Culture of Learning

Standard 6: Professional staff members receive the support they need to strengthen their professional practice.

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Self-Rating: 4

Professional staff members consistently receive adequate resources and assistance based on data and information unique to the individual. A formal structure ensures that professional staff members receive personalized mentoring and coaching from leaders and peers.

 

At Chambers Public School, members of our faculty and staff are consistently encouraged to expand their knowledge and expertise in their specific content and skill areas. This expansion of learning is often offered on an individual basis. However, professional development is also provided as a whole group learning opportunity. Each year, faculty members are required to add a minimum of six hours to their professional development profile.  The school provides many of those hours of training in-house. Professional staff members who are new to the district participate in new staff training days prior to the beginning of the school year. They are also assigned a mentor teacher as a resource to guide them during their first year of teaching in the district. The district’s educational service unit also offers new staff training days that new team members attend.

 

Throughout the school year, the administration at Chambers Public School completes several formal and informal observations in each classroom with the intent of providing valuable feedback to every teacher. The data collected during these observations is logged into the Pivot 5D+ system and then discussed during a reflection meeting. Areas of strength and need for growth are identified. This data allows administration and professional staff members to pinpoint what resources or assistance would be most effective on an individual and whole-staff level. The district has taken the following measures: 1) Invested in LETRS training for a few staff members; 2) Incorporates late-start days in the school calendar for professional development opportunities; 3) Provides substitute teachers so teachers can attend training; 4) Naturally generates collaboration time to implement what is learned during these professional development opportunities.

 

Many of the identified areas of need have led to whole staff training from Dr. Darrin Peppard and Lori Smith, who have both presented information on school culture and how staff members can foster relationships within and beyond the doors of classrooms. Staff attends a winter workshop every year as a complete staff. This winter workshop, organized by ESU 8, provides a general session and then breakout sessions. These breakout sessions allow staff members the opportunity to collaborate with instructors from other districts. School administration consistently asks what instructional tools professional staff members need to be successful. The administration is very supportive of professional staff members attending professional development opportunities during the school year.  

 

Data drives decisions when determining which professional opportunities are necessary and teachers are fully supported when they seek the appropriate resources or assistance needed to be successful.