Implementing & Evaluating
It should be recognized that people are not always good at assessing what they have learned or its usefulness. Many studies show that teachers (and administrators) sometimes evaluate specific professional development experiences positively but do not change their practices. One reason for this is that there is seldom an evaluation of a professional development experiences that focuses on changes in student learning. Nonetheless, knowing how useful the professional development program has been or is in a school will help improvement teams anticipate the readiness of teachers to pursue new directions and the priority that might be placed on such initiatives. Thus, the final design principle for professional development deals with the evaluation.
Evaluation of professional development should incorporate multiple sources of information on (a) outcomes for students and (b) the instruction and other processes that are involved in implementing the lessons learned.
One can think of the typical PD plan as have two parts. The first part involves the preparation needed to acquire the new skills and knowledge needed to enact the improvements scheduled for implementation. This may involve workshops, intensive sessions and other activities prior to initiating the new practice. But, it is certain that this will not be sufficient. Even when teachers feel that they have sufficient expertise to move forward, actual experiences will often surface things not well understood or that need adaptation. Moreover, when the initial professional development leads to improvements in student learning, teachers will want to know how to take their success to a higher level. Thus, the second part of the professional development plan anticipates on-going support for professional learning in the context of collaborative problem solving and encompasses three distinct but interrelated activities—action, assessment, and additional learning. These processes go on continuously as the program that is the focus of professional development is implemented. In other words, professional development becomes an integral part of program implementation providing new opportunities for teachers to learn as they assess, formally and informally, the effect of the new program on student learning.
If efforts to improve teacher expertise do not result in improved student learning , the professional development program being implemented may need to be revised. This may call for a less intensive version of the professional development cycle described in this Step of the KEYS-CSI process.
If modifications in teacher learning lead to enhanced expertise but do not lead to improvement in student learning, changes in the target program may be necessary. Of course, improvements in student learning set the stage for further improvements; this is the expected condition. Continuous school improvement involves both the continuous improvement of professional expertise and the evolution of programs and practices.
If program revision is needed, the collaborative problem solving phase (Step Five) of the KEYS-CSI process is engaged. Often this leads to small changes that modify common practice and require no change in policy. In fewer cases, more substantial changes are required.
To learn more about evaluating professional development, CLICK HERE [link 6m]
Evaluation of professional development should incorporate multiple sources of information on (a) outcomes for students and (b) the instruction and other processes that are involved in implementing the lessons learned.
One can think of the typical PD plan as have two parts. The first part involves the preparation needed to acquire the new skills and knowledge needed to enact the improvements scheduled for implementation. This may involve workshops, intensive sessions and other activities prior to initiating the new practice. But, it is certain that this will not be sufficient. Even when teachers feel that they have sufficient expertise to move forward, actual experiences will often surface things not well understood or that need adaptation. Moreover, when the initial professional development leads to improvements in student learning, teachers will want to know how to take their success to a higher level. Thus, the second part of the professional development plan anticipates on-going support for professional learning in the context of collaborative problem solving and encompasses three distinct but interrelated activities—action, assessment, and additional learning. These processes go on continuously as the program that is the focus of professional development is implemented. In other words, professional development becomes an integral part of program implementation providing new opportunities for teachers to learn as they assess, formally and informally, the effect of the new program on student learning.
If efforts to improve teacher expertise do not result in improved student learning , the professional development program being implemented may need to be revised. This may call for a less intensive version of the professional development cycle described in this Step of the KEYS-CSI process.
If modifications in teacher learning lead to enhanced expertise but do not lead to improvement in student learning, changes in the target program may be necessary. Of course, improvements in student learning set the stage for further improvements; this is the expected condition. Continuous school improvement involves both the continuous improvement of professional expertise and the evolution of programs and practices.
If program revision is needed, the collaborative problem solving phase (Step Five) of the KEYS-CSI process is engaged. Often this leads to small changes that modify common practice and require no change in policy. In fewer cases, more substantial changes are required.
To learn more about evaluating professional development, CLICK HERE [link 6m]