A GUIDANCE DOCUMENT FOR THE

SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
INTRODUCTION
This guidance document will support school teams in filling out the plan template for the School
Professional Development Plan. In conjunction with the School Professional Development Plan
Template, the document is designed to lead the School Professional Development Committee
through the development process of a School Professional Development Plan. The school plan
questions will help the School Professional Development Committee think systematically about
the key elements needed to create a quality School Professional Development Plan.

It will be vital as the school committee works on the school professional development plan that
other school and district personnel are invited to provide input. The committee will want to reach
out to staff within the school as well as district level staff such as those involved in curriculum,
and professional development at the district level for assistance and support.

GETTING STARTED
As the school committee develops the plan, it will want to refer to the resource Collaborative Pro-
fessional Learning in School and Beyond: A Toolkit for New Jersey, referred to in this document
as the Toolkit. The Toolkit, developed through a partnership of the New Jersey Department of Ed-
ucation and the NJ Professional Teaching Standards Board with the National Staff Development
Council, is intended to support a new vision of collaborative professional learning in schools. The
Toolkit is being provided to each district as a hard copy and is available online through a pass-
word protected site on the Department of Education (DOE) website. You may get access to the
password protected website by e-mailing a request for the DOE toolkit to teachpd@doe.state.nj.us.

The Toolkit provides helpful information on planning and implementing school-level professional
development. Tools from the toolkit are referenced throughout this guidance document that
can assist the School Professional Development Committee in planning professional develop-
ment. These “tools” include team planning templates; informative articles on professional de-
velopment; protocols for planning and documenting professional learning team meetings; surveys
on professional learning; resources to support the effective use of data, the analysis of student
work, and the creation of formative assessments; information on the evaluation of professional
development;

In each area of this guidance document, there is a subsection entitled Toolkit Support which
suggests tools from the toolkit that can enrich the work of your school committee.

* Please note: A school district with only one school will use the school level planning template as their district plan.
SECTION School Profile

1 The school profile provides a portrait of the school which will be included in the overall district
professional development plan. In Section 1 of the template:

• Fill in the required information on the School Professional Development Plan School
Profile sheet on the template.

• Make sure the overall school plan has a title page that names both the school and the
school district.

SECTION Building a School Professional Development

Plan:
2 A. Reflection
In this section, school committees and staff are asked to reflect on previous professional develop-
ment in the district and school and answer questions about the challenges anticipated this year in
implementing professional development. It will also be very important to see the direct link be-
tween professional development for teachers and results that the school wants for its students.
Please answer the following questions in section 2 A of the School Professional Development Plan
Template:

1. What were the positive aspects of previous professional development opportunities in the
district or school that should be retained and replicated?
2. How did those opportunities address the needs of staff and enhance student learning?
3. Through previous evaluations of the professional development program, has the school
been able to document how professional development is improving teacher practices and
student learning? If yes, describe how the task has been accomplished.
4. How has previous professional learning been aligned to the district and school priorities
and key initiatives and programs?
5. What challenges has the district or school faced in the past in providing professional
development?
6. How will these challenges be addressed in this School Professional Development Plan?

TOOL KIT SUPPORT: These tools will assist with reflection on

previous professional development.

Tool 1.1 Assessment of the current reality of professional development

Tool 1.2 The best staff development is in the workplace, not in a workshop
Tool 3.1 Team learning scenario task
Tool 3.4 Fears and hopes
B. Needs Assessment:
Effective professional development is focused on student learning. Therefore, the needs assess-
ment for professional development should be focused on school-specific student learning needs, as
identified in the school learning goals and other district/school student data.

In Section B of the School Professional Development Template, school committees are asked to
identify the needs-assessment strategies used to identify professional learning needs. The content
of professional development is informed by analyzing student data that can be inclusive of achieve-
ment, demographic, perception and school processes data. In preparation for analyzing a school’s
needs assessment choices the committee is asked to have a discussion with all stakeholders on the
definition of student success measures.

