In order to apply for or renew a Level II license, you must develop an Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP).  The intent of an IPDP is to guide your professional development purposefully to improve professional practice and student learning.  Goals and corresponding professional development activities for the ensuing licensing period are designed to result in new learning and continuous growth for the educator.

        o The plan (IPDP) becomes the foundation of your re-licensure portfolio.

        o You should continually review the plan and revise or amend it with your Local or Regional Standards Board as needed.

        o If you are currently employed as an educator, your IPDP must be approved by your Local or Regional Standards Board.

        o You need to contact your standards board prior to developing your IPDP or within six months of moving to a new district.
 

        o Licensing regulations approved in September 2003 require that as of July 1, 2004, all educators will develop IPDPs according to the revised requirements as described in the following pages.  This includes addressing endorsement competency standards that may have been recently revised.

 

 

Step One:  Self-Assessment

Collect and Analyze Student Learning Through Classroom Data

Your IPDP goals span seven years.  Begin the process of intentionally connecting your professional development to student data. Start by examining the grade level expectations for what your students should know and be able to do.
            * Do you teach everything required in the grade level expectations?
            * In which areas are your strengths?
            * In which areas would you like to improve?

Become familiar with the student data from your classroom and the classrooms of future students.  Examining whole school data with colleagues is helpful in planning professional development.  Collegial conversations and collaboration around student data help you to expand your knowledge of student needs from the present to the future.
            * In the future, will students need more help with writing?
            * Will new strategies for classroom management be needed?
            * Are the demographics in your school changing resulting in new and different issues?
            * Do you see patterns or themes emerging that will need to be addressed?
            * Will you be prepared to meet new challenges?

Review the academic performance of current and future students.  Some areas to examine:
            * Accuracy of assigned work
            * Quality of completed work
            * Results of classroom quizzes, unit tests, projects
            * Results of standardized testing (e.g. NSRE, SAT, DRA)
            * Results of Vermont's standards-based assessments (e.g. writing and math portfolios)
            * Results of local assessments (e.g. reading records)
            * IEP Goal progress

Review the approaches to learning by students.  Some areas to examine:
            * Motivational and engagement issues (e.g. attendance, completion of class work and homework)
            * Behavioral issues, classroom management results (e.g. transitions, office referrals, student social skills)
            * Learning styles, multiple intelligences
            * IEP accommodations needed for student success
            * Parent connections

Think about how your choices in professional development might affect student performance information.  Reflect upon the role of student assessment in your practice.

 

 

Analyze Your Practice Using The Five Standards and Sixteen Principles for Vermont Educators  (The Apple Book)

 

The Five Standards for Vermont Educators have been newly revised.  Each standard is expanded into principles of effective educator practice followed by quality indicators.  These standards and principles must be addressed in the IPDP and connected to your goals. Use the reflective prompts accompanying each of the Five Standards as part of your self-assessment.

Review the quality indicators for each standard and principle in The Apple Book and:

            * Check off the quality indicators you meet and congratulate yourself!!

            * Highlight the quality indicators in which you would like to gain more knowledge and skills.

            * Prioritize these quality indicators in order of importance to your current professional assignment.

            * Are any of these being addressed through district professional development?

            * Choose quality indicators that correspond with each of the five standards to be included in your professional development plan.

 

Analyze Your Practice Using the Competencies for Your Endorsement

This is a new requirement for all Level II educators seeking license renewal after July 1, 2004.  Beginning on July 1, 2004, unless otherwise expressly provided in the competency requirements for a specific endorsement, all educators shall address competency standards adopted on or after September 2003 in their IPDPs submitted for license renewal. (Licensing Regulation 5211.1)

“Addressing” the competency standards means considering whether you currently meet the competency or whether you need further knowledge or skills to meet the competency. Many endorsement competencies have been revised recently.  You may download a copy of your endorsement from the DOE website at Endorsements.

 

 

The endorsement competencies define the knowledge and skills educators need in order to be able to provide students learning opportunities within that specific endorsement area.  In order to analyze your practice by “addressing”  the endorsement competencies:

            * Review the knowledge and performance standards for each endorsement to be renewed.
                    # Carefully read each standard and rate your competency level as:
                            - “Very knowledgeable and highly skilled”
                            - “Somewhat knowledgeable and skilled” or
                            - “Need to acquire knowledge and skills”.

            * In reviewing your endorsement, did you find any content knowledge standards in which professional development will help you improve student achievement?

            * In reviewing your endorsement, did you find any performance standards in which professional development will help you improve student achievement?

            * Prioritize the areas of need in the order of importance to your current professional assignment.

