Current Reality and Gsaps Assignment

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW
Professional Learning Current Reality and GSAPS Review

James Chase-Wegner
PL & Technology Innovation (ITEC 7460)
Kennesaw State University
Summer 2016
Part A: Professional Learning Current Reality

Vision
At P.B. Ritch Middle School (PBRMS) students will access resources through technology as well
as use technology to create real life applications within their learning. We envision the use of
technology as a means to reach students at their appropriate level of proximal development. After
spending time with Christine Carson, PBRMS Principal, one can clearly understand the efforts that are
being made to align future professional learning opportunities with the needs of PBRMS. In the specific
area of technology integration Mrs. Carson stated, Our goal is to put more technology in kids hands
since that is the world we are living and this will get them comfortable with a variety of different
technologies (personal communication, June 9, 2016). Embedded within this goal is the hope to
improve instructional practices in traditional classrooms and blended formats across our school. To
maximize student achievement and individual growth, technology must be effectively paired with
instructional practices. Technology use within our school include but are not limited to how students
use technology to access content, collaborate with one another, complete project based real world
tasks, review learned material, take assessments, and even reflect on their own learning. Technology is
also key in maintaining parent support and communication here at PBRMS. Technology resources used
on a daily basis throughout our school include Microsoft Applications, Remind, Kahoot, Quizizz, Plickers,
MyOn, school websites, and learning management systems like Edmodo and Canvas. A small group of
our staff has joined a Professional Learning Community focused on using screencasting as a potential
differentiation tool. From a student perspective, the effective use of technology is more engaging than
a traditional approach to education and allows students to utilize technology for real world purposes
outside of gaming and social media, preparing them for future career endeavors. Our administration is
clearly on board with technology initiatives. In regards to communication via technology our
administration has spearheaded a mandatory use of Remind as a weekly communication tool and has
paired this expectation with a weekly communication form which includes lesson, homework, and
assessment expectations for the week. Administration understands the benefits of technology
application tools and building the supply and diversity of our technology devices for teacher check out
within our media center. The partnership between administration and staff benefits all because
technology initiatives require complete buy-in and willingness to sacrifice valuable staff and financial
resources in order to provide the necessary tools and support.
Needs Assessment
At PBRMS there is a mix of data collection that goes into deciding what professional learning
needs the staff has. Professional learning is planned according to teacher request, district wide needs
assessment data, Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES) evaluation data, school culture/climate data,
and student achievement data. We look at what types of professional learning would best help us
achieve our School Improvement Plan goals and initiatives and we consider what types of professional
learning formats would work best for our staff (C. Carson, personal communication, June 9, 2016). Our
school improvement plan (SIP) is designed to provide a focus on specific areas we feel will be most
pivotal in assisting our school in improving student achievement. The SIP is the staff wide nonnegotiables for the upcoming year and its implementation and monitoring for progress are both crucial
for our success as a team at PBRMS.
Through the analysis of assessment data one area we have identified as a major area of concern
is literacy. It has become one of our 2 main focuses on our school improvement plan for next year. All
staff will receive professional development and support in the areas of literacy integration and
differentiation during the next school year. With many students within our population reading below
grade level this initiative will be critical in our schools future success on both the academic and
