Professional Learning

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING   |   Our vision is lifelong learners actively pursuing excellence.

Professional Learning terminology can be confusing. Use the following definitions to clarify your understanding:

Professional Learning (PL) is the big umbrella covering all professional learning opportunities. PL includes all activities, workshops, training, and collaborative sessions which increase your ability to improve student achievement. There are different types of professional learning.

Staff Development is PL which occurs during a regular, contractual workday, usually at your school, without students. Because staff development occurs while you're "on the clock," it cannot count toward your 18 hours of required in-service.

In-service is PL you are required to complete as an employed, licensed teacher. All Tennessee public school teachers are required to complete 5 days, or 30 hours, of in-service. Two required, non-elective in-service days are built into the calendar. These two days (12 hours) appear on the School Calendar as “In-service Planning” Days and are conducted at individual schools in August. The remaining three days (18 hours) are represented on the School Calendar during the week of Spring Break. This time is made up outside the contractual work day (summer, weekends, after school or before school.) Teachers choose from local offerings or approved out-of-system activities. 

Professional Learning Communities (PLC) are collaborative, collegial groups which promote quality teaching and improved student achievement through focused, purposeful, intentional learning. Do PLCs count as in-service? The answer depends on when it is held. If you meet before school or after school, it may count as in-service credit. If the PLC is an embedded part of your workday (i.e. during planning time or contractual faculty meetings), then it cannot count for in-service credit.

Sometimes, there may be workshops or training sessions outside of our district you'd like to attend. You may talk with your principal and request Professional Leave. A professional leave day is a regular, contractual workday, but instead of going to school, you attend off campus PL activities. Because it is a contractual paid workday, you may not count it toward your 18 hours of in-service. To avoid confusion, remember to register for in-service activities through PLAN.

Training is a type of credit you may receive for your professional learning activities. You receive training credit for learning that you do during the required workday. For example, you would receive training credit for professional learning during a professional leave day. We want ALL of your professional learning to be on your PLAN transcript.

Stipend is a type of credit for which you receive monetary compensation for your professional learning. 

The minimum is 18 hours. All teachers on a 100% contract are required by the State Board of Education to complete 5 days of in-service. Think of these 5 days as 30 hours (5 days X 6 hours per day = 30 hours.) The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System requires teachers to obtain 12 of these hours on the scheduled in-service days. Thirty hours minus 12 hours equals *18 hours for you to complete on your own, outside of your contractual work day. Three days, or 18 hours are the minimum requirement. All in-service offered by CMCSS is free. You may attend as many hours as you need without overextending yourself.

• Teachers often ask if college courses they take may count toward the in-service requirement. The answer is NO. You may not "double dip" or receive credit twice for the same training. If you receive college credit, you may NOT also receive in-service credit.

• In-service hours DO NOT bank or rollover from one year to the next. Even if you earn 36 hours this year, you'll still have to earn a minimum of 18 next year. There are severe professional consequences for not completing the required hours. You may read about those in the in-service guidelines on the CMCSS website.

If you are working less than a full contract, the in-service requirements will be different. You may visit the Professional Learning Hub in ClassLink to determine how many hours you need (FAQ section).

Searching for in-service

There are many ways to search for classes on PLAN. From the Courses tab, you may conduct a keyword search or an advanced search. If you select show all, you will have access to the left navigation menu that will allow you to narrow your search results by subject, grade level, TEAM rubric indicator, course type, or credit type.

If you can't find what you're looking for, keep checking back periodically. Classes are added to PLAN throughout the school year. 

Cancelling an in-service

If you need to withdraw from a class once you've registered, you must do so at least 72 hours before the in-service is scheduled to start. Simply log into PLAN and locate the option within the "My Learning Opportunities" section on the homepage.

If it is less than 72 hours before the start of the in-service, you will need to email PlanHelp (planhelp@cmcss.net) explaining your reason for cancellation. We understand emergencies arise, and "excused absence" status will be given for legitimate emergencies. Forgetting, oversleeping, having the wrong date, being on vacation, or just deciding not to attend are not considered emergencies. 

Site-Based in-service

It is smart professional practice to attend the site-based in-services offered at your school. These are in-service activities planned especially for you and your faculty. The professional learning activities are based on the School Improvement Plan and other identified needs. You should NOT attend site-based in-services of other schools. 

For a complete list of your professional learning activities, you will want to access your transcript. From the PLAN homepage, locate the "My Learning Opportunities" section. Select the link to "My Transcript" to see a full list of activities with totals at the botton of the page categorized by in-service, training, and stipend amounts.

Our Professional Learning Team is here to help you!