ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Transcription

1 ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Professional Development Certification Program (PDCP) (Formerly, ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM - ACP) Professional Development Services (PDS)

2 GUIDELINES FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAM Orange County Public Schools Professional Development Certification Program is designed in accordance with Florida Statute (8): By July 1, 2002, the Department of Education shall develop and each school district must provide a cohesive competency-based preparation program by which members of the school district's instructional staff may satisfy the mastery of professional preparation and education competence requirements specified in rules of the State Board of Education. Participants must hold a state-issued temporary certificate. The Orange County Public School s Professional Development Certification Program (PDCP) philosophy is based on a deep commitment to intense focus on student achievement by building a high-performing and dedicated team of teachers through a quality competency based program. The goal of the PDCP is to expand the pool of educators to include non-education majors committed to making a positive impact on student achievement and providing quality educational opportunities. The PDCP supports the OCPS district vision, mission and goals: OCPS Vision To be the top producer of successful students in the nation OCPS Mission To lead our students to success with the support and involvement of families and the community OCPS Goals To focus our efforts to accomplish our mission and achieve our vision, the board and superintendent set five broad goals. Intense Focus on Student Achievement High-Performing and Dedicated Team Safe Learning and Working Environment Efficient Operations Sustained Community Engagement

3 PROGRAM PARTICIPATION The PDCP is designed to offer non-education majors, who hold at least a bachelor's degree in a subject for which a professional certificate may be issued, the opportunity to be trained as an educator. After PDCP completion, the candidate may seek a professional certificate. The Orange County Public Schools PDCP is a three-part program that includes demonstration of the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices, teaching experience under the supervision of a trained PDCP Support Team, and participation in professional development components designed to provide participants with quality training opportunities. The total cost of the program is $1,250. Your initial payment of $250 needs to accompany the program application. Payment is made with a check or money order made payable to OCPS. Electronic payments through SchoolPay may be made using a link provided following Orientation. This initial payment is non-refundable. QUALIFICATIONS In order to qualify for the OCPS PDCP, an applicant must: Be a paid instructional employee of the Orange County School Board in a teaching assignment Hold or be eligible for a three-year temporary teaching certificate from the Florida Department of Education. Hold at least a bachelor's degree, meet the subject area requirements in a subject area for which a professional certificate may be issued or pass the state subject area exam, and be certified for the teaching assignment. Obtain the signature of the hiring principal on the PDCP Application as agreement to coordinate the PDCP on-site. Sign the PDCP Application as an agreement of participation. SCREENING Current OCPS instructional employees, who are non-educational majors, may apply for participation in the PDCP no less than eighteen months before the expiration date of their temporary certificate.

4 PROGRAM PROCEDURES Hiring principals send the teacher to the Great Beginnings workshop (18 hours). Employees who qualify/require a program such as PDCP are identified. Hiring principal or other designated school representative notifies Professional Development Services (PDS). PDS, Certification, or the Lead Mentor forwards an application to the employee. The employee obtains the signature of the hiring principal as agreement to coordinate the PDCP on-site. At this time, the principal selects a clinical educator-trained mentor and assigns the appropriate grade level administrator to serve on the Support Team. The employee signs the completed Application for the Orange County Public Schools PDCP as an agreement of participation. A copy of the completed application is forwarded to PDS along with an initial check/money order or online payment of $250. After receiving the completed application, PDS schedules a program orientation with the participant. At this time, the Support Team is ed regarding training requirements as well. During the orientation the participant completes the Educators Accomplished Practices Pre-Assessment and submits it to PDS. PDS communicates throughout the participant s program with the Support Team regarding the participant s completion status of the professional development components and assessment tasks. Participant makes four additional payments of $250 at designated times throughout the program to complete the total payment of $1250 (payment schedule is outlined in the program schedule). After verification that the professional development components and assessment tasks are successfully completed, the PDCP Coordinator signs the participant out of the PDCP and submits the appropriate documentation electronically to the Florida Department of Education (DOE). LENGTH OF PDCP Program requirements for the PDCP take approximately 2 years to complete. The minimum length of a participant s program is 18 months.

5 INITIAL PREPARATION Each PDCP candidate will be sent to Great Beginnings upon being hired by a school. Great Beginnings is an 18-hour training that is conducted for three days prior to preplanning for summer hires and three Saturdays a month for later hires. Great Beginnings follow-up trainings are available throughout the school year for candidates as well as several Classroom Management courses at the district office. Candidates should visit to take advantage of required training. SUPPORT TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES The evaluating administrator who signs the application is the administrator who serves on the support team. The administrator s responsibilities include: Signing the application Conducting ongoing formal and informal assessments in accordance with the OCPS Teacher Evaluation system for Category 1 teachers. Making the final decision regarding PDCP completion and submitting the documentation to the school principal and then PDS. The Lead Mentor also serves on the support team. The Lead Mentor s responsibilities include: Signing the application Communicating regularly with PDCP mentors to ensure participants progression in the PDCP professional development courses and with the assessment tasks The mentor who signs the application is the mentor who serves on the support team. The mentor s responsibilities include: Signing the application Attending Clinical Educator training Completing the PDCP Mentor Orientation on ocps.instructure.com Conducting informal peer observations as needed for assessment tasks Meet with the PDCP teacher each grading quarter to complete the PDCP Responsibility Checklist form Ensuring progression in the PDCP professional development courses and with the assessment tasks Making recommendations to the administrator regarding PDCP completion