behavioral fronts. Student frustration in academics is a proven determiner for increased behavioral
problems. Increasing student achievement in the area of reading will allow more students to be
successful with content standards and allow for increased rigor in the future.
School culture remains one of our SIP goals for the 2016-2017 school year. Next year PBRMS
will be 1 of 6 schools in Paulding County that will become part of the statewide Positive Behavior
Intervention and Supports (PBIS) initiative. For the previous two years we have participated in
professional learning regarding PBIS strategies in an effort to improve school culture and climate. Our
referral totals dropped by 50% from the previous year (C. Nichols, personal communication, May 31,
2016). PBIS data is collected constantly in a proactive effort to see when issues may arise. Behavioral
data is compared to previous years. The PBRMS population is looked at from a variety of angles: whole
school, current grade levels, and student groups. PBIS incentive programs have been a huge part of
lowering behavior issues and in turn decreasing the loss of instructional time for students in our
building. This is an area where schools may not collect large amounts of data beyond referrals
numbers, but can make a world of difference if time is invested.
Professional Learning
After data analysis and development of our SIP, we must then consider professional learning
opportunities that will help achieve those goal and consider what types of professional learning formats
work best for the staff of PBRMS. These formats currently include: model classrooms, offsite
workshops, Title II days, data digs during staff planning, mentoring for new teachers or teachers new to
their content areas, peer observations, collaborative lesson planning, and vertical planning. Teachers
may sign up for offsite professional learning in many areas dealing with technology, instruction, data
analysis, and classroom management through our countys PD Express system. The Paulding County
School Districts PD Express system allows staff to enroll in planned professional learning sessions, which
are generally held offsite and include instruction that has been identified at the county level as areas of
need. In addition to these initiatives our school houses a county wide Tech Tuesday professional
development program. Our county also holds a Tech Eds program for 2 staff members within each
school in the county. I am currently offering a professional learning course for staff in our school. This
professional learning focuses on using screencasting tools to improve differentiation opportunities
within traditional classroom instructional times.
At PBRMS professional learning is more often done in smaller group sessions than in whole
group sessions. It is generally done within department or grade level teams to maintain a focus on
content areas, age groups, or student populations. This allows staff to collaborate and apply the
learning to their current and direct needs. It also allows more staff members to have a voice in the
process. Sharing successful strategies with other teachers and administrators is a means of professional
validation through dialogue which creates opportunities for feedback and reflection (Knight, 2007, p. 4647).
Professional learning is rarely done in isolation at PBRMS (C. Carson, personal communication,
June 9, 2016). Professional learning coincides with our SIP and is done over a period of time instead of
lengthy one shot sit-and-get sessions which are proven to be largely ineffective. Staff members are
asked to demonstrate understanding of professional development by incorporating their learning into
lesson plans that are housed in curriculum notebooks. These curriculum notebooks must be available on
all teachers desks during formal and informal walk-throughs. Administration looks to see if teachers are
utilizing new strategies as well as assess the current level of understanding and implementation of the
strategies across the building. In this way administrators act as, critical friends, simultaneously
providing support and empowering teachers to see areas they can improve (Knight, 2007, p. 26). These
cycles of data collection allow administrators to design plans for follow-up sessions with team leaders or
the staff as a whole. This type of follow-up is key, because it allows administration to identify those
succeeding in these areas
Follow-up support is offered to all staff in the form of Coke and Conversation days, a weekly