1. What is the school’s definition of student achievement? Please consider the following
questions to guide your discussion: Is it high test scores on standardized tests? Is it im-
provement on local assessments? Or should the definition include other positive student
outcomes such as confidence in academic and social situations, student responsibility
for learning, or the ability to apply new skills to real life situations? What changes in stu-
dent behavior are we trying to create? What will student success look like in our school?
This definition should be developed with input from the entire faculty.
2. Include both the school-based performance data as well as other information identified
as evidence of professional learning needs of staff. These might include formal and in-
formal surveys of teachers, focus groups with teacher teams, team documentation of
goals and outcomes, or other identified needs from other key stakeholders, including
staff, students, parents and community members.
3. Provide a brief narrative of how the school committee is using school-based performance
and other data to drive the professional development needs in the school. Be specific.

TOOL KIT SUPPORT: The following tools may be useful in

performing a quality needs assessment:
Tool 8.1 Types of data available
Tool 8.2 Student data checklist
Tool 8.3 Data analysis protocol (informal)
Tool 8.4 Data analysis protocol (formal)
Tool 8.5 Crafting data summary statements
Tool 8.6 Fishbone diagram
Tool 8.7 Hypothesis-testing record keeping sheet

TOOL KIT SUPPORT: These tools may be valuable for committee

dialogue:
Tool 5.4 Types of data available
Tool 12.1 Backmapping model
Tool 12.3 Break the inservice habit
C. Professional Development Goals for the School:
When developing the goals for a school’s professional development, ensure that these goals derive
from established student learning goal(s), overall district priorities and academic initiatives, and re-
flect needs of staff based on student and teacher needs analysis processes. In Section C of the
School Professional Development Template the school teams is asked to:
1. List the school’s established student learning goals and other learning needs.
These should:
• be based on school district goals;
• be aligned to school improvement plans;
• be based on an analysis of the Needs Assessment Data;
• support enhanced student learning; and
• be measurable and attainable.
2. List your school’s professional development goals. These should be specific,
measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
a. Specific: Be specific about what is to be accomplished
b. Measurable: Identify how the goal will be measured
c. Attainable: Ensure the capacity exists to accomplish the goal
d. Results Based: Identify the benchmarks and outcomes for the goal
e. Time-bound: Set a specific timeframe for completing the goal
3. Provide an explanation of how your professional development goals align with your
school goals.

TOOL KIT SUPPORT: These tools may assist the School

Professional Development Committee and
learning teams with developing professional
development plan goals.

Tool 3.3 Setting goals for learning with a sense of urgency

Tool 9.1 Peeling a standard
Tool 9.8 Teacher research leads to learning, action
Tool 10.1 Sample team plan
Tool 10.2 Team planning template

D. School Professional Development Opportunities

The New Jersey Professional Development Standards provide direction for the process of professional
development. This includes the use of student and school data to identify professional learning pri-
orities, the research to support decision making, the adult learning strategies and protocols that are
used to support the outcomes of the learning, and the collaborative structures that support collective
responsibility for student learning. The Professional Development Standards also provide guidance on
the content of professional development focused on equity, teacher quality, and parent involvement.
 Professional development should
• reflect the Professional Development Standards related to content, process and context
and the Professional Standards for Teachers;
• support the continuing development of professional learning communities;
• be ongoing and job-embedded (e.g. peer coaching, mentoring, classroom walk-through,
teacher collaboration);
• focus on standards-based instruction; and
• make on-going reflection on school/student data a part of professional learning, so that
School Professional Development Committee members can determine progress toward
the school goals.

In Section D of the School Professional Development Template:

1. Describe the professional development structures and designs in the school. For instance,
will professional development be offered for team based learning, online learning, work-
shops or other venues? Will partnerships be developed with universities, county col-
leges, and other educational organizations to support adult learning in the schools? Will
schools partner grade levels or departments? How will teams look at student work or
create common assessments together? How will teams be supported in observing the
practices of other team members? How will learning opportunities for teachers address
the needs of all student populations (ELL, Bilingual, Special Needs, G and T, etc.)? In this
section describe the varieties of contexts in which professional development will be of-
fered rather than a listing of trainings or a catalog of events.
2. What are some of the key NJ Core Curriculum Content Standard areas on which the
school will focus their professional development?
3. Indicate the connection between student learning goals and the professional develop-
ment within the school.
4 How will the school communicate the professional development plan to all staff members?

