Standard 5.3 Program Evaluation
Candidates design and implement program evaluations to determine the overall effectiveness of professional learning on deepening teacher content knowledge, improving teacher pedagogical skills and/or increasing student learning. (PSC 5.3/ISTE 4c)
Artifact: Professional Learning Current Reality and GAPSS Review
Reflection:
This artifact is the Professional Learning Current Reality and GAPSS Review that I completed in ITEC 7460. In the Professional Learning Current Reality, I analyzed the variety of professional learning that is offered at my school, and I spoke with my principal about how he feels things are going and the direction the school should be moving in regarding professional learning opportunities. Then, I conducted a GAPSS Review to determine the current effectiveness of professional learning at my school. These artifacts show mastery of Standard 5.3 - Program Evaluation - which states that "candidates design and implement program evaluations to determine the overall effectiveness of professional learning on deepening teacher content knowledge, improving teacher pedagogical skills and/or increasing student learning" because through the current reality paper and the GAPSS, I was able to make an informed decision of whether or not my school is running an effective professional learning program.
Writing the current reality paper and conducting the GAPSS review shows my ability to design and implement a professional learning program evaluation. I met with my principal and asked him a variety of questions about how professional learning has been going, and what he would like to see for upcoming school years. We looked at my school's vision statement and determined if the current professional learning was supporting the vision and the mission of the school as well as whether or not it was aligning to the school improvement goals. Then, after my conversations with him, I conducted the GAPSS review. Through that review, I looked at a variety of professional learning standards and then determined where my school fell on each standard given a range of exemplary to not evident.
I determined that the professional learning offered at my school does deepen teacher content knowledge and pedagogical skills. On professional learning standard 4 in the GAPSS review, my school fell under the operational rating which means that "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, and online networks) to support their various learning needs. Professional learning includes follow-up with feedback and coaching." The recommendation I gave was for there to be a survey or some type of feedback option after each professional learning session for the purpose of determining if it was useful and practical for the teachers. Finally, I determined that the professional learning offered at my school does increase student learning. Since the professional learning deepens teacher content knowledge and pedagogical skills, that will in turn increase student learning. When teachers are learning new strategies for how to teach lessons effectively, the students will automatically benefit. Our school is very data driven, and as a result, many professional learning needs are determined based on student achievement data and the content areas that the students are showing the least growth in. That way, teachers learn new strategies to improve their teaching practices.
Through completing this artifact, I learned a lot about what goes into planning professional learning at a school. My administration really takes professional learning seriously, and I was pleased to see that we did fairly well on the GAPSS review that I conducted. I was also interested to hear the variety of ways that the administrative team determines what professional learning sessions to offer. The work that went into creating this artifact can impact school improvement because I gave various recommendations in my GAPSS review of ways that professional learning can be done better so that more people benefit from the sessions they are required to attend.
This artifact is the Professional Learning Current Reality and GAPSS Review that I completed in ITEC 7460. In the Professional Learning Current Reality, I analyzed the variety of professional learning that is offered at my school, and I spoke with my principal about how he feels things are going and the direction the school should be moving in regarding professional learning opportunities. Then, I conducted a GAPSS Review to determine the current effectiveness of professional learning at my school. These artifacts show mastery of Standard 5.3 - Program Evaluation - which states that "candidates design and implement program evaluations to determine the overall effectiveness of professional learning on deepening teacher content knowledge, improving teacher pedagogical skills and/or increasing student learning" because through the current reality paper and the GAPSS, I was able to make an informed decision of whether or not my school is running an effective professional learning program.
Writing the current reality paper and conducting the GAPSS review shows my ability to design and implement a professional learning program evaluation. I met with my principal and asked him a variety of questions about how professional learning has been going, and what he would like to see for upcoming school years. We looked at my school's vision statement and determined if the current professional learning was supporting the vision and the mission of the school as well as whether or not it was aligning to the school improvement goals. Then, after my conversations with him, I conducted the GAPSS review. Through that review, I looked at a variety of professional learning standards and then determined where my school fell on each standard given a range of exemplary to not evident.
I determined that the professional learning offered at my school does deepen teacher content knowledge and pedagogical skills. On professional learning standard 4 in the GAPSS review, my school fell under the operational rating which means that "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, and online networks) to support their various learning needs. Professional learning includes follow-up with feedback and coaching." The recommendation I gave was for there to be a survey or some type of feedback option after each professional learning session for the purpose of determining if it was useful and practical for the teachers. Finally, I determined that the professional learning offered at my school does increase student learning. Since the professional learning deepens teacher content knowledge and pedagogical skills, that will in turn increase student learning. When teachers are learning new strategies for how to teach lessons effectively, the students will automatically benefit. Our school is very data driven, and as a result, many professional learning needs are determined based on student achievement data and the content areas that the students are showing the least growth in. That way, teachers learn new strategies to improve their teaching practices.
Through completing this artifact, I learned a lot about what goes into planning professional learning at a school. My administration really takes professional learning seriously, and I was pleased to see that we did fairly well on the GAPSS review that I conducted. I was also interested to hear the variety of ways that the administrative team determines what professional learning sessions to offer. The work that went into creating this artifact can impact school improvement because I gave various recommendations in my GAPSS review of ways that professional learning can be done better so that more people benefit from the sessions they are required to attend.