opportunity open for any teacher to drop in and have open conversations in a problem solving manner
with other staff and administration. Programs like this allow staff to ask questions and discuss what is
working and not working for them personally. Staff members from all content areas are able to build
relationships with administration and each other during this time which is very important in professional
learning. If they [staff members] are intimidated by somebody they are not going to have those candid
conversations (C. Carson, personal communication, June 9, 2016). Letting ones guard down and
becoming open to feedback is an important part of self-discovery and improvement. Teachers wish to
be treated as professionals and achieving growth as a professional is best done as a collaborative effort.
Although teachers and administrators attending Coke and Conversation specialize in different content
areas all are treated as equals in the conversations that take place. Knight (2007) states, Equality does
not mean that coaches and teachers have equal knowledge on every topic, but it does mean that the
collaborating teachers opinions are as important as the coaches, and both points of view are worth
hearing (p. 41).
Individual professional learning takes place within our school for many reasons. Professional
Development Plans (PDP) which assist and hold teachers accountable for identifying specific areas in
which they need to improve upon. Teachers following a PDP are required to engage in professional
learning specifically geared toward improving instructional or professional practices. These specific
areas of needed improvement are normally identified through a combination of TKES data,
formal/informal walkthroughs, and student achievement scores. Teachers that are engaged in
completing a formal PDP are monitored for the completion and implementation of required professional
learning and the intended impact on their instructional or professional practices. Individual staff
members struggling in certain areas but not requiring a PDP may receive coaching by administration at
times or work with administration to develop an informal plan that would assist them in their
professional development. In both of these individualized situations our county wide PD Express
program can be utilized. Many teachers are improving in their professional practices by choice.
Teachers within our building attend annual conferences as participants and/or speakers. Some staff
members are working on advanced degrees through various college programs. Although these
individual methods of professional learning are taking place at PBRMS the professional learning offered
at PBRMS is more collaborative than individual (C. Carson, personal communication, June 9, 2016).
While some professional learning occurs individually, particularly to address individual development
goals, the more one educator's learning is shared and supported by others, the more quickly the culture
of continuous improvement, collective responsibility, and high expectations for students and educators
grows (Learning Forward, 2015).
Alignment to School Improvement Goals
At PBRMS we have a clear alignment between upcoming professional learning for the 20162017 school year and our School Improvement Plan (SIP). Collected data is showing a growing trend in
below grade level lexile scores amongst our students at PBRMS. Due to this analysis, we have decided
to address this in our 2016-2017 SIP. As stated in the Needs Assessment section PBRMS will be focusing
on two main goals during the upcoming year. The intent of these goals will be to continue to improve in
the areas of school culture and literacy. Literacy will be a new focus while culture has been an ongoing
focus for the previous four years. With so many students reading below grade level and a welldocumented correlation between literacy rates and student achievement, focusing on raising student
literacy rates will provide an excellent opportunity for higher achievement. In previous years, the SIP at
PBRMS focused on culture, rigor, and differentiation. The staff of PBRMS will continue discussing
strategies for improving rigor and depth of knowledge; however, these strategies will not formally be
included in the 2016-2017 SIP. The plan is to maximize professional learning efforts by not
overcommitting to multiple initiatives. According to Knight (2007), When intervention upon
intervention is served up with no intention to implementation planning, teachers begin to feel

