YORKTOWN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Contents

Introduction

Overview of Staff Development

District Goals

Statement of Assurances

Needs Assessment Sources

District Resources

Introduction

The Professional Development Plan Committee is composed of the following representatives:

Dr. Robert Van Zanten - Superintendent
Carol Ross - Assistant Superintendent
Ronald DelMoro - Elementary Principal
Linda Grimm - Middle School Assistant Principal
Robert Faigle - YCT President, High School Teacher
Arnold Schwartz - Middle School Teacher
Jill Proskin - Elementary Teacher
Anne Voll - Elementary Teacher
Gordon Baptiste - High School Teacher
Louis DeFranza - High School Teacher
Sheryl Goldberg - Middle School Teacher
Lynn Joyce - Elementary Teacher
Bruce Peterson - Elementary Teacher
Dr. Bessie Ford - Mercy College
Christopher White - Director of Educational Technology
Debi Cagliostro - Teacher on Special Assignment: Staff Development
Roberta Miller - Parent
Sherri Hughes - Parent

In developing this Professional Development Plan, input was sought from staff through channels already in existence in the district, rather than developing building staff development teams. Representatives from each of the district's six schools participated, ensuring that each school was represented.

For the past six years, a District Curriculum Cycle has guided the curriculum work of the district. This document projects for three years the curriculum work to be done in the district. In developing the Curriculum Cycle, student performance data is analyzed, the changes resulting from the Standards are considered, local curricular needs are identified, and results from biennial needs assessments are collated. Funds for curricular and staff development in identified areas are then allocated.

On the building level, input on district initiatives is incorporated into the development of the Curriculum Cycle. In each building, the principal and faculty meet to provide this input and to develop building and grade level initiatives as well. Grade level initiatives are developed and implemented between elementary schools housing the same grade levels. Funds for curriculum development and staff development activities are allocated from a central district budget.

The district Staff Development Team, representative of all buildings and with support staff, teacher and administrative participation, coordinates staff development programs within the district. The programs presented are drawn from needs identified at grade levels in the building and in the district. These programs are provided during the school day, after school, or on Saturdays, for which staff members are either paid at an hourly rate or receive salary credit.

Through its Staff Development Team, the district is affiliated with the Putnam/Northern Westchester Teacher Center which also assists in the offering of staff development opportunities.

This district structure provides the mechanism for identifying staff development needs and developing appropriate responses. The details of staff development opportunities are provided in the overview which follows.

Overview of Staff Development

The Yorktown Central School District Staff Development Program is designed to respond to needs identified on the basis of student performance and teacher input about instructional needs. The program provides training and practice for teachers in the field which will result in enhanced teaching and learning. The district-wide Staff Development team receives input from various sources and uses it to ensure that appropriate opportunities for staff development are available.

Staff development is available to teachers through two channels: resources provided from within the district and resources provided by agencies outside the district. Internal sources include an extensive staff orientation program for teachers new to the profession and new to the district. This staff orientation program includes a significant instructional component designed to help teachers who are new to the profession to make speedy and effective adjustments to their new positions. This training, which has included Saphier training, has been provided in part by our local BOCES and by the district itself.

Mentoring of new teachers by experienced teachers provides another avenue through which new teachers may improve their skills with resources available from within the district. In August, before school starts, a three-day orientation program is held during which new teachers are made aware of district policies, practices and procedures. Information on district curriculum and professional development initiatives is also discussed. Activities on one of the three days take place in the individual school buildings, where the teacher, the principal and the mentor of the new faculty member have an opportunity to plan for the opening of school and to organize the classroom.

Building mentors volunteer to work one-to-one with new staff members. The mentors are available to work with their new teachers before the opening of school and throughout the school year.

The Yorktown Congress of Teachers also provides mentoring to new staff in areas of district policies, benefits, and professional development through various NYSUT offerings.

During their second and third years, newer staff members are encouraged to take the Saphier program on "Effective Teaching" at district expense.

