PROFESSIONAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES | Policy Manual

4242 - PROFESSIONAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

The Board believes that study is a prerequisite for professional growth of staff and, therefore, encourages the participation of support staff members in in-service and other training programs.

The District Administrator shall plan programs of staff development for support staff members. Such staff development programs should be designed to address the professional development needs of staff members who are working at a particular level, involved in a particular course or subject, or need to be prepared for a new assignment. The development plan should be designed to meet the needs of staff members or curriculum areas in each school.

The District Administrator shall annually establish and oversee the implementation of a comprehensive professional development plan in order to provide learning and development opportunities for the District’s staff, including administrators. The comprehensive plan shall be established and updated collaboratively with the assistance of support staff, instructional staff, and administrative staff.

Whenever feasible, principals should participate with their staff members in order to ensure better follow-up and support.

Support staff members are expected to comply with the Professional Development Plan requirements of their license and provide timely verification of progress towards fulfilling this responsibility.

Primary goals of the District’s plan for professional development and the activities pursued under the plan include the following:

Improving instruction and learning opportunities for District students;
Fostering a shared and clear sense of mission, goals and priorities within the District;
Sharing and disseminating institutional knowledge and internal successes;
Providing exposure to ideas, research, and expertise from outside of the District;
Assessing and evaluating District programs;
Building internal capacity for leadership, change, and innovation;
Enhancing technical skills and knowledge;
Providing for the orientation, induction, and support of individuals who have recently obtained licensure in education and/or who are newly employed by the District;
Enabling consistent compliance with District policies and relevant legal requirements; and
Fostering a commitment toward continuous professional learning and personal development.

In particular years, or as applied to particular staff positions, the professional development plan and activities pursued under the plan may focus primarily on one or several of the above goals.

The professional development programming that is provided in the District shall be managed and delivered at various levels, including District-wide programming, building-based programming, and programming that is specific to particular functions, skills, or subjects. The plan shall also include components that allow means for the identification and pursuit of individualized activities that focus on an employee’s professional needs, goals, and interests. Such individualized components may be coordinated, for example, through formative personnel evaluations and assessments, through individual goal-setting activities, or through processes related to licensure.

The District Administrator shall regularly inform the Board regarding the annual development, review, and implementation of the professional development plan for staff.