overwhelmed (4). Once a solid program is in place to raise student lexile scores and we are seeing
desired learning outcomes, rigor and differentiation will return as areas of emphasis in future SIPs (C.
Carson, personal communication, June 9, 2016). New professional learning efforts in the 2016-2017
school year will be dedicated towards assisting all teachers with literacy strategies in their classroom.
Raising the literacy of the students within PBRMS will be a complete school wide effort. Teachers will be
trained to use the MyOn program in their specific content area classes. Teachers will receive training on
tools and strategies for finding standards based texts at various lexile levels. Reaching students slightly
above their reading level is key towards building lexile scores and keeping students engaged in
instruction. If texts are too difficult to read then students may withdraw from the learning. Each
student needs to be pushed to achieve personal growth; therefore, literacy differentiation needs to be
addressed for all students.
Funding and Incentives
As elements of the 2016-2017 SIP teachers will have a vested interest in the improvement of
schoolwide literacy and culture. Teachers active SIP participation is further elevated by a desire to
improve their personal teacher effectiveness measure (TEM) as calculated on the TKES platform.
Starting next year teachers will have to create a professional learning goal at the beginning of the year
and part of their TEM score will be measured by its progress. Mrs. Carson shared that in order for
teachers to keep their certificate active in the future they will have to complete school-wide
professional learning and have evidence it was utilized in practice to impact instructional practices
(personal communication, June 9, 2016). You can have a teacher who is participating in [the]
professional learning, but it is not changing their practice. On one hand with the PSC, if they were up for
renewal they would get a check that yes they participated in professional learning to renew their
certificate for their 5 year cycle. However, they might get an unsatisfactory annual evaluation on their
summative TKES because that professional learning did not remediate the problem (C. Carson, personal
communication, June 9, 2016). Principals and Superintendents will have to sign off on this satisfactory
completion of professional learning and its effective implementation in instructional practice.
Teachers also receive small personal incentives for participating and implementing PBIS within
our school. The incentives for teachers are currently grade level recognition/bragging rights, jeans days,
and/or duty free lunches. New ideas to incentivize the PBIS program to improve teacher participation
are discussed often within the PBIS committee at PBRMS. Grade levels that earn the most PBIS points
each week earn the coveted Ravens Cup, trophy that moves from hallway to hallway. An idea recently
discussed included having teachers within the winning grade level choose a teacher to represent them
as a master teacher. This master teacher will gain recognition and allow other teachers to visit his/her
classroom during that week during other teachers planning times to observe good instructional
practices. The master teacher might give tokens to visiting teachers for participation in the drop-in
model classroom initiative that could be turned in for points for the visiting teachers grade level. An
idea other than tokens would be for teachers to observe and document PBIS/literacy initiatives they
witnessed on a small sheet with predetermined check boxes and a comment section. These data
collection sheets could easily be dropped into our PBIS lead administrators mailbox in order to receive
points for their grade levels PBIS points and would not require the host teacher to break stride to
interact with visiting teachers. This builds into our school day another opportunity for professional
learning to take place at an informal level and for teachers to build their case as a TKES level 4 teacher in
specific areas.
Funding for professional development comes by way of Title II funds, Title IIa funds, and County
Funds. Additional efforts to build funds to support PBIS initiatives are being considered. An idea
currently being considered is forming a community PBIS team in which individual families and
businesses can become sponsors of our PBIS team at our school. Donations can be small or large and
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could represent different levels of PBIS team sponsorship. Donations will be used towards schoolwide
PBIS initiatives and incentives.
Diversity
Professional learning currently planned for next year at PBRMS focuses on improving school
culture through PBIS initiatives and increasing the literacy of our students. PBRMS serves a low socioeconomic population with a variety of ethnicities and cultures. We tend to receive new students and
lose students to movement more often than the average school. This mobility factor attributes to the
specific needs of our school. Developing and maintaining a positive school culture is key for meeting the
needs of our student population. The middle school years are important for transitioning students from
traditional elementary school learning environments, which tend to be more teacher centered, to more
of a balance of direct instruction and student led learning. Giving students more control over their
learning is important but must be accompanied with strategies that encourage positive behaviors. Our
PBIS team and a portion of our in-building professional learning efforts will continue to focus on
improving teacher effectiveness by establishing clear protocols and procedures for managing classroom
instructional time, student personalities, and rewarding positive behaviors.
Students in lower socio-economic populations tend to have lower literacy rates. This correlation
remains true at PBRMS. It is the hope of our leadership team that a clear school-wide focus on raising
the reading levels of our students will improve achievement scores in all content areas. Students with
special needs as well as those who do not quite qualify for services will be our main concern in next
years literacy initiatives; however, providing lexile based texts are important for all levels of students in
order to raise individual achievement.
Due to our intentional focus on improving our student populations lexile levels, we do not plan
on incorporating rigor or differentiation as separate SIP goals for the 2016-2017 school year as we have
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done in the past. Challenging our population of students by increasing instructional rigor through the