The district has also come to rely upon a number of faculty specialists with varied fields of expertise, to provide specialized training targeted to needs of particular teachers or groups of teachers. In some instances, like integrating technology across the curricula, these training opportunities are coordinated on a district-wide basis. In other cases, more focused efforts have followed the "best practices" model on a grade level or departmental basis.

Our teacher contract provides for a Professional Improvement Program funded by the district, which allows teachers to self-select on the basis of their own individual needs and interests, various educational opportunities including curriculum workshops, regional, state and national conferences, professional course work and seminars, etc. These activities are funded by the Board of Education to promote broad-based involvement among the professional staff.

Periodically our district conducts Superintendent's Conference days during which specific activities are introduced to promote staff development around themes or specific district-wide goals. On these conference days, school principals and central office administrators play a leadership role in helping to articulate directions for the district, and provide forums for the development of instructional methodology.

Peer coaching, particularly in the form of mentoring of new teachers, is another method which our school district favors in helping to elevate the skill levels of teachers. Specific peer coaching activities are developed when appropriate to advance school-wide and district-wide instructional goals. A considerable amount of one-on-one work of this type occurs.

Our Staff Development team also plans, develops and coordinates in-house courses for salary credit or hourly pay, often taught by faculty members, to help provide a balanced spectrum of staff development opportunities to all teachers. Principals often use faculty meetings for the purpose of advancing teaching competencies, sometimes with the assistance of outside consultants.

Resources from outside the district which teachers are encouraged to utilize, and for which they may receive compensation, include exploration of online resources, visitations to other schools, additional college coursework, attendance at conferences and seminars, participation in the Teacher Center supported by our local BOCES, and participation in workshops and seminars both as attendees and presenters.

We estimate that through these varied channels and opportunities, on the average, each teacher spends between 25 and 30 hours per year engaged in staff development activity.

At least annually, the Staff Development team re-evaluates its goals and objectives and assesses the effectiveness of these staff development activities in meeting district needs. Various needs assessment sources are used in this process. These include the school report card, BEDS data, the CAR report, student performance on standardized and locally developed tests, comparisons of student performance with statewide benchmarks, teacher surveys and self-assessments, curriculum surveys and parental input. Each year adjustments are made as we continuously endeavor to provide opportunities that will have the greatest positive effect on student performance, instruction and teacher competence throughout the grades.

Our staff development program is also the object of ongoing informal evaluation based on anecdotal reports by teachers to their principals. The principals, informed by input of this kind, are able to work in conjunction with teachers to promote the most productive evolution of the staff development program. The review process is cyclical and dynamic. As we work toward goals, we are constantly refining those goals and seeking to improve the methods which we employ to achieve them. As we go forward, the feedback loop is completed, and mid-course corrections, where necessary, are made promptly and efficiently.

A graphic model of the Yorktown Central School District Staff Development process follows, in the form of the letter "Y."

DISTRICT GOALS

2000-2002

Summary

In the winter of 2000, a needs assessment was completed by faculty members, K-12. On all grade levels, the following goals were identified as priority areas:

1. Integration of technology into the curriculum
   
2. Differentiation of instruction
   
3. Continued implementation of new standards and assessments
   
4. Developing tolerance and appreciating diversity

Developing the critical thinking skills of students was also identified as an area of need. Approaches to this have been incorporated in the four goals listed above.

Goal 1

To enable teachers at all grade levels to effectively integrate technology into the curriculum as appropriate to the NY State Standards.

1. be familiar with basic computer operations
2. communicate effectively utilizing e-mail, word processing and desktop publishing
3. gather data and information from global and local sources including the internet, electronic library, databases and information systems
4. use CD-ROM and other interactive software packages in classroom instruction
5. integrate technology and standards of information literacy into student learning environments and learning opportunities
6. use technology for student record-keeping, curriculum management and assessment
7. prepare presentations incorporating words, images and sounds using multimedia
8. design and develop internet web pages in accordance with district policies
9. be trained in software evaluation so that they may participate on district software selection committee.