6 PROGRAM COMPONENTS Participants in the PDCP will be required to successfully complete four professional development modules that are designed to cover the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices. The professional development modules will assist participants in gaining the knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully demonstrate competency in each of the Accomplished Practices. Each module will consist of online and face-to-face learning. In addition, participants will complete the Beginning Teacher Online Course, Foundations for Research-Based Practices (Reading Competency 2), 60 hours of ESOL training, and Code of Ethics. See Appendix A for complete descriptions of the professional development components. Finally, there will be 26 assessment tasks that participants complete throughout the program. These tasks are assessed in a tracking system for feedback and verification of completion. All tasks will be submitted to the program coordinator at the end of the program. See Appendix B for a complete list of assessment tasks. PROGRAM SCHEDULE The following schedule outlines the PDCP for a participant. Semesters include spring, summer, fall and winter starting in January, March, July, and October respectively. Participants can start the program in any semester throughout the year. SEMESTER I PDCP Participant submits completed application to PDS which identifies the support team including the Evaluating Administrator, Instructional Coach and Mentor. PDCP teacher attends program orientation to receive the PDCP requirements and instructions for program completion. PDCP participant meets in an initial formal meeting with his/her mentor to discuss the independent study (Continuous Professional Development) and to develop a plan for completion of professional development components and assessment tasks. Support Team assists PDCP teacher with the development of their Individual Professional Development Plan. Support Team assists PDCP teacher with Task 1: Professional Goals. Participant completes the required professional development components: Beginning Teacher Online Course and Code of Ethics. Mentor observes as needed and continuously supports and coaches the PDCP teacher.

7 SEMESTER II Participant completes PDCP Module 1: Instructional Design and Lesson Planning and Professional Responsibility and Ethical Conduct. Participant successfully completes assessment tasks 11 through 14 and saves in an electronic portfolio. PDCP participant meets with his/her mentor to discuss progress with the independent study (Continuous Professional Development) and completion of assessment tasks. Mentor observes as needed and continuously supports and coaches the PDCP teacher. SEMESTER III Participant completes PDCP Module 2: The Learning Environment. Participant successfully completes assessment tasks 15 through 18 and saves in an electronic portfolio. PDCP participant meets with his/her mentor to discuss progress with the independent study (Continuous Professional Development) and completion of assessment tasks. Mentor observes as needed and continuously supports and coaches the PDCP teacher. SEMESTER IV Participant completes PDCP Module 3: Instructional Delivery and Facilitation. Participant successfully completes assessment 19 through 22 and saves in an electronic portfolio. PDCP participant meets with his/her mentor to discuss progress with the independent study (Continuous Professional Development) and completion of assessment tasks. Mentor observes as needed and continuously supports and coaches the PDCP teacher.

8 SEMESTER V Participant completes the recommended professional development components of Foundations for Research-Based Practices, and 60 hours of ESOL if they have not yet completed it. Participant completes PDCP Module 4: Assessment Participant successfully completes assessment tasks 23 through 26 and saves in an electronic portfolio. PDCP participant meets with his/her mentor to discuss progress with the independent study (Continuous Professional Development) and completion of assessment tasks. Mentor observes as needed and continuously supports and coaches the PDCP teacher.

9 SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT The PDCP teacher must successfully complete all assessment tasks and store in an electronic portfolio. The participant submits the portfolio to PDS for review and documentation of successful completion of Florida Educator Accomplished Practices. Once program completion is documented on the PDCP Responsibility Checklist by the participant and mentor, the Support Team must recommend program completion to the school Principal. The Principal, Support Team and Participant sign the Successful Completion of Minimum Competencies through the Professional Development Certification Program completion form. The participant submits the completed form to Professional Development Services, attn. PDCP. PROGRAM COMPLETION Successful OCPS PDCP completion will be based on all of the following: Submission of complete electronic portfolio to PDS; Submission of completed Successful Completion of Minimum Competencies through the Professional Development Certification Program completion form; Verification from PDCP administrator of successful completion of all professional development components required on the program checklist; and Verification that full program payment of $1250 has been collected. CERTIFICATION In order to obtain a State of Florida Professional Certificate, the participant must: Meet requirements for a three-year temporary certificate in an area in which the Department of Education offers certification; Successfully complete OCPS PDCP requirements; Pass the General Knowledge Test; Pass the Florida Professional Educator Examination; Pass the Florida Subject Area Examination; and Meet other requirements of law.

