Educate Alabama & Professional Learning Plan

1. Educate Alabama & Professional Learning Plan Oak Mountain High School2011-2012

2. Mission of AQTS Pursuant to the mission of the academic achievement of all students in the public schools of Alabama, teachers will align their practice and professional learning with the following standards:

3. Standard 1 • Content Knowledge To improve the learning of all students, teachers master the disciplines related to their teaching fields including the central concepts, important facts and skills, and tools of inquiry; they anchor content in learning experiences that make the subject matter meaningful for all students.

4. Standard 2 • Teaching and Learning To increase the achievement of every student, teachers draw upon a thorough understanding of learning and development; recognize the role of families in supporting learning; design a student centered learning environment; and use research-based instructional and assessment strategies that motivate, engage, and maximize the learning of all students.

5. Standard 3 • Literacy To improve student learning and achievement, teachers use knowledge of effective oral and written communications, reading, mathematics, and technology to facilitate and support direct instruction, active inquiry, collaboration, and positive interaction.

6. Standard 4 • Diversity To improve the learning of all students, teachers differentiate instruction in ways that exhibit a deep understanding of how cultural, ethnic, and social background; second language learning; special needs; exceptionalities; and learning styles affect student motivation, cognitive processing, and academic performance.

7. Standard 5 • Professionalism To increase the achievement of all students, teachers engage in continuous learning and self improvement; collaborate with colleagues to create and adopt research-based best practices to achieve ongoing classroom and school improvement; and adhere to the Alabama Educator Code of Ethics and federal, state, and local laws and policies.

8. Shelby County Schools Focus • 5.4 Promotes professional ethics and integrity • Part of your PLP

9. Educate Alabama Alabama Quality Teaching Standards + Teacher Evaluation System = Educate Alabama

10. Educate Alabama • NO NUMERICAL SCORES • Each Standard has indicators of performance. • 5 Standards Contain 39 Indicators • A teacher’s current level of practice in “?” will be collaboratively identified by the evaluator and the teacher using data and information collected by the evaluator and supplied by the teacher.

11. Standards/Indicators (Example) • Standard 1 • Key Indicators 1.1 Demonstrates deep knowledge of subject-matter content and an ability to organize related facts, concepts, and skills 1.2 Activates learners’ prior knowledge, experiences, and interests and uses this information to plan content and to help individual students attain learning goals

12. Standards/Indicators (Example) • Standard 1 • Key Indicators 1.3 Connects curriculum to other content areas and real-life settings to promote retention and relevance 1.4 Designs instructional activities based on state content standards 1.5 Provides instructional accommodations, modifications, and adaptations to meet the needs of each individual learner

13. 5 Levels of Practice • Pre-Service and Beginning • Emerging • Applying • Integrating • Innovating

14. Standards/Indicators/Levels of Practice (Example) • Standard 1: Content Knowledge • Indicator 1.1: Demonstrates deep knowledge of subject-matter content and an ability to organize related facts, concepts, and skills. • Sources of Data: Classroom Observations, Self-Assessment, Dialogues, and any additional pertinent sources of information.

15. Standards/Indicators/Levels of Practice (Example) • Pre-Service and Beginning Knows the core concepts, facts, procedures, and skills comprising specific curricular areas related to teaching assignment. • Emerging . . . and Uses knowledge of subject matter to plan rigorous and relevant units and lessons appropriate to the age and developmental level of all learners.

16. Standards/Indicators/Levels of Practice (Example) • Applying . . . and Evaluates and uses a wide range of text-based and additional resources to differentiate content to motivate and academically challenge all learners. • Most teachers… Will fall in the first three levels of practice, but…

17. Standards/Indicators/Levels of Practice (Example) • Integrating . . . And Uses expanded knowledge, including primary sources when appropriate, to support student understanding of key concepts, themes, multiple perspectives, and interrelationships. Works with colleagues to plan units and lessons that immerse learners actively in the discipline and to think analytically and creatively about the content. Reads academic journals and other sources to identify research findings and best practices related to a specific discipline and shares these with colleagues.

18. Standards/Indicators/Levels of Practice (Example) • Innovating . . . and Uses comprehensive knowledge of subject matter and student development to ensure that all students understand related facts and concepts within and across content areas. Collaborates with colleagues to incorporate research findings into unit and lesson designs. Writes for academic journals and other outlets, including the Web, to report successful innovations implemented by members of the school community.

19. FINAL STEP OF EDUCATE ALABAMA You are ready to login to EDAL and begin your self assessment and professional learning plan (PLP) for this school year. Remember that we will meet again on September 15th to do our EDAL Professional Learning Plans (PLPs) in the AR Lab if you do not have a chance to finish today! You do need to assign the following indicators to your PLP while completing your self assessment: 2.8, 5.4, and one of your choice—we prefer you choose 3.8 (student use of technology in the classroom) because we will be providing continuous professional development in this area. However, you have a choice on this third indicator for the PLP. If you wish to choose a different indicator here, know that you are responsible for scheduling PD training and expenses on your own time.

20. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PLAN • Goal Focus: Identifies the particular Standard and Indicator(s) that will be the focus of attention and states the objective to be accomplished by the teachers. 2.8, 5.4, and one of choice (3.8) • Action Step/Activities: Lists the activities that will be undertaken to accomplish and improve practice. • Outcomes: What will be the results of what we are ascribing to doing?

21. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PLAN (2.8) • Goal Focus: Uses formative assessments to provide specific and timely feedback and to adjust instruction • Action Steps/Activities: • Job-Embedded Professional Development, PLU Supported Monthly PD, monthly book study/journal article study, PLC meetings, and data meetings • Outcomes • Increase our knowledge of the purposes, strengths, and limitations of formative and summative assessment and of formal and informal assessment strategies in order to identify and recognize the relationships between assessments and student learning.

22. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PLAN (3.8) • Goal Focus • 3.8 Facilitates learners’ individual and collaborative use of technology and evaluates their technology proficiency. • Action Steps/Activities: • Job-Embedded Professional Development (Edmodo, Blogs, Clickers Training, Google Docs, Wikis, etc.), Tech Tuesdays, and PLU Supported Monthly Technology PD, School goes wireless • Outcomes • Increased individual and collaborative use of technology for the learners and evaluates their technology proficiency. • **Important to remember that this indicator asks the teacher to document how the student self-reflects on his/her use of technology as it is related to the educational setting.

23. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PLAN (5.4) • Goal Focus: Promotes professional ethics and integrity • Action Steps/Activities: Job-Embedded Professional Development, PLU Supported Monthly PD • Outcomes: Knowledge of appropriate professional behavior and dispositions expected of professionals as outlined in the Alabama Educator Code of Ethics

24. If you finish your self assessment and PLP, what do you do next? • You need to meet with your assigned administrator BEFORE ELECTRONICALLY SIGNING YOUR PLP!! Make sure it is what you want because once you e-sign it, we cannot make any corrections to your PLP for the remainder of the school year. • Educator: Fill in your official name • Position: Fill in your official position • Sign and Date on the first Educator Line.

25. Adding Evidence as you go along… • We, the administrative team, encourage you to add evidence as you go throughout the school year. This will save everyone time at the end of this process for the school year. • Example: You can go ahead and add your duties/responsibilities in the database, and how you believe that these assigned duties help you grow in identified indicators from your PLP. This should affect your ethics choice.