intentional planning of HOTQs and DOK level 2-4 learning activities will continue to be an important
part of student learning at PBRMS. We have spent many collaborative planning times, Data Digs,
working to improve rigor and differentiation. We had a visit from a RESA representative during this past
school year focusing on data analysis and differentiation strategies in the classroom. Data analysis will
continue to play a part in identifying opportunities for differentiated instruction; however, providing
students with opportunities to read at or slightly above their reading levels at all times will be the focus
of data analysis in the upcoming school year (C. Carson, personal communication, June 9, 2016).
Collaboration
Teachers collaborate in many professional learning teams at PBRMS: grade level, department,
vertical teams, leadership, and PBIS centered teams. Each team is important to school improvement
and provides opportunities for collaboration and reflection. Knight (2007) believes, Reflection is
believing that learning can be enhanced when we have numerous opportunities to consider how what
were learning might impact what we have done in the past, what we are doing now, and what we will
be doing in the future (p.54). Probably two of the most important abilities the human race has been
blessed with are the abilities to reflect on past experiences and collaborate together to create
synergistic outcomes. At PBRMS there are many opportunities for staff collaboration and reflection that
convene regularly and frequently during the workday to engage in collaborative professional learning
to strengthen their practice and increase student results (Learning Forward, 2016).
Vertical content teams are important for transitioning our students between grade levels.
Vertical teams maintain a clear focus on the expectations students encounter at the next grade level.
This planning is important and allows the staff of the previous grade to hear what the perceived
strengths and weaknesses of students entering the next grade are in comparison to the requirements of
state standards for students entering that grade level. Teachers are able to speak as content
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professionals while meeting as a whole department. Quite often this planning time allows teachers to
build relationships with other staff members teaching similar content as themselves; however, without
this planned time they would not be able to hear concerns and/or assist each other in developing
solutions. Next year these teams will assist each other with strategies for providing leveled content area
reading passages.
Grade level collaboration is key to school wide success. Planning within ones own grade level
and content area allows teachers to learn and share effective teaching and behavioral strategies that are
age group specific. Students at the middle school level are very developmentally different from year to
year. This collaboration time allows administration to visit grade level and or content collaboration
meetings, discuss professional learning efforts, and witness how those efforts are directly impacting the
specific needs of students within those grade levels. Monitoring the impact of professional learning
initiatives on teacher instructional practice is key to meeting the goals of the School Improvement Plan
(C. Carson, personal communication, June 9, 2016).
The PBIS committee meets to review behavioral data, discuss trends, evaluate the overall
effectiveness of current PBIS incentive programs, and consider future program ideas for PBIS. This
groups collaboration is key as student behavior can positively or negatively impact each moment of the
day.
We have an excellent administration at PBRMS which is very important in maintaining the
morale and longevity of a consistent staff. Even with a solid administration in place, we had around 10
staff members leave our school this year for various reasons. With a staff of around 40 this is near a
25% change over. The key to the future success of new staff members is providing them with good
leadership from the onset of the 2016-2017 school year. At PBRMS we are continually looking to build
more leaders within our school. Mrs. Carson has done a phenomenal job of continually working to
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increase the participation of teachers involved in school-wide leadership. Having many people involved
in leadership distributes the work load and makes it easier for administration to gain buy-in when a new
county wide or school based initiative needs to be rolled out. When people are invested in the indirect
decision making process and have a voice they are more apt to go along with and speak positively about
new initiatives that may seem like more work at the time but are beneficial.
Evaluation
At PBRMS we have a list of lesson plan non-negotiables. These non-negotiables are meant to
create a clear school wide plan for instructional practices and a consistent method for managing the
learning environment. A mandatory three part lesson, the intentional planning for HOTQs, and a
purposeful attempt to differentiate instruction based on data analysis must be included in lesson plans.
The impact of professional learning on teacher practice and student learning at PBRMS is in part
evaluated through mandatory curriculum notebooks containing these lesson plans and are reviewed
during TKES observations. Informal visits are equally important to the success of professional learning
initiatives tied to our SIP. Mrs. Carson shares, Ill take my lap top into a classroom and sit. I may be
reading a professional article or responding to some emails, but Im still hearing and seeing these
practices (personal communication, June 9, 2016). Knight (2007) discusses the idea of Reciprocity
and how every learning experience we create provides as much chance for us to learn as it does for our
learning partners (p. 54). This practice of visiting classrooms in an informal way creates more
opportunities for Mrs. Carson to observe and reflect on the professional practices of her staff. She may
find a combination of grows and glows during her visit; moreover, she has taken advantage of another
opportunity to assist her teachers with their professional growth in an informal way.
Other data sets are considered for evaluation of professional learning impact. Student Climate
and Instructional Practice Surveys are utilized to see trends in implementation and effectiveness of
professional learning. Student growth percentiles, county benchmarks, and unit pre/post test scores

