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The Cambridge Public Schools offers a range of professional learning activities and workshops throughout the school year, nearly all of which are available to substitute teachers. Many of these activities and workshops provide Professional Development Points (PDPs), in accordance with Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guidelines (please click here to learn more about PDPs).
The vast majority of professional learning activities take place within schools, as part of the building-based, department-based, and district-designed professional learning modules. Substitute teachers are welcome and encouraged to participate in these trainings, as they are nearly always relevant to the expectations of the substitute role.
Additionally, a number of courses are offered each year through the Professional Learning Platform (PLP). Please log into the PLP and select the “Course Search” feature to view all current offerings and see which courses offer PDPs. You may register for available courses directly through the PLP.
CPS has also partnered with Master Teacher, which offers a range of self-guided online professional learning modules for substitute teachers. Please click here to learn more about how to access the Master Teacher platform.
New Substitute Orientation
Welcome to the Cambridge Public Schools! Whether you are joining us as an Extended-Term Substitute, a Building Substitute, or a Day-to-Day Substitute, we are grateful that you have chosen to further (or extend) your career as an educator in our diverse and dynamic school district. Substitute teachers play an important role in keeping our students safe and engaged when their regularly-assigned teacher is absent. However, the day-to-day experience of different substitute teachers can vary greatly based on the specific type of substitute teaching role you have been hired to perform. For this reason, the Cambridge Public Schools offers different types of orientation and induction experiences for different types of substitute teachers.
Please see below for more information about the specific types of onboarding we offer, based on your specific role:
Day-to-Day Substitute Teachers
Day-to-day subs have one of the most important roles in the district, as they are often called upon due to an unexpected absence. This role also requires flexibility and a positive attitude, since the substitute teacher may have little previous understanding of the school, the classroom dynamics, or the particular strengths and needs of the students. In acknowledgement of the key skills required to successfully support such a broad range of students and school communities, we have designed a special training just for new day-to-day subs.
Please click here to learn more!
Extended-Term Substitute Teachers
Extended-term substitute (ETS) teachers function as primary teachers for an extended period of time, due to an anticipated long-term teacher absence. An ETS teacher assumes the same essential duties as they would if they were serving as a licensed teacher (planning lessons, monitoring student progress, communicating with parents, etc.). For this reason, ETS teachers participate in the same professional development activities as licensed teachers. This includes the Welcome-to-CPS Teacher Orientation, which will take place from Wednesday August 21st to Friday August 23rd (please click here for more information). This three-day orientation will equip new ETS teachers with the information and resources they need to confidently step in for the absent teacher and get the school year off to a successful start. ETS teachers will be paid at their hourly rate for attending this orientation.
Building Substitute Teachers
Building subs play a critical utility role in the buildings to which they are assigned. When a teacher is temporarily absent the building sub is often the first person to be considered for short-term classroom coverage. They are full members of the school community and must prioritize relationship-building and an understanding of school routines and protocols as their first order of business. To prepare for the school year, we invite our new building subs to participate in a one-day orientation alongside our newly-hired paraprofessionals on Monday, August 26th (Please click here for more information). Building substitutes will be paid at their hourly rate for attending this orientation.
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