Overview
Welcome to Professional Development
Overview of Professional Development.
Professional learning is not an option; rather it is our responsibility.
Professional Development empowers Council Rock staff with the knowledge and skills to prepare the children of today to become contributing members of the world community tomorrow. Through a technologically integrated program, Council Rock leads teachers in the implementation of best practices and the use of technology to support instruction and to promote student achievement.
Council Rock is a community of learners, with a strong partnership among administrators, teachers, support staff, students, and parents. The district is led by an administration and school board who provide release time and guest teacher coverage to enable staff to participate in district sponsored workshops, as well as outside conferences sponsored by professional organizations. Workshops are also available to staff after the school day. With this supportive structure in place, teachers can continue to grow as lifelong learners. Teachers are also encouraged to collaborate as a means of enhancing content knowledge and professional development. This ongoing learning and collaboration serves as a model to our students, who see that all members of the Council Rock community continue to learn and to share individual areas of expertise with one another.
The professional development program is designed to develop an understanding of what teachers in Council Rock need to know, understand, and be able to do in order to impact student achievement. Programming is based on the work of Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching and focuses on the following key concepts:
- Essential Elements of Instruction
- Differentiated Instruction
- Using Formative Assessment
- Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
- Literacy Strategies Across the Curriculum
- Technology Integration
- Professional Learning Communities
Council Rock staff has the opportunity to continue to develop as lifelong learners by attending one or more of the following staff development options: a teacher induction program, a district professional development program, a curriculum focused program, a technology program, and/or out of school conferences.
Participation in the district’s professional development program fosters continuous improvement and establishes a vehicle for ongoing collegial dialogue. Each program is research-based, has clearly defined goals and objectives, and is designed to increase student achievement. The school and summer programs are coordinated by the district staff development department and the district curriculum coordinators. These individuals coordinate planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of workshops and programs that provide opportunities for professional staff to master new skills.
Peer coaching, collegial coaching, and instructional supervision are provided to support the participants in the achievement of these competencies. Multiple assessment approaches are used to determine the degree to which these competencies are achieved. These assessment approaches include: portfolios, formal and informal observations, product development, and oral and written feedback.
Education is the ability to think clearly, act well in the world of work and to appreciate life. Brigham Young