indirectly show the impact of professional learning. PBIS data, incentives, and strategies are keeping
more students in the classroom during instructional time and giving our administrators more time to
monitor progress of academic achievement goals.
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References
Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction. Thousand

Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Learning Forward. (2016). Standards for professional learning. Retrieved from
https://learningforward.org/standards
P. B. Ritch Middle School. (2016). School improvement plan 2016-2017. Dallas, GA. Paulding County
Schools.
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Part B: GSAPS Review

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
The means by which teachers, administrators, and other staff acquire, enhance, and refine the knowledge,
skills, practices, and dispositions necessary to create and support high levels of learning for all students.
Professional Learning Standard 1: Aligns professional learning with needs identified through analysis of a variety of data
Level 4
Exemplary
Professional learning needs
are identified and
differentiated through a
collaborative analysis
process using a variety of
data (e.g., student
achievement data,
examination of student work,
process data, teacher and
leader effectiveness data,
action research data,
perception data from
students, staff, and families).
Ongoing support is provided
through differentiated
professional learning.
Level 3
Operational
are identified through a
collaborative analysis
process using a variety of
data (e.g., student
achievement data,
examination of student work,
process data, teacher and
leader effectiveness data,
action research data,
perception data from
students, staff, and families).
Level 2
Emerging
are identified using limited
sources of data.
Level 1
Not Evident
are identified using little or
no data.
EVIDENCE:
We use many different forms of data as we can to guide professional learning choices at PBRMS. We use perception data,
leader effectiveness data, teacher effectiveness data, and student achievement data (standardized and local formative). We are
definitely using more than limited data, which the word (limited) is hard to quantify. We have used recent data to determine
our SIP goals for the upcoming year and in doing so have decided to focus our efforts on continuing to build a positive school
culture and make a school wide effort to significantly impact our students ability to read on or above grade level during the
upcoming year.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
We need to do a better job of examining of student work for data analysis during professional learning and collaborative
planning opportunities. Using those real time examples of informal and formative assessments would improve collaboration
within our learning communities.
Implement a professional learning needs assessment survey at PBRMS in future years.
We could look at finding ways to increase differentiated professional learning opportunities. This is very difficult within a
smaller staff due to the resources of our smaller school. The human capital that is required to lead individual or small group
initiatives will require more staff members to step up to guide professional development efforts within the school. Teachers
that lead these smaller professional learning groups will then be engaged in leading and may find it difficult to obtain the
professional learning they need to move forward. One possible idea that would allow all to grow would be to implement
different book studies each year that would allow leaders to guide the smaller groups within the building. My only concern
with this type of professional learning is the possibility that there could be a lack of implementation beyond the reading and
conversation within the study groups. A lack of implementation in instructional practices would cause of negative impact of
these book studies as they would take up valuable planning and collaboration time, but learned strategies would night no be
utilized in the classroom. Time may be better spent focusing on school wide initiatives that are guaranteed to be monitored
for implementation and student impact.
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Professional Learning Standard 2: Establishes a culture of collaboration among administrators and staff to enhance
individual and collective performance
Level 4
Exemplary
Administrators and staff, as
a foundational practice,
consistently collaborate to
support leadership and
personal accountability and
to enhance individual and
collective performance (e.g.,
construct knowledge,
acquire skills, refine
practice, provide feedback).
Teachers conduct action
research and assume
ownership of professional
learning processes.
Level 3
Operational
Administrators and staff
routinely collaborate to
improve individual and
Level 2
Emerging
Level 1
Not Evident
EVIDENCE:
TKES observational data and comments.
Collaborative: Administrators and staff working collaboratively during professional learning through model classrooms,
offsite workshops, Title II days, data digs during staff planning, mentoring for new teachers or teachers new to their content
areas, peer observations, grade level, content area planning, and vertical planning.
Individual: Teachers may sign up for offsite professional learning in many areas dealing with technology, instruction, data
analysis, and classroom management through our countys PD Express system
Teachers conducting personal informal action research and taking ownership over the professional learning process to better
their instructional practices and content knowledge. Staff members pursuing advanced degrees. Science teachers going to
West Georgia this summer for a workshop. Staff going to STEM training this summer. Staff involved with Tech Eds group
in PCSD.
Professional learning is fully supported by administration and includes requirements for implementation and monitoring.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Assist teachers with strategies for analyzing personal strengths and weakness in their instructional strategies and content
knowledge.
Continue to build a learning community where ones efforts to improve and share with others is celebrated.
Encourage and support teachers efforts to seek out additional professional development through financial assistance for
substitutes and/or associated fees.
Encourage and support teachers efforts to seek out additional professional development by working with teachers to find
additional on-site and offsite opportunities for personal growth.
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Professional Learning Standard 3: Defines expectations for implementing professional learning

