GCN-G1 - Professional Growth Handbook
SECTION G Guidelines: Personnel
Basic Assumptions
In this document, “teacher” refers to all professional educators.
On-going professional growth and development is a necessary and vital process throughout the career of all educators.
Teachers invest much time and effort to ensure that a climate for student growth exists in their classrooms. It is equally important that teachers make a similar investment in their own personal and professional growth.
A professional development policy separate from evaluation offers teachers and administrators the best possibility of real professional growth.
Administrators have a responsibility to support and assist their staff in professional growth and development.
Teachers can benefit from a climate in which they are free to try new ideas and methods in an open secure atmosphere in which they can take risks.
Professional Growth can best be enhanced through a collegial support system that values growth activities and provides moral support for teachers.
Professional Growth is most effective when ownership is the responsibility of the individual teacher.
Growth Activities should build upon the strengths, interests and talents of each teacher and must be consistent with the plans and priorities of the school and division.
Teachers have the responsibility for collecting and sharing data pertaining to their professional growth.
Goals of the Professional Growth Process
To improve student learning.
To facilitate opportunities for teachers to expand and diversify their professional practice.
To foster a collaborative atmosphere within Prairie Spirit so that ideas, concerns and new methods can be shared.
To promote job satisfaction by recognizing teachers’ responsibility for their professional development.
To improve classroom instruction by allowing and encouraging work with colleagues to develop new and better classroom strategies/course materials without fear of failure and /or evaluation.
To promote a climate of working together with fellow teachers and administrators to improve education in Prairie Spirit.
To facilitate the professional growth of teachers and administrators by formally encouraging the writing of professional growth plans, sharing the outcome of the growth plans and recognizing efforts and achievements.
To encourage each teacher and administrator to become a coach, mentor, and supporter of better ideas, methods, and risk taking.
To encourage groups to address educational challenges and develop divisional strategies through input and discussion with other educators.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Roles and Responsibilities of Teachers
Teachers are most aware of their individual and professional growth needs.
Teachers are committed to their professional growth.
To this end, teachers will:
reflect on their needs, goals and objectives.
become knowledgeable of different alternatives to professional growth.
familiarize themselves with school and divisional plans and philosophy.
develop a plan for professional growth.
meet with their school administrator in September to establish and review the written plan.
consult with coach/mentor when appropriate.
implement plan
engage in on-going reflection.
review and assess plan and complete annual summary.
reflect on accomplishments and future needs.
celebrate and share the growth.
Roles and Responsibilities of School Administrators
Administrators must play a major role in initiating, developing, implementing and sustaining a professional growth model.
Administrators must have a working knowledge of the whole model.
There must be acceptance to the fact that the goal of this model is to improve instruction and to promote the personal and professional growth of teachers.
To this end, administrators will:
actively engage in developing a climate that will promote professional growth.
authentically model this professional growth model.
attempt to provide resources, financial and otherwise, which will enable teachers to enter this system with the assurance of support.
enable teachers to meet their goals.
be prepared to provide clear and specific feedback to the teacher.
Document the completion of professional growth plans and be prepared to share this documentation with the superintendent.
Roles and Responsibilities of Superintendent and Trustees
Superintendent
Superintendents recognize and value the positive educational importance of the professional growth model.
Superintendents must have a working knowledge of the various professional growth alternatives.
To this end, Superintendents will:
model professional growth.
support and provide means to deliver divisional professional development in-service opportunities for administrators and teaching staff.
Trustees
Trustees support the concept of on-going, authentic professional development.
Trustees will continue to encourage and promote professional growth opportunities amongst educators.
To this end, Trustees will:
participate actively in in-service opportunities which are consistent with the requirements of the professional growth model.
share with the Board the experiences of these opportunities.
support the Superintendents in their desire to provide a collegial and supportive atmosphere central to the professional growth model.
GETTING STARTED
In order to ensure that the process is successful and rewarding, the following timelines will be followed. If in certain circumstances this is not possible, an alternate time-line will be established between the teacher and administrator.
Before completing their individual professional growth plans for the year, it is important that the teacher review the most current division priorities deployment plan and the school plan.
Principals or designate make a copy of this document and share it with their teacher. File name should be
lastnamefirstname progrowth year
Section A of the of the document is used to describe your professional growth target for the year. This must be related to one of the priority areas. The professional growth plan (Parts 1,2,3) is completed by the end of September. The remaining part of Section B (Part 4) is completed by end of January and end of April.
Section C of the document is used to describe a second goal that may or may not be related to our priorities. This is an option for staff.
This document may be shared with the division office for the purpose of planning for PD activity.
Your professional growth plan is a thoughtful, written statement describing your intended professional growth over a period of time, usually over a school year. A growth plan must include clear Goals, Objectives, and Indicators. These 3 Essential Elements along with the following Critical Attributes must be included within the planning and writing of any growth plan.
The focus of the plan is the professional growth of the teacher.
The goals and objectives are related to the enterprise of teaching and learning and consistent with the priorities of the school and division.
The teacher is responsible for the plan.
The plan is achievable within realistic timelines.
You select the area(s) for professional growth; you decide the outcomes and the activities to achieve these outcomes. Before finalizing your growth plan, you must consider the resources and their availability. This includes the types of coaching relationships needed to accomplish specific outcomes.
Choosing SMART Goals
Reflection on your teaching practice and the Division Priorities are important in the development of your growth plan. You need to know where you are before you can decide where you want to be, and how you plan to get there. Reflecting on recent Divisional data is always useful.