Strategies:

1. Summer academies will be provided for teachers, administrators and support staff.
2. After school course offerings will be implemented during the school year.
3. At the completion of summer academies or course offerings, evaluation forms will be completed by participants, reviewed by the Director of Technology, and modifications made in the offerings as appropriate.
4. Teachers will be provided with opportunities to attend technology conferences. Information that they obtain from these conferences will be posted on the internet so as to be available for other faculty members.
5. A catalogue of online learning opportunities will be developed and made accessible to staff.
6. Library/media specialists will work with building staff to integrate technology into specific curricular areas.
7. The district software selection committee will meet regularly to evaluate and recommend software purchases based upon a rubric designed for this evaluation.

Evaluation:

1. Teachers and students will demonstrate use of technology in their classrooms through classroom observations, portfolios and/or other evaluative mechanisms.
2. Library/media specialists will maintain portfolios of successful curricular lessons and activities utilizing technology.
3. Software purchased will be evaluated through teacher feedback.

Goal 2

To expand the implementation of differentiated instruction throughout the district, K-12.

1. By June 2001, all of the K-6 staff will have received training in differentiated instruction.
   
2. By June 2002, practices in differentiated instruction will be fully implemented in the K-6 schools.
   
3. By June 2002, 20% of the 7-12 staff will be trained in the use of Socratic Seminar techniques for differentiating instruction.
4. By June 2002, additional 7-12 staff members will engage in training/ experiences in differentiated instruction.

Strategies:

1. Training and coaching of members of K-6 faculties by Enrichment Specialist and/or Teacher on Special Assignment during the school day.
2. Use of consultant to provide training in Socratic Seminar for members of 7-12 faculty. These staff members will serve as turnkey trainers for other 7-12 teachers.
   
3. Teacher on Special Assignment will work with these trainers to assist/coach in the use of Socratic Seminar.
4. Provide funding for teams of teachers and individual teachers to attend relevant conferences, seminars and workshops. Participants will be expected to share information at grade level and/or faculty meetings and create a plan for integrating the information into classroom strategies.
   
5. Teachers, district specialists, and administrators will partner in developing curriculum using differentiated instructional strategies.

Evaluation:

1. By June 2001, appropriate curriculum binders will be developed containing effective principles of differentiated instruction, shared across grade levels, and forwarded to the District Staff Development Team and the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction to be incorporated into appropriate curriculum binders. Additions to the binders will be provided to all relevant teaching staff.
   
2. During the 2001-2002 school year, units will be implemented and student work examined to determine whether units are effective or need revision.
   
3. Staff members who have been trained in Socratic Seminar will create packets containing text/documents used in the seminars, as well as the essential questions addressed and samples of the follow-up student work.
   
4. These packets will be shared with departments and with the District Staff Development Team.

Goal 3

To ensure that teachers maintain in-depth understanding of local and state standards, benchmarks and assessments.

1. To effectively examine student work for diagnostic as well as instructional planning purposes.
   
2. To develop and use instructional strategies to directly link curriculum with standards and assessments.
   
3. To understand and develop multiple assessment measures to provide evidence of student growth.
   
4. To encourage special area teachers to utilize instructional strategies and multiple assessments which are comparable with those used by general classroom teachers.
   
5. To enable secondary teachers to prepare and utilize strategies and assessments appropriate to the new secondary assessments as they are phased in.
   
6. To assist teachers in further understanding critical thinking skills and how to integrate them into the curriculum.

Strategies:

1. Encourage teachers to attend conferences and workshops to learn about the examination of student work and its use in instructional planning.
   
2. Use faculty and grade level meetings to share student work and grade level planning.
   
3. Provide relevant training in the use of instructional strategies.
   
4. Provide ongoing training in the use of multiple assessments and allow time for grade levels to develop local assessments as needed.
   