TOOL KIT SUPPORT: These tools may provide assistance with

creating professional development.

Tool 2.1 New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers (updated at

www.nj.gov/education/profdev/pd/teacher
Tool 2.3 New Jersey Professional Development Standards for Teachers (updated at
www.nj.gov/education/profdev/pd/teacher
Tool 5.3 Teacher and principal ICs on Learning Communities
Tool 5.5 Frequently asked questions about professional development
Tool 5.6 Central office IC on Learning Communities
Tool 11.3 Key learnings for collaborative professional learning teams
Tool 12.2 If not a workshop, then what
Tool 12.4 School professional development plan synthesis
E. Professional Development Resources
New Jersey Professional Development Standards stress the importance of context in relation to ef-
fective professional development. This includes the importance of building learning communities,
leadership and resources. Resources such as time, staff support, outside expertise, access to data,
technology and leadership are essential in realizing achievement of professional development goals
and are an important element of planning. This section of the plan is where a school team lists re-
sources needed to support the professional development .

In Section E of the School Professional Development Plan Template,

1. Include a description of time allocation and supporting resources needed to meet the
professional development goals. Collaborative school teams can indicate how time for
professional learning is created. For instance, is time provided for professional learning
in interdisciplinary, grade level, or content area collaborative teams and staff meetings?
Do teachers use planning time for collaborative professional learning? What resource
materials and consultant expertise are provided for professional learning?
2. Identify the resources and structures in place in the school that demonstrate that the
school community values and nurtures quality professional development for adult learn-
ers. These might include dedicated professional learning days or summer or after school
opportunities.

TOOL KIT SUPPORT: These tools may assist with identifying re-
sources needed for professional development.
Tool 6.1 Protocol for developing agreements
Tool 6.2 Building effective teams
Tool 6.3 Transform your group into a team
Tool 6.4 Which stage is your team in? A survey
Tool 6.5 Team agreement template
Tool 6.6 Becoming a productive team
Tool 7.2 Analysis of current time usage with time use log
Tool 7.5 Making time for adult learning
Tool 7.6 Comparison of strategies for making time for collaborative professional
learning
Tool 7.7 Forming a recommendation

These tools may help with identifying ways the Local Professional Development Committee
can support and assist the school in achieving its professional development goals:
Tool 10.1 Sample team plan
Tool 10.2 Team planning template
Tool 10.3 Alternative team planning template
Tool 10.4 Team agenda template
Tool 10.5 Team summary report template
 TOOL KIT SUPPORT: These tools may assist with finding ways for
the school and district administration to
support the professional development
endeavors of the staff:
Tool 2.2 New Jersey Professional Standards for School Leaders
Tool 11.1 Essays by Dennis Sparks
Tool 11.2 Benefits of collaborative professional learning
Tool 11.3 Key learnings for collaborative professional learning teams
Tool 11.4 Principals’ strategies for increasing staff capacities for continuous learning
Tool 11.5 In the right context
Tool 11.6 Culture shift doesn’t occur overnight – or without conflict
Tool 11.7 How to launch a community
Tool 11.8 Getting everyone to buy in
Tool 12.1 Backmapping model
Tool 12.2 If not a workshop, then what?
Tool 12.3 Break the inservice habit

F. Ongoing Assessment and Evaluation of the School

Professional Development Plan
An effective evaluation process provides important information about the implementation of your
School Professional Development Plan that can help to assure that professional development is con-
tinually improving in the school. It provides the opportunity for the School Professional Development
Committee to reflect on their school’s professional development goals and to determine if the goals
were met. Evaluation needs to be a systematic, purposeful process of studying, reviewing, and an-
alyzing data gathered from different sources to determine the impact of the professional development.

