4131

Personnel -- Certified

Staff  Development

Preston “staff development” is a continuous systematic effort to improve educational programs in through (1) staff involvement in organized program planning, implementation and evaluation efforts, and (2) activities to upgrade the skills, knowledge and ability of educators to improve student learning. Staff development experiences, for which CEUs are awarded, should be guided by:

A.   expectations for student performance as reflected in Connecticut’s Common Core of Learning and the Connecticut Framework: Curriculum Goals and Standards;

B.   school or district goals;

C.  actual student performance, as evidenced by the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) in addition to other indices; and

D.  what teachers need to know and be able to do to improve instruction that advances student learning.

Teachers must regularly review curricular content, teaching methods and materials, educational philosophy and goals, social change and other topics related to education to enhance the capabilities of educators to improve student learning. Significant opportunities should also be offered annually to enhance the abilities of staff to promote student mastery in literacy and numeracy. The Board of Education shares with its certified staff responsibility for the upgrading and updating of teacher performance and attitudes. The Board of Education and teachers' organizations support the principle of continuing training of teachers and the improvement of instruction.

All employees shall be provided opportunities for the development of increased competence beyond that which they may attain through the performance of their assigned duties. Special effort shall be made to prepare teachers and other school personnel to meet the needs of students of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Planning and implementation of such programs shall be done cooperatively by administration, teachers and parent advisory groups.  Special effort shall also be given to administrators and/or supervisors in training pursuant to their obligations in the evaluation of the teacher.

Staff development activities should respond directly to the educational needs of students, including, (a) content areas such as language arts, including reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and enacting; math, social studies and science; (b) methodological areas such as motivation, teaching techniques, including the use of computers in the classroom and classroom management; and (c) affective areas of interpersonal relations of students and faculty, student growth and development and staff communication, problem solving, and decision making.  The in-service program shall fulfill all applicable statutory requirements, especially those delineated in CGS 10-220a. The Superintendent shall provide the staff with opportunities such as:

A.  Released time and leaves of absence for travel and study.

B.  Visits to other classrooms/schools for professional interaction with colleagues.

C.  Conferences with other personnel from the district, county, state, region and nation for problem solving, experimenting and professional interaction with colleagues.

D.  Writing of professional journal articles.

E.  Curriculum development.

F.  Training classes and workshops within the district that fulfills “Connecticut’s Guidelines for the Issuance of Continuing Education Units Required for Certification.”

G.  Further training at, or in cooperation with, institutions of higher learning, as provided by law.

H.  A full and up-to-date professional library for the certified staff made available for optimum reference use.

I.  Professional educational conferences.

The Superintendent shall report annually to the Board of Education on the professional development program with recommendations for changes as needed.

(cf. 4115 - Evaluation)

(cf. 4131.5 - Continuing Education Units)

Legal Reference:   Connecticut General Statutes

10-27 Exchange of professional personnel and students.

10-220a In-Service training.

10-226f Coordinator of intergroup relations.

10-226g Intergroup relations training for teachers.

10-145b Teaching certificates (as amended by PA 01-173)

PA 95-58 An Act Concerning Teacher Evaluations, Tenure and Dismissal.

Policy adopted:  7/11/05

Personnel -- Certified

Staff  Development

Connecticut General Statutes 10-220a - In-service Training

A.  Required In-service Topics for Certified Personnel

1.  Nature and the relationships of drugs and alcohol to health and personality development and procedures for discouraging their abuse.

2.  Health and mental health risk reduction education including, but not limited to the prevention of risk-taking behavior by children and the relationship of such behavior to substance abuse, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-infection and AIDS, violence, child abuse and youth suicide.

3.  Growth and development of exceptional children, including gifted and talented children and children with disabilities who may require special education, and methods for identifying, planning and working effectively with special needs children in a regular classroom

4.  School violence prevention and conflict resolution.

5.  Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency life saving procedures.

6.  Computer and other information technology as applied to student learning and classroom instruction, communications and data management.

7.  Teaching of the language arts, reading and reading readiness and assessment of reading performance including methods of teaching language skills necessary for reading, comprehension skills, phonics and the structure of the English language for teachers in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive.  (15 hours every 5 years)

8.  Elementary, middle, and high school teachers must include 15 hours of training in the use of computers in the classroom every five years.  Teachers, regardless of grade level, who can demonstrate technology competency, in a manner determined by the Board of Education, based on statewide standards for teacher competency in the use of instructional technology, shall be exempted from this requirement.

9.  Training in the evaluation of teachers for superintendents and those employees employed in positions requiring an intermediate administrator or supervisory certificate whose duties equal at least 50% of the assigned time. (15 hours every 5 years)

B.  Optional In-Service Topics for Certified Personnel

1.  Holocaust education and awareness.

2.  African-American history.

3.  Puerto-Rican history.

4.  Native American history.

5.  Personal Financial Management.

6.  The historical events surrounding the Great Famine in Ireland.

Regulation issued:  7/11/05