5. Incorporate special area teachers in all training programs in instructional strategies and multiple measures.
6. Provide secondary teachers with opportunities to attend conferences and workshops prior to the phasing in of each new assessment.
   
7. Utilize department meetings to develop and share instructional strategies and local measurements for each new state assessment.
   
8. Provide opportunities for teachers to attend conferences and workshops on critical thinking strategies and share this information with grade levels and departments.
   
9. Work with consultants in the district with a focus on critical thinking.

Evaluation:

1. At grade level meetings and/or faculty meetings, student work will be examined and used in curriculum planning.
   
2. Teachers will demonstrate through classroom observations, portfolios and/or other evaluative means, varied instructional strategies which link curriculum with state standards.
   
3. Teachers will incorporate multiple measures of assessment, including local assessment tools, in developing curriculum units.
   
4. Secondary teachers will complete training for each new assessment, develop local assessments where appropriate, and compile and share instructional resources.
   
5. Classroom observations, portfolios and other evaluative measures will confirm that teachers have incorporated critical thinking skills into the curriculum.

To enable teachers at all grade levels to effectively integrate the principles of tolerance and an understanding of diversity into the curriculum and the school community.

1. Develop an understanding and a heightened self-awareness around issues of tolerance and diversity.
   
2. Develop skills to facilitate student discussions in classrooms and specific program settings, about tolerance and diversity.
3. Develop techniques to manage classroom situations in a manner that promotes tolerance and appreciation of diversity.
4. Develop strategies to teach about diversity and tolerance within the framework of the curriculum.

Strategies:

1. Staff will be provided with copies of School Board policies that demonstrate the commitment of the district to the principles of tolerance and diversity in the school community.
   
2. Student handbooks will include District policies that refer to tolerance and diversity.
3. Programs currently utilized in the district will be examined and revised, supplemented and updated as necessary. Training will be provided to ensure that all teachers have the required background to appropriately incorporate these programs into the curriculum.
   
4. Teachers will be provided with supplemental training that will include:

1. Anti-bias and conflict resolution methods
2. Procedures for identifying and reporting incidents of racial, religious, age, gender or disability discrimination and/or sexual harassment.
3. Strategies and resources for preventing such incidents from occurring.

1. The Board of Education, school administrators, staff, community members and parents will model the high standards for tolerance and diversity appreciation that they want students to emulate.
   
2. Teachers will explore and use various teaching methods such as cooperative learning, cross-ability grouping and the use of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, to help students experience the values of tolerance and diversity.
   
3. The principles of tolerance and diversity will be woven throughout the school day including extra-curricular activities and after school programs.
   
4. The principles of tolerance and diversity will be taught in specific programs that are developed and designed to meet the district's policy objectives.
   
5. Examine and incorporate tools or methods to pre-assess school climate for tolerance and diversity.

Evaluation:

1. Staff will review the results of the pre-assessment of school climate to compare the baseline for levels of tolerance and diversity to the results of a post-assessment of school climate at the end of the year.
   
2. A multiple assessment approach built into existing programs, and program evaluations for any supplemental training, will be utilized.
   
3. Teachers will demonstrate integration of tolerance and diversity in their classrooms through classroom observations, portfolios and/or other evaluative mechanisms.

4. School District Professional Development Plan

Attachment III: District Resources

What professional development funds, staff resources, external professional development providers, and other human and fiscal resources are available or may be developed in your community?

Identify the internal and external resources you will use to help you meet your goals (check all that apply):

Fiscal resources:

Goals 2000

X Title II - Dwight D. Eisenhower funds

X Teacher Center

X Local Staff Development funding

Staff resources:

X Curriculum developers

X Content specialists

X Exemplary teachers

Providers:

X Institutions of Higher Education

X Teacher Resource Centers

X BOCES (e.g., SCDN, SETRC, BETAC)

Community:

__Major employers

__Community-based organizations

X Parents

Please identify any funds the district has received for professional development which are not used to implement this plan, and why.