10 PROGRAM EVALUATION Evaluation of the Orange County Public Schools PDCP will be based on the following: Annual audit of participant electronic portfolios; Student performance data per the Orange County Public Schools Instructional Personnel Assessment System; Assessment data comparison of PDCP teachers and traditional certification teachers; Participant surveys; Administrator surveys; Evaluation of employment status of participants over a three year period; and Annual monitoring to ensure protected classes perform equally as well as non- protected classes. An annual report (DPEP) will be prepared based on the above data and submitted annually to the State of Florida.

11 Appendix A Orange County Public Schools PDCP Professional Development Components GREAT BEGINNINGS: This workshop is designed to prepare new teachers for classroom effectiveness. Participants have the opportunity to review research and practice skills that assist with classroom management. Participants who complete all sessions of Great Beginnings satisfy this course requirement. Great Beginnings is the initial preparation offered during the week before preplanning and throughout the year for late hires. MODULE 1: Instructional Design and Lesson Planning and Professional Responsibility and Ethical Conduct Module 1 will teach participants how to: o Align instruction with state-adopted standards at the appropriate level of rigor; o Sequence lessons and concepts to ensure coherence and required prior knowledge; o Design instruction for students to achieve mastery; o Select appropriate formative assessments to monitor learning; o Use a variety of data, independently, and in collaboration with colleagues, to evaluate learning outcomes, adjust planning and continuously improve the effectiveness of the lessons; and o Develop learning experiences that require students to demonstrate a variety of applicable skills and competencies. Module 1 will also help teachers understand that educators are held to a high moral standard in a community, the effective educator adheres to the Code of Ethics and the Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession of Florida, pursuant to State Board of Education Rules 6B and 6B1.006, F.A.C, and fulfills the expected obligations to students, the public and the education profession. MODULE 2: The Learning Environment Module 2 will teach participants how to: o Organize, allocate, and manage the resources of time, space, and attention; o Manage individual and class behaviors through a well-planned management system; o Convey high expectations to all students; o Respect students cultural, linguistic and family background; o Model clear, acceptable oral and written communication skills; o Maintain a climate of openness, inquiry, fairness and support; o Integrate current information and communication technologies; o Adapt the learning environment to accommodate the differing needs and diversity of students; and o Utilize current and emerging assistive technologies that enable students to participate in high-quality communication interactions and achieve their educational goals.

12 MODULE 3: Instructional Delivery and Facilitation Module 3 will teach participants how to: o Deliver engaging and challenging lessons; o Deepen and enrich students understanding through content area literacy strategies, verbalization of thought, and application of the subject matter; o Identify gaps in students subject matter knowledge; o Modify instruction to respond to preconceptions or misconceptions; o Relate and integrate the subject matter with other disciplines and life experiences; o Employ higher-order questioning techniques; o Apply varied instructional strategies and resources, including appropriate technology, to provide comprehensible instruction, and to teach for student understanding; o Differentiate instruction based on an assessment of student learning needs and recognition of individual differences in students; o Support, encourage, and provide immediate and specific feedback to students to promote student achievement; and o Utilize student feedback to monitor instructional needs and to adjust instruction. MODULE 4: Assessment Module 4 will teach participants how to: o Analyze and apply data from multiple assessments and measures to diagnose students learning needs, informs instruction based on those needs, and drives the learning process; Design and align formative and summative assessments that match learning objectives and lead to mastery; o Use a variety of assessment tools to monitor student progress, achievement and learning gains; o Modify assessments and testing conditions to accommodate learning styles and varying levels of knowledge; o Share the importance and outcomes of student assessment data with the student and the student s parent/caregiver(s); and o Apply technology to organize and integrate assessment information.

13 INDEPENDENT STUDY: Continuous Professional Development The Independent Study will teach participants how to: o Design purposeful professional goals to strengthen the effectiveness of instruction based on students needs; o Examine and uses data-informed research to improve instruction and student achievement; o Collaborate with the home, school and larger communities to foster communication and to support student learning and continuous improvement; o Engage in targeted professional growth opportunities and reflective practices, both independently and in collaboration with colleagues; and o Implement knowledge and skills learned in professional development in the teaching and learning process. BEGINNING TEACHER ONLINE COURSE: The beginning teacher courses will provide a framework for beginning teachers to document completion of various professional development components, including: Differentiated Instruction, Classroom Management, Classroom Environment, Code of Ethics, Diversity, and Great Beginnings. ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES (ESOL) ESSENTIALS (60 hours): This course is designed to provide ESOL awareness for educators and addresses many issues pertaining to ESOL. The participants learn to assess initial English language proficiency and utilize effective ESOL strategies and techniques to provide ELLs (English Language Learners) with comprehensible instruction based on the Florida META Consent Decree requirements. FOUNDATIONS FOR RESEARCH-BASED PRACTICES (READING COMPETNECY 2) (60 hours): Participants will understand the principles of scientifically based reading research as the foundation of comprehensive instruction that synchronizes and scaffolds each of the major components of the reading process toward student mastery. This is competency two of the reading endorsement.