Tool 13.1 Eight Smooth Steps by Joellen Killion of the National Staff Development Council is a help-
ful resource. It contains a summary of the key steps for evaluating professional development. These
steps provide a systematic way to think about how to evaluate the success of the School Professional
Development Plan. Professional development should consider (1) teacher response to the professional
development; (2) the impact of professional development on teacher practice; and (3) the impact on
student learning.

After reviewing the eight steps, please include answers to the following questions in Section F of the
School Professional Development Plan Template:

1. What knowledge, skills or behaviors will educators learn as a result of the School Profes-
sional Development Plan and what evidence will you have to indicate staff has learned
new skills?
2. What student data will be used to determine how these knowledge, skills or behaviors im-
pacted student learning?
 3. What additional data is needed to support the program evaluation process?
4. How will the School Professional Development Plan encourage job-embedded collabora-
tion and what is the evidence to support this?
5. What data are needed to answer the evaluation questions? School teams should also use
existing data from the school district such as student achievement results on standardized
tests, but should also think about how to gain input about its relevance to teachers and
whether it impacted their practice. For instance, the School Professional Development
Committee might consider the following questions:
• How might you consider holding focus groups to get teacher input on needed
professional learning?
• How might you conduct surveys of staff and stakeholders to get input on
opportunities to offer?
• How will you examine and tabulate individual evaluation forms from specific
events or team meetings to determine usefulness of professional learning offered
in the past that you might repeat for other staff?

TOOL KIT SUPPORT: These tools can assist with developing and
analyzing formative and summative
assessments in order to determine if
student learning goals were met through
the professional development plan:
Tool 9.4 Group wise: Strategies for examining student work together
Tool 9.5 Success analysis protocol
Tool 9.6 Descriptive review process
Tool 9.7 Collaborative assessment conference
Tool 9.9 Lesson study
Tool 13.1 Eight smooth steps
Tool 13.9 Professional Learning Communities II - A focus on common assessments

TOOL KIT SUPPORT: These tools can assist with using

information and data to modify future
professional development opportunities:
Tool 9.8 Teacher research leads to learning, action
Tool 9.9 Lesson study
Tool 9.11 Process: Select the strategy that works for your content and context
Tool 10.1 Sample team plan
Tool 10.2 Team planning template
Tool 10.3 Alternative team planning template
Tool 13.5 Logic model template
Tool 13.6 Learning team survey
Tool 13.7 Summative reflection protocol
G. School Professional Development Plan Summary
Each school must create a one to two page summary of the important components of the school pro-
fessional development plan. This summary will become a part of the district plan and will help to in-
form the district professional development plan. Please provide a short narrative description for each
of the sections of the plan:
1. Reflection: Identify key elements of previous professional development you will leverage
in the new plan..
2 Needs Assessment: Submit the school definition of student achievement. Identify key find-
ings from needs assessments.
3. Professional Development Goals: Identify the professional development goals connected
to the student learning goals for the school/district.
4. Professional Development Opportunities: Identify the processes and structures the school
will use to provide professional learning opportunities.
5. Professional Development Resources: Identify the resources that will ensure professional
learning is ongoing.
6. Evaluation: Identify your goals for evaluation of your professional development in the first year.
 SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
CHECKLIST
Check to be certain that all sections of the plan are included.
Included
✓
Title Page (include school and district names)
Section 1: School Profile
• School Profile Sheet
• School Committee Sheet
Section 2: School Professional Development Plan
A: Reflection on Previous PD Opportunities
• Summary of positive aspects and connections to student learning of previous
professional development opportunities
• Identification of challenges
B: Needs Assessment
• The school definition of student achievement
• Identification of assessments used to develop the focus of the School
Professional Development Plan
• List of professional development needs
C: Professional Development Goals
• List of professional development goals connected to student learning goals.
D: Professional Development Opportunities
• List of professional development structures and processes
• Evidence of support for the development of collaborative professional learning
• Connection to Professional Development Standards (context, process, and
content)
E: Professional Development Resources
• List of professional development resources
F: Ongoing Assessment and Evaluation of the Professional Development Plan
• List of evaluation procedures and tools used to assess the School Professional
Development Plan
• Analysis of the impact of the School Professional Development Plan on student
learning
G: Summary of Professional Development Plan