Goals : Maintain a Highly Qualified and Effective School Staff Aligned with Goal II of the District Strategic Plan Coordinate Professional Development throughout the District to Maximize Use of Resources Supporting Goal I of the District Strategic Plan (implementation of District and School Improvement Plans) Enhance and Maximize Student Achievement Aligned with Goal I of the District Strategic Plan Provide Staff with the Required Skills to Implement Required Programs with Fidelity and Expertise Supporting Goal I of the District Strategic Plan (ex. Implementation of the District Reading Plan)

Beth Mims Executive Director of Curriculum Ph: 850-926-0065 Fax: 850-926-0123 Email Beth Mims

Master Inservice Plan :
Wakulla County Schools contracts with the Panhandle Area Education Consortium (PAEC) for preparation and maintenance of its state-approved Master Inservice Plan.  Members of the PAEC Professional Development Council, which includes representatives from each member district, meet quarterly to discuss needs and determine financially responsible ways to meet those needs in each district.  The Master Inservice Plan is updated annually and used as the foundation for each district's Professional Development System.

Description :
The Wakulla County School District Professional Development system is designed around the four areas of the Florida Professional Development Evaluation Protocol - Planning, Delivery, Follow-up, and Evaluation. 

Planning :
Planning occurs at the faculty, school, and district levels.  At the faculty level teachers participate in the creation of their Individual Professional Development Plans.  They look at data from previous students and for incoming students and determine needs and goals based on this data.  Principals review plans with teachers and look at Professional Development needs based on the information in these plans. 

School Improvement Plans and goals are generated based on student achievement data.  These plans include Professional Development needs that must be met in order to meet the identified needs of students.  This information is included in school and district plans for Professional Development.

In addition, a Needs Assessment is given each year.  The information from the Needs Assessment is tabulated and reviewed at the school and district level.  Needs are categorized and prioritized.  Plans for Professional Development include the information gained from the Needs Assessment.

Principals, District-level Administrators, and teacher representatives meet quarterly as the Professional Development Council to review needs and plan for Professional Development offering based on identified needs.  A Professional Development Calendar is kept and updated throughout the year to reflect the Professional Development offerings.

Delivery :
Delivery occurs at the faculty, school, and district levels.  Individual faculty members are matched with appropriate trainings to address needs as identified in their Individual Professional Development Plans.  Individual Professional Development Activities may address orientation or certification needs, identified needs based on student data or principal observation, and/or program needs.  These trainings may include content-specific conferences, trainings provided by FDLRS, ISRD, PAEC, DOE, or other educational entities.  They may also include participation is school or district offered courses. Online courses are utilized to enhance the district's ability to provide relevant and timely professoinal development. 

School-level Professional Development offerings are based on needs identified in multiple Individual Professional Development Plans, needs noted in the School Improvement Plan, support for district or state initiatives, and/or program needs.  District-level Professional Development offerings are planned as a result of needs identified in one or more schools, one or more programs, and/or district or state initiatives.

Training is delivered in a variety of ways.  While the face-to-face workshop is still the most popular delivery method, web-based and broadcast professional development are being utilized more widely.  Teachers and administrators are trained in "Train-the-Trainer" models so that ongoing support is available at the school and district level. 

Many offices at the district level organize training for teachers.  An organizational chart outlining the different areas of oversight regarding Professional Development may be accessed here.

All trainers are required to adhere to the National Council of Staff Development Standards.  The Professional Development office strives to assure that all training is relevant, engaging, and research-based.  A variety of sources are used to determine the research-base of training, one of which is the Florida Center for Reading Research. 

Follow-up :
Follow-up is seen as a critical piece of the Wakulla Professional Development System.  Teachers are required to implement training before receiving credit.  Resources are provided (instructor emails, on-site trainers, Reading Coaches, administrative support, Professional Development office support) to assist the teachers with implementation.  Many courses require the completion of a follow-up reflection piece in the district on-line management system.  This reflection is viewed and responded to by the instructor and/or the responsible administrator.

Follow-up training is always a priority.  Whenever possible multiple sessions are held to allow teachers to interact, revisit concepts, and sustain learning.  Action research is encouraged, and the building of learning communities is a priority.

Evaluation :
Evaluation of the district, school, and faculty Professional Development is ongoing.  Each individual is required to complete an online Evaluation of the course taken before credit is awarded.  These evaluations are viewed by school and district administrators.  They are also reviewed by the Professional Development Council.  When problems are noted the course is revised or dropped from the list of offerings. 

Principals review Individual Professional Development Plans with teachers at least once prior to the end of each year.  By looking at a variety of data they determine if the professional development and student achievement goals of the teacher have been met.

At the end of each face-to-face training a paper-pencil evaluation is completed (see Forms section of the Staff Development Notebook).  This provides the Professional Development deliverer with immediate feedback on the relevance of the course, the engagement of the participants, and any lingering questions that must be addressed.  These evaluations are reviewed by the instructor and the school and/or district administrator.  Changes to course content, pacing, materials, location, delivery format, etc. may result from these evaluations.

The district commitment to relevant and engaging Professional Development that positively affects student achievement requires that we look at the impact of each course offered. A part of this review includes the analysis of student data for individual teachers, schools, and the district as a whole.  When programs/trainings are found to be unproductive they are modified or dropped from district course offerings.

Management :
The district contracts with PAEC for participation in the electronic Professional Development Connections (ePDC).  This online management system allows administrators to create and retrieve courses, manage attendance, follow-up, and course completion, address the requirements of HOUSSE, email participants, align course offerings with teacher needs, and document implementation and impact of training in classrooms.  It also allows teachers to have ready and immediate access to their personal records.

The Curriculum/Staff Development Office also maintains a staff development folder on every teacher in the district.  Transcripts of college courses taken, score reports from subject-area exams, points banked prior to July, 2005, progress toward endorsements, and other pertinent information are kept in these files.