedback and guidance; reviewing examples of student work related to the professional development goals; leading a discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of an instructional method; confronting and resolving problematic beliefs; writing a lesson or unit plan; reflecting on the efficacy of their implementation of an instructional practice, and applying what was learned in professional development to classroom practice. Active learning is the antithesis of lecture-based (sit and get) learning. Active learners create, construct, perform, solve problems, investigate, role play, collaborate, evaluate, and synthesize information.
  • PD should align with state, district, school, and/or educator goals or priorities.
  • PD should support collaboration in job-embedded contexts. Teachers who share the same job (e.g., grade-level elementary generalist teachers, visual arts teachers, physical therapists) collaborate to solve problems of practice, share ideas, and interact regularly to improve instruction and promote student learning. This collaboration is integrated into the teacher's workday (i.e., job-embedded). Exemplary collaboration can lead to a professional culture in which teachers in a school or teachers who teach the same grade or subject develop a common understanding of instructional goals, methods, problems, and solutions—an understanding that is sustained over time, even when some teachers leave and others join the group. School-based communities of practice (e.g., professional learning communities) can include ongoing opportunities for teachers to identify and solve problems of practice and discuss, rehearse, and adopt the practices that have been introduced in district professional development.
  • PD should improve an educator’s ability to apply learning from professional development to his or her particular content and/or context to promote student learning.
  • PD should make individual coaching, expert support, feedback, guidance, and follow-up available to all teachers. PD models associated with gains in student learning provide time for reflection and feedback, ensuring that teachers can think about, receive feedback (how you are you doing) and guidance (how to improve), and improve their teaching. Teachers should reflect on the efficacy of the results of their PD.

High-Quality Standards

What are the standards for high-quality PD as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MDESE)?

  1. HQPD has clear goals and objectives relevant to desired student outcomes.
    1. Professional development goals specify intended student outcomes.
    2. Educator learning objectives specify changes in knowledge, skills, and practices necessary to achieve the intended student outcomes.
    3. Learning objectives are written in SMARTIE format.
      1. Specific and Strategic
        • Measureable
        • Action-Oriented
        • Rigorous/Realistic/Results-focused
        • Timed/Tracked
        • Inclusive
        • Equitable
  2. HQPD aligns with state, district, school, and/or educator goals or priorities.
    1. Professional development goals align with educator performance standards, individual professional growth goals, and/or state, district, or school improvement priorities.
    2. Professional development prepares educators to address state, district, school, and individual goals or priorities.
  3. HQPD is designed based on the analysis of data relevant to the identified goals, objectives, and audience.
    1. Student data from multiple sources inform decisions about professional development goals and learning objectives for the intended audience.
    2. Educator data from multiple sources inform decisions about professional development goals and learning objectives for the intended audience.
  4. HQPD is assessed to ensure that it is meeting the targeted goals and objectives.
    1. Formative assessment using multiple sources of data measures progress toward professional development goals and learning objectives.
    2. Summative evaluation measures the attainment of professional development goals and learning objectives.
    3. Data from formative assessments and summative evaluations inform efforts to improve the quality and results of professional development.
  5. HQPD promotes collaboration among educators to encourage sharing of ideas and working together to achieve the identified goals and objectives.
    1. Professional development includes collaboration among educators to generate relevant, role-specific applications of their learning.
    2. Skillful, prepared facilitators use protocols, processes, and strategies to facilitate collaboration during and after professional development to support the implementation of learning.
  6. HQPD advances an educator’s ability to apply learnings from professional development to his or her particular content and/or context.
    1. Professional development includes multiple opportunities for educators to practice their learning and receive feedback.
    2. Professional development supports educators to identify multiple applications of their learning within their everyday workplace responsibilities.
  7. HQPD models good pedagogical practice and applies knowledge of adult learning theory to engage educators.
    1. Professional development uses effective, research-based, adult learning strategies.
    2. Professional development incorporates strategies for the active engagement of learners.
    3. Professional development facilitators model the practices needed to attain goals and learning objectives.
    4. Professional development includes personalization and differentiation to meet the unique learning needs of educators.
  8. HQPD makes use of relevant resources to ensure that the identified goals and objectives are met.
    1. Sufficient resources (time, funding, staff, materials, technology, etc.) are available to provide sustained support over time for the full implementation of learning to attain goals and learning objectives.
    2. Professional development resources are allocated equitably to address high-priority needs.
  9. HQPD is taught or facilitated by a professional who is knowledgeable about the identified objectives.
    1. Skillful, prepared facilitators with content expertise lead professional development.
    2. Facilitators of professional development seek and use feedback, coaching, and other supports to improve their knowledge, skills, and practice as leaders of learning.
  10. HQPD sessions connect and build upon each other to provide a coherent and useful learning experience for educators.
    1. Professional development incorporates strategies to connect new learning with learners’ past learning and experiences.
    2. Individual professional development sessions or meetings link together in a logical and sequential manner to promote the attainment of the goals and learning objectives.