Professional Development Plan

The professional development plan (PDP) is a structured tool to promote planning for professional growth. Successful completion of a PDP results in a positive benefit towards an educator's overall effectiveness score.

Effective planning is key to professional growth. The professional develpment planning process begins with and cycles around student learning. Plans are completed online through our Professional Development System. Information on this site can help grow your understanding of the process.

Reviewing Student Data

The first step is to review historic student achievement data. To assist in this process, FCAT reading and math data from the prior year is embedded in each teacher's online PDP. As is available, this data is provided at the teacher stability group level, the school level, and the district level. Teachers can use this data to evaluate their students' success and struggles to start determining where their professional development time can best be spent. Teachers are also encouraged to review other data available to them about both their previous students' achievement, as well as for their current students.

Student achievement data should inform our professional development goals, so at this point, teachers can select (from a drop-down menu) which FCAT data source they are using to develop their plan. Alternatively, an "other" data source can be selected, in which case that data should be provided by the teacher.

Student Growth Goal

Now that an area of focus has been identified, based on student data, a goal for student growth should be written. This goal should be specific, measurable, and related to the data source that was previously selected.

The goal may state that a certain percent of students will reach a given proficiency level by the end of the year or course.

Next, an "Evaluation Method/Data Collection Process" must be specified. This is where the teacher states how she will collect information to know if she met her student growth goal.

Danielson / Professional Practices Goal

Our district has adopted the Danielson Framework as the instrument by which we measure professional practices. This goal, therefore, relates to the teacher's instructional practices rather than student outcomes.

For this goal, a Danielson domain and component are selected as a focus area. The self-assessment that the teacher prevously completed should serve as guidance for which component to select. District and school focus areas can be considered as well.

Now, a professional growth activity is written. This is where a teacher specifies what professional development he will engage in to enhance his professional practice in the selected component.