Level 4
Exemplary
Administrators, teacher
leaders, or both consistently
define expectations for the
implementation of
professional learning,
including details regarding
the stages of implementation
and how monitoring will
occur as implementation
progresses.
Level 3
Operational
leaders, or both regularly
implementation of
Level 2
Emerging
leaders, or both occasionally
implementation of
Level 1
Not Evident
leaders, or both rarely, if
ever, define expectations for
the implementation of
EVIDENCE:
The PBRMS SIP contains our areas of focus for professional learning for the year it is tied to. All teachers are given the SIP
at the beginning of the year. It is reviewed during pre-planning as well as throughout the year during staff meetings and
leadership meetings. Administration completes and shares a weekly calendar of events and highlights and elements of the
school improvement plan as well as professional learning opportunities for that week are included. Administration monitors
SIP goals throughout the year and makes decisions to adjust the SIP and/or professional learning if certain goals of the SIP are
in jeopardy of not being met.
An example of increasing monitoring efforts occurred in 2014-2015 when administration decided to try mini-data retreats for
the first time with the entire staff during early release days to look at data closely and evaluate the current SIP. This process
was very engaging and happened in the 3rd year of the schools existence and the first with a new principal. By creating this
opportunity to share and collaborate in regards to achievement and behavioral data allowed many current and future teacher
leaders within the school to gain more knowledge about our school and the SIP process. This created a much higher level of
buy-in for staff members and made future initiatives more impactful.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Verbally define rational for and intended outcomes of professional development more often at the onset of professional
learning opportunities.
Plan tentative professional learning calendar for the year before staff returns. Share schedule with teacher leaders in the
building to help them understand the different stages of professional learning for the upcoming year.
Plan goals for implementation and monitoring before professional learning is rolled out. This idea mirrors a backward design
for learning we expect our teachers to undergo in their classrooms. A plan for how professional learning will be implemented
and monitored from start will allow administrators and teachers in the building to understand the intended outcomes
throughout the learning of this new information.
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Professional Learning Standard 4: Uses multiple professional learning designs to support the various learning needs of the
staff
Level 4
Exemplary
Staff members actively
participate in job-embedded
professional learning that
engages collaborative teams
in a variety of appropriate
learning designs (e.g.,
collaborative lesson study,
analysis of student work,
problem solving sessions,
curriculum development,
coursework, action research,
classroom observations,
online networks).
Professional learning
includes extensive follow-up
with descriptive feedback
and coaching.
Level 3
Operational
Staff members actively
participate in professional
learning, most of which is
job-embedded, which
includes multiple designs
(e.g., collaborative lesson
study, analysis of student
work, problem-solving
sessions, curriculum
development, coursework,
action research, classroom
observations, online
networks) to support their
various learning needs.
Professional learning
includes follow-up with
feedback and coaching.
Level 2
Emerging
Some staff members are
engaged in professional
learning that makes use of
more than one learning
design to address their
identified needs.
Level 1
Not Evident
Staff members receive
single, stand-alone
professional learning events
that are informational and
mostly large-group
presentation designs.
EVIDENCE:
Collaborative: Administrators and staff working collaboratively during professional learning through model classrooms,
offsite workshops, Title II days, data digs during staff planning, mentoring for new teachers or teachers new to their content
areas, peer observations, grade level, content area planning, and vertical planning.
Individual: Teachers may sign up for offsite professional learning in many areas dealing with technology, instruction, data
analysis, and classroom management through our countys PD Express system
Teachers conducting personal informal action research and taking ownership over the professional learning process to better
their instructional practices and content knowledge. Staff members pursuing advanced degrees. Science teachers going to
West Georgia this summer for a workshop. Staff going to STEM training this summer. Staff involved with Tech Eds group
in PCSD.
Follow-up and feedback is present, but is not extensive and always as descriptive as it could be.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Find ways to improve on follow-up and feedback strategies in regards to professional learning. Be intentional in providing
opportunities for follow-up and feedback.
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Professional Learning Standard 5: Allocates resources and establishes systems to support and sustain effective professional
learning
Level 4
Exemplary
Extensive resources (e.g.,
substitute teachers, materials,
handouts, tools, stipends,
facilitators, technology) and
systems (e.g., conducive
schedules, adequate
collaborative time, model
classrooms) are allocated to
support and sustain effective
Opportunities to practice
skills, receive follow-up,
feedback, and coaching are
provided to support the
effectiveness of professional
learning.
Level 3
Operational
Adequate resources (e.g.,
substitute teachers,
materials, handouts, tools,
stipends, facilitators,
technology) and systems
(e.g., conducive schedules,
adequate collaborative time,
model classrooms) are in
place to support and sustain
Level 2
Emerging
Some resources and systems
are allocated to support and
sustain professional
learning.
EVIDENCE:
Common Drive for shared digital documents.
Help Desk application for Technology Issues or PL requests on every computer desktop.
Daily common planning times for grade level meetings.
