Essential 3: Create a Targeted Professional Development Plan   Essential 3: Create a Targeted Professional Development Plan to Improve Instruction in Core Subjects The third essential element for Whole School Improvement is to create a targeted professional development plan that gives teachers and principals what they need to improve instruction in core subjects.        Key Activities in accomplishing this task: offer over-the-shoulder classroom based coaching. provide training for principals and teachers to: set academic goals, plan strategically, develop leadership and build consensus. build knowledge in specific content areas and in use of technology set and meet high standards for students establish principal and teacher professional networks work with coaches create teacher and administrator portfolios offer professional development for staff whose instructional practice needs improvement and support       What should be seen in the school and classroom: a plan developed with and by teachers that: is driven by data aligns all activities with the instructional focus targets student learning directly pools all resources ncludes on-going assessment of student learning identifies who and when and why and how evaluates effectiveness of activities has many levels peer coaching by teachers cluster leaders developing and supporting networks of principals and teachers in their cluster.       Agassiz Self Assessment Summary: How are we succeeding in implementing Essential 3: Create a Targeted Professional Development Plan to Improve Instruction in Core Subjects?     We assess our progress in implementation of the Third Essential: Create a Targeted Professional Development Plant to Improve Instruction in Core Subjects as: Phase 3 - On-going Improvement on the Whole School Improvement continuum. The following evidence was used to determine this marking: Literacy Success For All professional development is an on-going activity throughout the school year. Staff from the Success For All Foundation will teach summer workshops. Component level meetings are held every two weeks during the school year. The SFA Facilitator leads these workshops. This year we will have two Lead Teachers facilitating two of the three components. Nine (9) teachers attended the SFA national conference in Miami and returned to lead discussions and share latest developments in implementing the SFA model. SFA implementation visits (Fall and Spring) provided staff with feedback on current status and next steps to further improve the implementation of the model. Provided training on writing via The Landmark School to support writing across the curriculum in all grades. Not a successful activity. Supported individual and small groups of teachers to further their professional development by attending seminars, conferences, workshops. Eg. New England Kindergarten Conference.   Math Provided two workshops on the language of mathematics and MCAS preparation through Dr. Mahesh Sharma. The Math Specialist held meetings with all homeroom teachers during the year to train them in the use of the math student profile.    Our goals for moving to the next phase Literacy Plan the next level of SFA training during the summer of 2000 along with the other SFA schools. Scale-up the training for veteran SFA teachers while providing entry-level training to new teachers (summer and year-long). Principal, SFA facilitator and selected teachers to participate in national SFA conferences to further develop supervision and coaching skills, and to learn latest research-based developments in SFA to support the implementation of SFA at the school. All teachers will receive raining in one LASW protocol in the Fall of 2000. Train a cadre of four (4) teachers in grades K-3, in the READ assessments this summer. Continue to build capacity within the building by providing opportunities for groups of teachers to attend professional development activities. The ILT will develop a comprehensive professional development plan that addresses student learning based on formative and summative assessment information. Particular attention being paid to Level 1 students and what they will need to succeed. Oct.-Nov. 2000 Our content coach will train all teachers in the setting and the writing of SMART goals by November 2000.   Math The Math Leadership Team will be trained in the use of the TERC Investigations curriculum materials and they will also be trained in the Developing Mathematical Ideas program. Coaching will be provided to the MLT as they implement the TERC materials in their classes. Dr. Sharma will be developing, with the MLT, a math professional development plan for all other staff members for the 2000-2001 school year.     Essential 4