175 Hour Professional Development Requirement
The following guidelines (NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives) are intended to assist teachers and school districts in identifying professional development activities that comply with new certification requirements. These are guidelines only; authority for decision-making regarding appropriateness of activities for fulfillment of this requirement resides solely with the local public school district. Districts ought not to consider as fulfillment of this requirement activities that are deemed part of routine employment duties.
Newly certified teachers (2/2004) receive an Initial Classroom Teaching Certificate valid for five years (formerly the Provisional Certificate). A holder of an Initial Classroom Teaching Certificate must have a one-year mentored teaching experience followed by an additional two years of teaching and earn a master’s degree in order to obtain a Professional Classroom Teaching Certificate (formerly Permanent). Holders of a Professional Classroom Teaching Certificate are now required to complete 175 hours of professional development every five years to maintain this certification (Part 80.3).
District Professional Development Plans should describe how they will provide teachers holding a Professional Certificate with opportunities to maintain such certificate in good standing based upon successfully completing 175 hours of professional development every five years (Part 100.2).
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The design of professional development should be a result of a district’s professional development planning process which minimally includes a collection of needs assessment data such as: student and teacher needs, root cause identification, proposed activities, identification of resources, and proposed evaluation of the impact of planned activities/approaches.
Design & Planning
Teacher learning opportunities involve educators in the design and implementation of clearly constructed activities which:
- respond to student achievement data including State and local assessments and School District Report Cards
- are based on effective teaching research
- are site-based and connected to daily school experiences.
Professional development planning process is dynamic, reflecting teacher and student performance benchmarks of increasing rigor as skill levels are attained.
A suggested planning document, Continuing Professional Development District Planning Form, is available for use by teachers and their districts at:
Content
Content of courses, workshops, and other professional development experiences should:
- enhance subject matter knowledge
- directly relate to the use and application of appropriate teaching techniques
- broaden and enhance accurate and appropriate assessment methodologies
- manage individual students and classrooms in heterogeneous and homogeneous settings.
Subject matter content of professional development activities/experiences is clearly connected to student achievement of the NYS Learning Standards.
Providers
Teachers may meet these needs by participating in courses and other learning opportunities delivered by many providers, such as Teacher Centers, institutions of higher education, BOCES, school districts and independent professional development service providers.
Recordkeeping Requirement
School districts will report professional development hours of employed teachers on their behalf to the Office of Teaching, NYSED. In addition, to the recordkeeping requirement for public schools, (Section 100.2dd), the certificate holder shall maintain a record of completed professional development which includes: the title of the program, the number of hours completed, the sponsor’s name and any identifying number, attendance verification, and the date and location of the program. Such records shall be retained for at least seven years from the date of completion of the program and shall be available for review by the department in administering the requirements of this section (Part 80.3.6f).
Evaluation
Professional development results in a demonstrated increase in teacher knowledge and understanding, teacher skillfulness, and teacher professional values. Professional development activities/experiences are assessed on an on-going and continuous basis for intended impact. Defensible evaluation tools/methods must be used to determine modifications to planned activities/experiences.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES/EXPERIENCES
The following categories of activities are suggestions for meeting the needs of school districts in building teacher capacity in accordance with North Central Regional Educational Laboratory’s research-based framework of the Five Phases of Professional Development. In practice, these activities may overlap, repeat or occur simultaneously.
- Building a Knowledge Base
The purpose of this phase is to acquire new knowledge and information and to build a conceptual understanding of it. Activities in this phase might include goal setting, assessing needs, participating in interactive workshops, and forming a study group.
- Coursework linked to improvement of instructional technique or content knowledge, (which may or may not be in pursuit of an advanced degree).
- Complete coursework for more advanced certification or certificates in additional areas or in accordance with teaching assignment requirement for extension to certification.
- Participate in regional scoring of NYS assessments, assessing student portfolios.
- Observing Models and Examples
The purpose of this phase is to study instructional examples in order to develop a practical understanding of the research. In this phase, one might participate in activities such as school and classroom visitations, peer observation, using instructional artifacts, co-planning, and listening to or watching audio and video examples.
- Collaborate with other teachers to examine case studies of student work and development.
- Participate in Mentoring programs as mentor or mentee.
- Participate in ProfessionalDevelopmentSchool activities or other school-college teacher development partnerships.
- Reflecting on Your Practice
The purpose of this phase is to analyze your instructional practice on the basis of new knowledge. Activities in this phase might include the use of journals or teacher-authored cases for collegial discussion and reflection.
- Create and assess teacher portfolios.
- Engage in research projects including online research or teacher research.
- Participate in study/collegial circles such as “Critical Friends” activities, structured guided reflection activities focused on student learning.
- Participate in formal peer coaching programs or in peer review.
- Changing Your Practice
The purpose of this phase is to translate your new knowledge into individual and collaborative plans and actions for curricular and instructional change. Activities might include action research, peer-coaching, support groups, and curriculum development.
- Participate in reviews of class performance data over time to make decisions about one’s own professional development, based on student outcomes.
- Develop Statewide curriculum or participate in District curriculum planning.
- Develop or collaborate on the development of new programs and instructional methods.
- Gaining and Sharing Expertise
The purpose of this phase is to continue to refine your instructional practice, learning with and from colleagues while sharing your practical wisdom with your peers. Activities in this phase might include team planning, mentoring or partnering with a colleague, and participating in a network.
- Serve as NYSTCE “assessor” or test development committee member.
- Publish in educational journals.
- Deliver professional development, i.e. conduct workshops.
- Serve as a cooperating teacher for a student teacher of field internships; including attending meetings and processes.
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