Half day professional learnings are scheduled for vertical planning opportunities.
Title II and IIa funds are utilized for various on and off site professional learning.
Model classrooms are established in our school.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Provide more opportunities for follow-up and feedback.
Provide more opportunities for in building coaching.
Continue to grow in building leaders to assist with coaching/mentoring opportunities.
Level 1
Not Evident
Few, if any, resources and
systems are provided to
support and sustain
21
Professional Learning Standard 6: Monitors and evaluates the impact of professional learning on staff practices and student
learning
Level 4
Exemplary
Monitoring and evaluating
the impact of professional
learning on staff practices
and increases in student
learning occurs extensively.
Evaluation results are used
to identify and implement
processes to extend student
learning.
Level 3
Operational
and student learning occurs
routinely.
Level 2
Emerging
occurs sporadically.
Level 1
Not Evident
occurs rarely, if ever.
EVIDENCE:
At PBRMS we monitor the impact of PBIS on our school culture though data collected from current and previous years in the
areas of referral numbers, loss of instructional time, and Ravens Cash distributed to and utilized by students.
We do monitor for certain professional learning initiatives through informal and formal observations. A specific set of nonnegotiables are required in staff curriculum notebooks. The direct impact on student learning is not always known and may
be hard to quantify at times.
We do not routinely monitor and evaluate the impact of many professional learning initiatives for staff implementation and
their overall effectiveness of raising student achievement.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Routinely monitor the impact of professional learning strategies.
Consider how professional learning initiatives will be assessed throughout the school year. Determine what successful
implementation and impact will look like and how it can be measured. After these outcomes are finalized create a clear
metric for evaluation purposes.
Once strategies for determining the effectiveness of professional learning initiatives on student achievement are present we
need to intentionally and routinely gather data in these areas.
22
KSU ITEC Professional Learning Standard: Professional learning reinforces educators understanding and use of
strategies for promoting equity and high expectations for all students, application of research-based teaching strategies and
assessment processes, and involvement of families and other stakeholders in promoting student learning.
Level 4
Exemplary
Classroom practices (e.g.,
considering interests,
backgrounds, strengths, and
preferences to provide
meaningful, relevant lessons
and assess student progress,
differentiating instruction,
and nurturing student
capacity for selfmanagement) of all teachers
reflect an emotionally and
physically safe environment
where respect and
appreciation for a diverse
population is evident. There
are high achievement
expectations for all students
and teachers. The principal
and other leaders provide
professional learning for
teachers lacking
understanding of the impact
that attitudes regarding race,
disabilities, background,
culture, high expectations,
and social class of both
students and teachers have
on the teaching and learning
process.
Level 3
Operational
Classroom practices of most
teachers reflect skill in
communicating high
expectations for each student
and adjusting classroom
activities to meet student
needs. Respect for students
cultures and life experiences
is evident through the
emotionally and physically
safe learning environment
where students of diverse
backgrounds and experiences
are taught the school code of
conduct (customs) to help
them be successful in the
school context.
Level 2
Emerging
Classroom practices of some
teachers reflect evidence of
teachers training in
understanding the impact
process.
Level 1
Not Evident
Classroom practices reflect
little or no evidence of
teachers training in
understanding the impact
process.
EVIDENCE:
Schoolwide diversity is highly considered in all decisions here at PBRMS as seen in our SIP. Professional learning at
PBRMS addresses the specific needs of students and staff. This is an area in which we are growing and improving upon.
Curriculum notebook and lesson plan non-negotiables. (Differentiation through Data-Analysis/ Emphasis on Higher Order
Thinking Questions and Activities requiring higher levels of Depth of Knowledge(DOK))
School climate and instructional practice TKES surveys.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Teachers identified through the TKES process as lacking understanding of the impact that attitudes regarding race,
disabilities, background, culture, high expectations, and social class of both students and teachers have on the teaching and
learning process PL can be provided by creating individual PD 360 account so that these teachers can pursue growth in these
individual areas. These accounts are available for staff within the district by administrator request. Building level EACs
currently have accounts, but individual staff accounts must be requested.
Continue to bolster efforts in communicating school-wide focuses, gathering feedback and input, and providing opportunities
for the inclusion of all stakeholders in all stages of future SIP development.

Current Reality and Gsaps Assignment

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Current Reality and Gsaps Assignment

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RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

Professional Learning Current Reality and GSAPS Review

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

Part A: Professional Learning Current Reality

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

intervention is served up with no intention to implementation planning, teachers begin to feel

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction. Thousand

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

Part B: GSAPS Review

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

Professional Learning Standard 3: Defines expectations for implementing professional learning

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

RUNNING HEAD: PL REALITY & GSAPS REVIEW

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