; Using research-based models for professional development. ENSURING HIGH QUALITY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MEANS: Planning professional development that is aligned with building- and system-level goals and promotes evaluation and follow-up. Reflecting current research on teaching and learning. Respecting and drawing from the knowledge and experience of teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals. Providing a variety of professional development opportunities (such as just-in-time, small-group, large-group, North Carolina Information Highway (NCIH), and online). Providing that professional development is relevant to the classroom setting and reflective of test data. Providing professional development that gives teachers the knowledge and skills necessary to work with all students. Providing time for professional development design, and implementation. Providing professional development for instructional leaders in data analysis, collective inquiry, and collaborative planning. Providing professional development that includes processes for formative and summative assessment. Creating an ongoing calendar of professional development opportunities tailored to meet assessed professional development needs. Providing time to learn, practice, and incorporate new skills into instruction. Providing resources to support teachers as they implement new strategies in their classrooms. Providing follow-up through re-teaching, one-on-one tutoring, troubleshooting, modeling, and other forms of support. Evaluating professional development efforts on a continuing basis to ensure they are meeting the needs of teachers and staff. Providing the opportunity for self-assessment of needs and interests by teachers prior to setting goals for professional growth. 00 IMPACT: Guidelines for North Carolina Media and Technology Programs THE NATIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL STANDARDS The National Staff Development Council (NSDC) issued standards for high quality professional development which state that professional development: should organize adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district; requires skillful school and district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement; requires resources, including time, to support adult learning and collaboration; should use disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement; should use multiple sources of information to evaluate effectiveness; and should prepare educators to understand and teach all students. (NSDC Standards for Staff Development, 0000) NORTH CAROLINA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS Based on research by the National Staff Development Council (NSDC), the North Carolina Professional Development Standards provide the vision and framework for making professional development more responsive to the learning needs of both educators and students. The standards propose that professional development "should contribute to measurable improvement in student achievement" and that higher student achievement is the goal. "Professional development that does not produce changes in practice, [the standards emphasize] does not support improved student performance; [furthermore] professional development must be powerful enough to result in changes in schools and practice that lead to higher student achievement and higher teacher performance" ("Designing Powerful Professional Development," 0000). "No Child Left Behind (NCLB) solidifies the presence of high-stakes accountability systems in our schools, and as we raise the expectations for students and teachers, we must provide high quality professional development [as it is essential for excellence in teaching and learning]" (Professional Development, 0000). The National Staff Development Council (NSDC) believes that one of the primary purposes of professional development is school improvement as measured by the success of every student. Success is evident through overall high student achievement (NSDC Standards for Staff Development, 0000). The North Carolina Professional Development Standards recommend that professional development efforts must closely align with school improvement plans and thrive within existing school operations and structures. This systems-thinking approach to planning can be guided by the following questions: What are our goals for our students? What must we (the adults) learn in order to help our students learn? What is the best design for the adult learning? What is in place in our school that we would need to change or strengthen in order to meet our learning goals and our student goals? How would we know if we were achieving our goals? ("Designing Powerful Professional Development," 0000) TEACHING AND LEARNING 00 The North Carolina Professional Standards recommend that a well-designed professional development program will include "a clear and specific presentation of the theory supporting the new practices: modeling, demonstration, coaching, feedback, and practice. Questions to guide evaluation of program quality include: Is this model appropriate for the intended outcomes? Does the program design include inquiry into how learning can be improved? Which model of professional development was used to design this program?" ("Designing Powerful Professional Development," 0000) The North Carolina Professional Development Standards are organized according to the context/process/content schema: CONTEXT STANDARDS: address the organization, system, and culture in which the new learning will be implemented PROCESS STANDARDS: refer to the "how" of professional development describing the learning processes used in the acquisition of new knowledge and skills and addressing the use of data, evaluation and research. CONTENT STANDARDS: refer to the "what" of professional development. 00 IMPACT: Guidelines for North Carolina Media and Technology Programs NORTH CAROLINA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS CONTEXT STANDARDS LEARNING Professional development that improves the learning of all students organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district. LEADERSHIP: Professional development that improves the learning of all students requires skillful school and district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement. RESOURCES: Professional development that improves the learning of all students requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration. PROCESS STANDARDS DATA-DRIVEN: Professional development that improves the learning of all students uses disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement. EVALUATION: Professional development that improves the learning of all students uses multiple sources of information to guide improvement and demonstrate its impact. RESEARCH-BASED: Professional development that improves the learning of all students prepares educators to apply research to decision making. DESIGN: Professional development that improves the learning of all students uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal. LEARNING: Professional development that improves the learning of all students applies knowledge about human learning and change. COLLABORATION: Professional development that improves the learning of all students provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate. CONTENT STANDARDS EQUITY: Professional development that improves the learning of all students prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for their academic achievement. QUALITY TEACHING: Professional development that improves the learning of all students deepens educators' content knowledge, provides them with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately. FAMILY INVOLVEMENT: Professional development that improves the learning of all students provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve families and other stakeholders appropriately. ("Designing Powerful Professional Development," 0000) TEACHING AND LEARNING 00 COMMUNITIES: RESOURCES TO SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING Data and Research 