 

Step Two: Develop Goals

Develop Effective Goals

Effective goals will help you gain the most from your re-licensure experience.  It’s important to remember that professional development is not the goal in itself, but rather, it is the means of achieving the goal.  Your goals should involve improving or enhancing specific areas of student learning (student learning goals).  In order to create the desired impact on student learning, you need to determine the specific knowledge and skills you need to enhance or acquire in order to effectively teach those areas.  The SMART goals model can assist you to craft goals that will provide a clear map for your seven-year re-licensure cycle with clear indicators of success.

Over the seven-year period, it’s very likely that you might need to change your goals in response to a host of issues. For example, changes in student needs, school improvement initiatives, or a new professional assignment should lead you to change your goals by filing an amendment with your local or regional standards board.

Use the SMART Goals model:
 
* Specific - identify what will happen with whom;

* Measurable - create clear indicators of success;

* Attainable - goals can be accomplished with the strengths, abilities and resources available;

* Relevant - there is a documented need for your goals and they are something you want to do;

* Time-Bound - indicate when the goal will be met.

Develop Goals to Improve Student Learning

        * Summarize several issues or problem areas you discovered through your study of student data.  These should provide good ideas for IPDP goals.

        * Brainstorm all possible reasons why these issues or problems may exist.

        * Discuss the issues/problems and your thoughts on why they may exist with colleagues to gain their insights and suggestions.

        * Develop your goal(s) to increase student learning.

Develop Goals to Strengthen Practice

        * What do you need to know and be able to do to meet your student learning goals?

        * Reflect upon your self-assessment of:
                  Your competency level in the knowledge and performance standards of your endorsement(s).
                  Your school’s improvement initiatives.
                  The quality indicators of the five standards and sixteen principles.

        * What new knowledge, skills, attitudes, beliefs or relationships could help you improve your practice to meet your student learning goal?

        * Talk with colleagues, administrators and others who might help you identify your learning needs.

Align Your Goals With School Improvement Initiatives or Your School’s Action Plan

* What are the major school district improvement initiatives or foci of the action plan?

* How do they connect with:

        o The needs of your students?

        o Your endorsement(s)?

        o The Five Standards for Vermont Educators?

* Are there professional development experiences planned by your district that would help you to address the needs you have identified in reviewing your student data, your endorsements and the Five Standards and Sixteen Principles?   These learning experiences could be a valuable part of your IPDP and could be used for re-licensing credit.

* Are there opportunities to participate in curriculum or school development or improvement projects that would provide an opportunity for learning to address the needs you identified in your self-assessment?

Step Three:   Professional Development

Plan Professional Development To Meet Your Goals

* The type of learning experience in which you engage will determine how effectively you learn and are able to practice new knowledge and skills.
* Use the chart below and the descriptions in A Handbook for Educators to determine which learning experiences will be most effective to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to meet your goals.
* Determine a logical sequence for your learning experiences and develop a timeline as required in the SMART goals model.
* Engage with others as needed to finalize your plans.  If you are planning job embedded professional development you will need to carefully structure the experience.

5 Models of Professional Development

If your desired outcome is:                                               The most effective model of professional
       development is:

o Mastery of a simple, specific teaching skill………………Training or Observation/Assessment

o Implementation of a complex set of teaching                                                                                                                                        strategies…………………………………………………Training or Inquiry with Peer Coaching

o Gaining insight into how students learn………………..….Inquiry

o Mastery of classroom management skills………………...Training, Inquiry,  Observation/Assessment With Peer Coaching

o Implementation of new assessment procedures…………..Training, Inquiry

o Solving complex problem with student achievement……....Inquiry,  Individually-Guided

o Acquiring group leadership and/or teaming skills…....…….Development/Improvement  Process

o Increasing Knowledge of Content or Subject……………..Development/Improvement Process, Training
 

Step Four: Implement Learning and Review Your IPDP

Evaluate the learning experiences to determine if desired knowledge and skills are being/have been gained

        * Is the professional development providing the knowledge and skills related to your goal for improving student learning?

        * Is the experience providing the knowledge and skills that will enable you to implement the desired practice?

        * How might the experience be modified to increase your learning?

        * Is there adequate opportunity to apply/practice new knowledge and practice new skills?
 

Determine if other support is needed to implement the new knowledge or skill

        * How comfortable do you feel about implementing the new knowledge or skill?

        * Have you had opportunities to practice the new knowledge or skills?

        * Look for the following opportunities:
                o Chances to observe colleagues using the desired knowledge or skill
                o Ask a colleague to observe you and provide feedback as you use your new learning with students
                o Discuss concerns with colleagues experienced with the practice

Review your IPDP regularly

        * Assess and monitor progress on the plan.

        * Reassess your goals and determine whether you need to revise your plan to reflect
                o new insights from professional development or
                o a change in your professional assignment.

        * This is all part of a vital and responsive re-licensure process and a commitment to professional growth to better meet student needs.