Writing Your Plan
Once you have determined an area for professional growth, your plan is to be shared with your administrator. It should be discussed thoroughly so that there is a common understanding of what you are trying to achieve and the kinds of support required to assure success.
The Three Essential Elements
Goals – Where am I? Where do I want to be?
Your goal is an expression of specific direction and purpose. It may be of short or long term duration.
To learn to adapt my instruction in mathematics for highly able learners.
To modify content and my method of instruction in order to meet the needs of highly able learners in mathematics.
Objectives – How will I get there?
Objectives are specific, observable statements that outline what you expect to do to reach your goal.
I will:
work with a mentor to explore thinking skills and differentiated instruction;
attend inservices on thinking skills and differentiated instruction;
adapt content within the units: Quadratic Equations and Transformational Graphing, in consultation with colleagues over the course of the year.
Indicators – How will I know I have achieved my objectives and my goal?
Indicators are behaviors, events or activities that show that the objectives have or are being accomplished.
Indicators should make reference to observable effects on your teaching practice as well as observable effects on student learning.
My mentor is …
The dates for inservice sessions are as follows …
Increased student engagement in learning as measured by teacher observation and student feedback
Completion of modifications to content in the two units specified
The Five Critical Attributes
Is the focus of the plan the professional growth of the teacher?
Are the goals of the plan related to the enterprise of teaching and learning and consistent with the priorities of the school and division?
Does the teacher own the plan?
Is the plan achievable within realistic timelines?
Will it improve student learning?
If the answer to these five questions is yes and the teacher is able to articulate:
What is the learning involved for the teacher? and
How will this impact on student learning and achievement?
Then the teacher may proceed with the growth plan.
Implementing Your Plan
Reflection and self-evaluation go on throughout the implementation of the Growth Plan.
Note: These are suggestions. The steps will vary depending upon individual plans.
Steps to consider in implementation are:
starting your plan
reflecting upon the process and new information you are gathering
modifying your strategies as necessary
sharing your insights, concerns and questions
other
Methods you can use to gather information to support your plan:
observation
interviews/questionnaires
standardized/teacher-made tests
feedback instruments
self-evaluation
feedback from coach/students/colleagues/parents
work samples – portfolio
professional reading
other
Ways to record your findings:
Anecdotal
photos
blog
Emails. Shared documents
other
Some resources that are available:
school and division office professional libraries
professional journals, such as Educational Leadership
colleagues, division office staff, consultants from MB. Education
universities and community colleges
Self-evaluation…a time of reflection
At the end of the timeline for your professional growth plan, you will meet with your administrator to share what you did and what you learned. The purpose of this reflective discussion is …to improve the dialogue about teaching and learning in our schools that enables us to have common goals, take collective actions and study the effects on student learning. *
Since the professional growth plan is an ongoing process, this discussion could also be a point of departure for future professional growth.
You may request that a copy of your growth plan be included in your divisional personnel file.
On the completion of your growth plan, celebrate your achievement. Share your learning. Communicating what you have learned allows you to consolidate your learning and to contribute to the learning of others.
You may want to:
Share with your coach and/or your administrator. Ask for feedback.
Make a display: anything from the books you have read to a bulletin board of photos, students’ work, or your objectives and your outcomes.
Discuss your learning with your colleagues, grade group, study group, students, parents, community.
Develop and present a workshop for your school, or for a wider audience of educators.
Write up your learning for publication in a newsletter
Share your findings at a school or divisional meeting
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What does the administrator’s signature on my growth plan mean?
Your administrator has discussed your growth plan with you and it meets the criteria for a plan.
Must I place a copy of my growth plan and my self-evaluation in my personnel file at the Board Office?
Placing a copy of your growth plan and any self-evaluation in your personnel file at the Board Office is entirely your option and will be done only if you request it.
Does my growth plan begin in September and end in June?
September-June will likely be a common timeline because it is the school year. Since professional growth is a continuous process, growth plans can start and end at any time; some plans may last only a couple of months, others may last more than a year.
Will my evaluation be negatively affected if I encounter difficulties in attaining the goals of my growth plan?
No, the growth plan is intended to facilitate professional growth; it is not the product. Your own reflection on the results of your growth plan signifies your learning process. Learning and growth occur from failure as well as from success.
How many goals should I have in my growth plan?
You may have as many or as few goals as you can comfortably manage. The focus is on the quality of professional growth. Only the first goal must be clearly aligned with the Division priorities.
What should I do if my administrator does not agree with my growth plan?
The growth plan is your plan. The administrator may question the absence of the Essential Elements and Critical Attributes. These must be part of your plan. If your plan meets these requirements, the administrator may only seek clarification.
I teach at two schools. Do I have two growth plans?
No, you will only make one growth plan each year.
If I work in more than one school, may I choose the administrator with whom I will discuss my growth plan?
Yes, but you will inform all administrators with whom you work of your choice. Documentation will be kept by that administrator.
What is the role of the divisional administrator/coordinator with respect to the growth plan for specialist teachers?
Specialists, such as Resource Teachers or Reading Recovery Teachers, may consult with division administrators/coordinators in the formulation of growth plans, but specialists will discuss their plans with school administrators. Where appropriate, principals may consult with division administrators.
With whom will school administrators and division office administrators/ coordinators share their growth plans?
School and division office administrators/coordinators will share their growth plans with the Superintendent.